By Madeline Hubbert, Reporter
Edited by Darren Agyeman, Editor
The ground is breaking in March 2024 for the new Health Sciences Building at Berry College in preparation for the new Physician’s Assistant program. Berry’s Health Science program currently includes nursing and kinesiology and the first graduate PA enrollment class has been set for August 2025. Audrey Morgan, a self-made businesswoman and philanthropist, is the current leading donor for the new building. Her $6 million contribution towards the 3-floor building is greatly appreciated by the Berry community.
“We’re very fortunate to be a benefactor of her philanthropy,” the Assistant Vice President for Financial Services at Berry College, Brad Reeder, said.
The building will be a shared space for the nursing program, PA program, and kinesiology department. The Dean of Berry College’s Charter School, Alan Hughes, has played a large role in the planning of this project and provided information about how the building will be set up. There will be new simulation rooms, classroom space, office space, and an OR suite. Additionally, there will be space for 76 students to be housed on the third floor specifically dedicated to dormitory space.
Morgan has been extremely involved in the growth of the nursing program. In 2022, she donated $5 million for the Bobbie Bailey and Audrey Morgan Nursing and Medical Professions Scholarship, making it possible for more students to enroll in Berry’s BSN nursing program.
The Director of the Nursing Program at Berry College, Carolyn Reilly, said the nursing program needed more space to accommodate the department’s growth and expansion.
“There is an increased need for nurses and so we’re growing the program to meet the community need,” Reilly said. “There’s a guaranteed need for nurses, there are a lot of people who want to become nurses and so we’re trying to accommodate that and grow our program.”
As Berry is looking to increase the number of nursing graduates it produces, they have also hired new faculty and staff for the program. The nursing department will continue to hire professionals as needed during the process of staged growth.
“The nursing program has a plan of incremental growth,” Hughes said. “The plan is to gradually increase enrollment and gradually increase the faculty who can deliver the program.”
According to Reeder, the final cost of the building will not be available until calculated by the contractors, but as of October 31, 2023, it is estimated to cost $31 million to build.
“Around $17 million has already been pledged and or given to the college,” Reeder said. “The majority of the cost comes from fundraising. They know who friends of Berry are, who have the capacity and are interested in donating.”
In addition to fundraising, Reilly also successfully wrote two grant applications which will receive funding from the governmental-directed spending account budget. The first grant, valued at $967,000 made it possible to purchase new equipment. The second grant, worth $1 million, will help construct an OR suite.
The new building will be located next to the Cage Center and behind the Moon Building. The building’s renderings are not available to the public but Hughes described the plans for the aesthetic of the building. It will look similar to the most recently built building on campus dedicated to Animal Science. Both are made with red brick, metal panels, and large windows and designed by the same architects, Cooper Carry and Brasfield and Gorrie Construction. The modern, yet agrarian influence can be seen in both buildings because of this.
The faculty at Berry College is looking forward to this new growth in the Health Science Department. The addition of this new building is a “monumental commitment” Hughes said.
The timing of the new building is notable. The nursing program will celebrate 10 years of existence by the time the new building opens, “I think it’s a capstone for doing good work,” Reilly said.
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