Redfield Foundation pledge kicks off capital campaign
TMCC NEWS – Today the Truckee Meadows Community College Foundation announced a $2 million gift from the Nell J. Redfield Foundation kicking-off the capital campaign for a new TMCCHealthScienceCenter representing a significant investment in Nevada’s health care industry.
“The TMCC Health Science Center will be the symbol of excellence the community has come to expect from TMCC programs, but more importantly it will be the home of the College’s flagship nursing program and the students who have entrusted us with their educational choice,” said Dr. Maria Sheehan, president of Truckee Meadows Community College.
To meet Nevada’s growing demand for highly trained and qualified nurses, the TMCCHealthScienceCenter will provide needed space to accommodate the state’s leading nursing program’s future development. The center will expand the program with additional career options, and make a significant addition with consolidated programs and improvements to the joint TMCC and University of Nevada, Reno Redfield Campus.
“TruckeeMeadowsCommunity College has demonstrated excellence, creativity and leadership with the expansion plans at the Redfield Campus to meet the growing needs of health care in our state,” said Gerald Smith, director of the Redfield Foundation. “This gift will make a significant contribution to the continued development of the College’s flagship program.”
Responding to changing industry trends, TMCC is investing in new instructional space that is specifically designed to accommodate the increasing demand. When complete, the $10 million state-of-the-art project will include construction of the 16,000-square-foot HealthScienceCenter and renovations to the existing 25,000-square-foot High Tech Center. Additions to the program include a 4,200-square-foot high-tech nursing lab with four technologically advanced instructional simulation rooms, two debrief rooms for faculty-student review, two 40-person classrooms, faculty offices, a dedicated lab storage area and student dress/locker room.
Studies show that Nevada expects a 23 percent deficit in the number of available registered nurses by 2015, and a 28 percent deficit by 2020. The “graying” or aging of the existing nursing workforce further exacerbates the shortage thus the need for new and creative programs.
Based on national examination scores, TMCC’s nursing program continues to be the state’s leading program with 128 new freshman nurses enrolling each year. To address the growing need for a baccalaureate program, TMCC has partnered with Nevada’s four-year colleges and university—University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada State College and Great Basin College—to offer a “2 + 2” enrollment program for TMCC graduates. The College’s graduates who complete their two-year degree will be eligible to take the national exam, become RNs and begin to work while completing the remaining two years of coursework to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing courses from UNR, NSC or GBC.
For more information, call Kate Kirkpatrick in TMCC’s Public Information Office at 775-673-7206.
