The University of Central Florida will break ground in early 2024 on its new College of Nursing building in Lake Nona. With $43.7 million committed by the state of Florida and $26.2 million raised through contributions, the school is close to meeting its goal for the $70-million project.

The contributions include $10 million in combined commitments from AdventHealth and Orlando Health — the two largest health care systems in Central Florida. The competing systems employ more than 12,000 nurses combined at 34 hospitals across the region and depend on UCF to help fill the pipeline and combat ongoing nurse shortages. Their gifts will also support the creation of a scholarship program (named after each hospital system) to provide tuition assistance to 10 UCF nursing students in their senior year and create a paid summer internship for 10 to 15 students each year.

The Helen Fuld Health Trust, which is the largest private funder in the nation devoted to nursing students and nursing education, has gifted $5.5 million for the creation of a simulation center that will serve as the centerpiece of the facility. The 12,000-sq.-ft. Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation, Technology, Innovation and Modeling Center will include a virtual hospital and a clinical skills exam suite.

UCF graduates about 260 newly licensed RNs every year, most of whom (85%) remain in Florida. The university anticipates increasing admissions by at least 50% each year once its 90,000-sq.-ft. building is finished. The facility is slated to open in 2025-26. 

Future Home

Construction is underway on a $20-million-plus Center for Nursing building at the Ocala campus of the College of Central Florida, a public college that serves Marion, Citrus and Levy counties. The 42,500-sq.-ft. building will feature six classrooms, three skills labs, six simulation exam rooms and a testing lab. The facility will serve 325 nursing students beginning in January 2025.