A crowd of more than 100 Illinois State University supporters, alumni, faculty, staff, and students gathered Friday, June 23, to celebrate breaking ground on the $18 million Mennonite College of Nursing Simulation Center.
“This is an exciting day for Illinois State University,” said Interim President Aondover Tarhule. “The expansion of programs and facilities with the new Mennonite College of Nursing Simulation Center means we are playing an active—and leading—role in nursing education in Illinois.”
Appears InThe 16,000-square-foot building located at the corner of Locust Street and Normal Avenue will wrap around the college’s existing simulation center and will feature an enhanced clinical education setting with virtual reality technology. The new space will enable the Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN) to increase enrollment by 400 students, according to Tarhule.
“As we break ground today for the Nursing Simulation Center, we are moving closer to meeting the ongoing need for highly qualified nurses in this state and across the nation,” Dr. Tarhule said. “I look forward to the day when our students can begin learning in this new space.”
Scheduled to open in the fall of 2024, the Nursing Simulation Center will include space for interdisciplinary collaboration, additional student support, and increased research capabilities.
“It allows us to educate more exceptionally well-prepared nurses who will be a part of improving the health and well-being of our community and state,” said Dr. Judy Neubrander, dean of the Mennonite College of Nursing.
Neubrander thanked the project’s “many, many” partners—including administrators, the Board of Trustees, donors, legislators, architects, engineers, and designers—who are making the Nursing Simulation Center vision, which has been nearly a decade in the making, a reality.
Dr. Kathy Bohn ’74, M.S. ’80, chair of the Board of Trustees, said as a physician, she “deeply appreciates the indispensable role nurses play in the health care field.” Bohn said MCN, bolstered by the new Nursing Simulation Center, will continue to be a recognized leader in preparing impactful nurses.
“An aging population, public health issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and rapidly evolving technology are just some of the many challenges facing health care professionals today,” Bohn said. “Education and skills-based training must be innovative and nimble to keep pace with those challenges.”
Steve Smith ’89, M.S. ’93, convener of the MCN Dean’s External Cabinet, said the Nursing Simulation Center will provide additional space for students in nursing, social work, speech pathology, audiology, nutrition, and other disciplines to learn how to meet the needs of their future patients and clients through collaboration.
“As a result, the college will be expanding its student success program, allowing advisors to be on-site and readily accessible to students,” Smith said. “Our new student engagement space will offer students opportunities to work and learn in groups and develop lifelong friendships and engage in peer mentorship.”
A multipurpose space in the Nursing Simulation Center will also enhance MCN’s ability to host university and community workshops, trainings, and conferences, Smith added.
“This new simulation center will be a powerful reflection of MCN’s 104 years of nursing education excellence,” Smith said. “A year from now, when this building is open and filled with learning, it will reinforce the power and impact of Illinois State’s commitment to nursing and further solidify Mennonite College of Nursing’s reputation as a superior college of nursing within Illinois and across the United States.”
