STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — St. John’s University recently announced plans to add a nursing program to its academic offerings, and will build a new 70,000-square-foot Health Sciences Center at its Queens campus.
“The foremost goal of our program is to train skilled professionals and compassionate nurse leaders ready to serve others in societies in need of healing,” said the Rev. Brian J. Shanley, president of St. John’s, which also has a campus on Grymes Hill. “The University’s new Health Sciences Center will enable St. John’s to train the next generation of caregivers at a time of tremendous change and opportunity in health care.”
The school said it plans to break ground on the Health Sciences Center on International Nurses Day on May 12. The proposed scope of the work includes taking down St. Vincent Hall to construct the new building, according to the school website.
The facility, which will house the new nursing program, is scheduled to open in fall 2024, according to the university, which had to receive approval from the New York State Education Department to offer a bachelor of science degree in nursing. The project is being led by the school’s Office of Design & Construction.
The first St. John’s students to pursue the degree will begin coursework in August. “Within the first few hours of going public with the announcement, we had over two dozen applications,” said spokesperson Brian Browne.
The new Health Sciences Center will provide state-of-the-art technology, simulation labs and flexible room layouts to allow for a multitude of teaching and learning styles, according to St. John’s. The innovative learning environment will ensure that future health-care workers can keep pace with the dramatic advancements in the health-care industry, the school said in a statement.
The center was originally estimated to cost approximately $78 million, however the amount has increased due to inflation, according to spokesperson Browne.
The new Health Sciences Center will provide state-of-the-art technology, simulation labs and flexible room layouts to allow for a multitude of teaching and learning styles, according to St. John’s University. A rendering of the facility is seen here. (Courtesy of St. John’s University)
Various sources are helping to finance the construction of the facility, the simulation suites and lab spaces. According to the school’s website, these include: $1.25 million in federal funds secured by Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Gregory Meeks; a $700,000 grant from New York’s Regional Economic Development Council initiative; $5 million secured through a New York State Higher Education Capital Matching Grant.
Nursing education is not new to St. John’s University. In 1937, a Department of Nursing was formed at the university, and it became a separate School of Nursing Education in 1942, helping to train nurses during World War II, before being discontinued.
St. John’s will provide its nursing students with hands-on clinical rotations within a network of partner health-care systems, including New York City Health + Hospitals, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and Catholic Health.
