Nursing Building

The Henderson administration had originally planned to devote the entire third floor of Foster Hall to the nursing department and construct a new building for the technology center. However, they determined instead that Foster Hall would be an ideal site for the technology center, and a new building for the nursing department would be built. The new building would house Henderson's entire nursing department, including the generic Bachelor of Science program as well as the RN and BSN programs.

The original plan for the location of the building was the parking lot west of Arkansas Hall, near the former Clark County Attention Home. Constructing the building here would save money on bulldozing, since the lot was already a paved area. However, there were some concerns from the theatre department about this proposed area. If the building were in this planned location, it would take up needed parking spaces and further complicate the parking problem on campus. According to Bobby Jones, vice president for finance and administration, the location of the building was changed on account of these issues.

Though still across from Arkansas Hall, the building was constructed to the south, on the parking lot next to the Horton House on the corner of Henderson and 12th Street. It is the first newly constructed university building on the south side of Henderson Street. This new location was proposed based on the recommendation of President Charles Dunn, who made the final decision. Jones said, "Nothing on campus should change," other than the fact that Henderson will have a new building.

In the Spring of 2009, the Department of Nursing moved into the new building. The department's new space was a 11,773 square-foot custom building with classrooms, computer lab, seminar room, nursing skills lab, offices and conference rooms. There is also a simulation laboratory that allows faculty members to observe students while practicing on a life-like mannequin that exhibits pulses and respirations. An additional labor/delivery/postpartum room was also included in the new building. A hospital like setting with four semi-private patient areas, a nurse's station, medication room, and laundry room allow for more hands on training for future nurses. It also has a student lounge for breaks between classes.

As part of an ongoing sustainability effort on Henderson's campus, the Nursing Building was constructed to be environmentally friendly. Interior lights meet low-energy requirements and exterior lights meet guidelines for reducing night light pollution. Additionally, all rooms are equipped with sensors that automatically turn off the lights when a room is unoccupied. The building was dedicated on March 13, 2009, by United States Representative Mike Ross.