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Community members joined Simpson University employees, students, trustees and friends to celebrate a campus milestone Oct. 3 with the dedication of the university’s new 30,000-square-foot Science and Nursing Building. Continue reading
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Oct 11, 2014 /prREACH/ -- REDDING, Calif. - Community members joined Simpson University employees, students, trustees and friends to celebrate a campus milestone Oct. 3 with the dedication of the university’s new 30,000-square-foot Science and Nursing Building.
About 250 people attended the 30-minute ceremony on the northeast side of the building, including U.S. Congressman Doug LaMalfa, pictured left, who took the stage to congratulate the university.
“This is a beautiful facility – high-tech and modern,” he said. “It will be a huge asset. The students are going to be well-served.”
The dedication was part of a weekend celebration commemorating Simpson University’s 25th year in Redding. The university, which was founded in Seattle in 1921, moved to Redding from San Francisco in 1989. The 200-member student body has grown to more than 1,300 in the past quarter-century, and the campus has expanded from three to 13 buildings.
The $6.5 million Science and Nursing Building offers much-needed space for classes, lab facilities, and student study and research areas, as well as faculty offices for the Division of Science and Math and the School of Nursing. It includes specialized areas for physics, microbiology, genetics, chemistry, ecology, and anatomy, as well as patient simulation labs.
And though the building will be used most frequently by science and nursing students—who comprise 27 percent of traditional undergraduates this fall—“all Simpson students will be served in this building since each major requires science courses,” noted Larry Siemens, assistant professor of chemistry.
Leanna DavisLeslie Woodson, chief nursing officer at Shasta Regional Medical Center, and Kim Shaw, vice president of patient care at Mercy Medical Center in Redding, also spoke at the dedication, noting the increased need for baccalaureate-prepared nurses and Simpson’s partnership with local healthcare agencies.
Mercy has already utilized Simpson’s clinical skills labs to conduct required training for its nurses using high-tech manikins.
Other speakers included School of Nursing Assistant Director Louann Bosenko, Interim President Robin Dummer, Board Chair Betty Dean, and Executive Vice President Brad Williams. Biology student Leanne Davis, pictured middle left, and nursing student Alyssa O’Connor, also addressed the crowd.
Alyssa O'Connor“These facilities are leaps and bounds over what we had before,” said Davis, a junior. “This will enable hundreds of future researchers, doctors, teachers and others who will study within these walls.”
She and O’Connor both expressed appreciation for all who had donated to help fund the facility. A display in the building’s entry lists the names of science and nursing donors.
“It is an honor to be celebrating this project with all of you today, and humbling to think about what this space holds for tomorrow,” said O’Connor, who will graduate in 2015. “The story of this building, of our building, has just begun.”
Photos by Ryan Belong and Jessica Law
Simpson University, established in 1921, is celebrating its 25th year in Redding, Calif. In October 2014, the university dedicated its new Science & Nursing Building. Simpson is a Christian university offering undergraduate, graduate, and teaching credential programs. Academic programs include ASPIRE, a degree-completion program geared toward working adults. Simpson is expanding its online course offerings, including degrees in psychology and organizational leadership. For information about the university, or to arrange a campus visit, call 1-888-9-SIMPSON or visit simpsonu.edu.
Contact: SU Public Relations [email protected] 530-226-4737
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