In the fall of 2024, the local campus of the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences will have a new address: 1 News Place, at the intersection of state roads 207 and 312.
On Monday, June 12, university staff joined representatives of Stevens Construction, ESJ Capital Partners and Gensler Architects for a ceremonial groundbreaking at the former site of The St. Augustine Record. That 22-year-old, 40,000-square-foot building will be renovated, and an 80,000-square-foot expansion will be added. The facility will sit on a 14-acre property.
“We’re really excited about being able to have this building, because it is kind of iconic for the area,” said Stephanie Furlough-Morris, chief financial officer and senior vice president of campus operations. “We wanted to make a strong commitment to the St. Augustine community. It is our flagship. … and I think this building makes a strong statement.”
According to an announcement on the university’s website, the cost of the project has been estimated at about $74 million.
Once complete, the facility will include the university’s signature Center for Innovative Clinical Practice with 14 beds, six assessment rooms, two simulated hospital rooms, observation rooms, an “activities of daily living” lab that simulates a home environment, cadaver and Anatomage anatomy labs and more.
The state-of-the-art campus will offer increased immersive learning opportunities for students and the latest technology and facilities to increase student experiences. There will be larger student lounges and library facilities, as well as outdoor spaces. In addition, the expansion is expected to include 490 parking spaces.
When complete, all operations will move from the current campus, which for 40 years has been located at 1 University Blvd., St. Augustine.
“One of the core reasons we wanted another location was … we wanted to move a bit more westward so that we would be a little further away from the water,” Furlough-Morris said. “And our lease was up in that [the current] location.”
The move will allow for an increase in enrollment, which currently stands at about 1,000 students. Across the university’s five campuses, enrollment stands at about 6,000.
“One of the reasons this is one of our bigger campuses is because of the need in the area,” said Furlough-Morris.
She told those assembled for the ceremony that the university would continue to offer its current professional graduate degrees in occupational therapy, physical therapy and nursing.
“This new campus will also allow us to grow our programs and embrace new student experiences,” she added.
The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences offers degrees in occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, health administration, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, nursing and more. The goal is to develop professional health care practitioners through innovative, individualized and quality classroom, clinical and distance education.
According to the American Journal of Medical Quality, a nationwide shortage of registered nurses is expected by 2030. Other medical field careers are likewise expected to see a decline.
The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences was founded in 1979 and currently has more than 15,000 alumni.
