Colby-Sawyer College has officially announced plans to construct a new home for its School of Nursing & Health Sciences at the heart of its New London, N.H., campus. This $10.5 million, 20,500 square foot facility will serve as a hub for academic and clinical training for the school’s students, and provide the space needed to accommodate growing enrollment. Construction of the new facility is scheduled to begin in 2023, and plans call for the building to open in 2024.

After a quiet phase of early fundraising that began last fall, the college has already raised $6.4 million towards the $10.5 million goal from a small group of dedicated supporters. The total raised includes commitments from every member of the Colby-Sawyer Board of Trustees, a $2.5 million bequest from Gail Graham Lee ’62, and gifts from other long-time supporters of Colby-Sawyer’s nursing and health sciences programs.

The announcement of a new home for the School of Nursing & Health Sciences and the college’s commitment to increasing enrollment in its health science programs comes at a time when healthcare providers across the nation are struggling to fill workforce vacancies. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 400,000 healthcare workers have left their positions since the start of the pandemic.

To address this shortage, Colby-Sawyer has pledged to significantly increase enrollment in its undergraduate nursing program each year, expand its new accelerated BS in nursing program, and add additional health science programs in areas of specific need. Anticipated new programs include a master’s degree in social work as well as a doctor of nursing practice degree.

For almost 40 years, Colby-Sawyer has been graduating nurses uniquely qualified to make an immediate impact in the lives of others. The college’s tradition of educating highly skilled healthcare workers stretches back more than twice as long, and today Colby-Sawyer offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in health-related fields including nursing, public health, exercise science, health science, health studies, health care administration and medical lab sciences.

“Colby-Sawyer has a robust history of educating highly skilled healthcare workers and we are truly proud to be able to ensure through this project the continuation of that tradition well into the future,” Colby-Sawyer President Susan D. Stuebner said. “With this project, we will create new and expanded opportunities for individuals to enter, advance and excel in healthcare.”

“By investing in this project, Colby-Sawyer has made clear its commitment of ensuring that the next generation of clinicians and leaders are fully prepared for current and future challenges in healthcare,” said Joan G. Loftus, director and chair of nursing and associate professor for the School of Nursing & Health Sciences. “A new health sciences building and simulation center will allow Colby-Sawyer to expand its programming, integrate state-of-the-art technology into its classrooms and labs and respond to future changes in nursing and health sciences education.”

To learn more about the details and timeline for this exciting project or to discuss making a gift in support of the new building, please contact Dan Parish, Vice President for College Advancement, at 1-800-266-8253 or visit colby-sawyer.edu/building-on-tradition.