A $14 million expansion at the University of Alabama's nursing college in Tuscaloosa added 32,000 square-feet to the building, local FOX affiliate WBRC reported Jan. 25.
Suzanne Prevost, PhD, RN, dean of the university's Capstone College of Nursing, told the station the space was necessary for additional classrooms and research space amid an uptick in nursing students.
Dr. Prevost was worried during earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic that the struggles healthcare workers were facing would deter interest in becoming a nurse, but instead the program saw an uptick in applicants.
"It has really increased the public sentiment for nursing, showing it to be a very noble profession and so desperately needed right now in the country," Dr. Prevost told WBRC.
The nursing school estimates 550 students will graduate from the program this year.