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| Vol. 23, No. 18 |
| October 1, 2001 |
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UT-Houston School of Nursing Breaks New Ground By JANE BRUST The University of Texas Heath Science Center at Houston In the midst of a national nursing shortage, The University of Texas School of Nursing at Houston broke new ground last month with the celebration of plans for a unique new building.
Dr. James T. Willerson, president of the six-school University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston - which includes the UT-Houston School of Nursing - presided over celebration ceremonies Sept. 12 for the new School of Nursing and Student Community Center. The eight-story, 195,000-square-foot facility will be constructed at the southeast corner of Holcombe Boulevard and Bertner Avenue in the Texas Medical Center. Ground will be broken in January.
The total project cost of $60 million is financed through a mix of student fees, revenue bonds and private philanthropy. The building is expected to open in 2004.
"With a shortage of nurses nationwide, the UT-Houston School of Nursing is committed to the recruitment and training of outstanding nurses to give excellent, compassionate patient care in the decades to come," said Dean Patricia Starck, who has led the nursing school for 18 years. "The plans for this new facility demonstrate that commitment."
Dr. Starck points to an increased new undergraduate student enrollment of 137 this year - up from 86 last year - as evidence of the school's strength as it prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2002. Total enrollment this fall is a record 656 students; 33 percent representing ethnic minorities. Far exceeding the national average of 5 percent, 23 percent of the school's students are men.
"The new School of Nursing facility will offer our undergraduate, master's and doctoral students the very best facilities for learning clinical care techniques and for conducting research that will improve patient care," said Dr. Starck, who is also the school's John P. McGovern Distinguished Professor. "At number 32, we are well on our way to achieving our goal of entering the top 10 percent of U.S. nursing schools."
The UT-Houston School of Nursing ranks among the top 12 percent of 272 nursing schools nationwide in surveys published in U.S. News & World Report.
The first program to train emergency nurse practitioners was created at the UT-Houston School of Nursing. It is the only nursing school in Texas offering a clinical nursing doctorate degree, a master's in oncology nursing, and subspecialty training in addictions nursing and clinical research management education.
Houston's UT School of Nursing stands among the top tier of nursing schools receiving research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Last year the school received more than $600,000 in funding for research projects examining heart rate variability as a predictor of fetal and newborn health, and development of a Spanish outcome measure of acute pain, among other topics. A $2.2 million grant to aid stroke survivors and their spousal caregivers has just been received from the National Institute of Nursing Research by the school's Center on Aging.
"Excellence in research is an important goal for each of our six schools, including the UT School of Nursing," said Dr. Willerson. "We will continue to be good stewards of our research dollars, as well as good stewards of the dollars that will pay for this important new addition to the UT-Houston Health Science Center campus."
Dr. Willerson commends two Houstonians who played key roles in raising funds for the new building. Robert Cizik chaired the successful $10 million capital campaign and Margaret Barnett served as chairman of the UT-Houston Health Science Center's Development Board during the campaign.
A model for environmentally friendly and cost-effective campus buildings, the School of Nursing project breaks new ground for the most comprehensive, academic health science center in the Southwest. All future campus buildings and renovation projects will follow suit in what is termed "sustainable design."
"Our new UT-Houston School of Nursing and Student Community Center is the model for our approach to 100-year sustainable design, construction and resource conservation," explained John Porretto, chief operating officer and executive vice president for administration and finance.
Design plans call for numerous energy-saving and operational efficiency features, as well as the use of recycled materials and materials preservation. For example, the exterior cladding of the lower stories of the building will be of recycled brick and reclaimed cypress, while the upper exterior levels will be faced with recycled aluminum panels.
UT-Houston Health Science Center architect Rives Taylor explains that both controlled natural light - thought to enhance learning, productivity and healing - and shade will help to maximize the energy-reduction measures planned for the new building. Taylor is working with the architectural firms of Berkebile Nelson Immenschuh and McDowell of Kansas City, Mo., architects of record, and Lake/Flato of San Antonio, design architects.
The first and second floors will feature space for students from all six UT-Houston Health Science Center schools to gather, eat and study. Upper floors will house classrooms with advanced technology support, research laboratories and faculty offices for the School of Nursing.
Porretto points out that new construction at an academic health science center is a long-term proposition because faculty, staff and students will work there for decades.
"We need to take the long view and consider not only the construction costs, but also the operational and maintenance costs of our facilities," he said. "At the same time, our mission to improve health should be reflected in facilities that are healthful and that conserve resources. The environment in which we teach our students, do our research and serve our patients reveals much about our principles."
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