Engineering firm Prosser Hallock filed plans with the City and with the St. Johns River Water Management District for the Jacksonville University Health Science Center, described as a two-story, 29,800-square-foot building on the JU campus at 2800 University Blvd. N.
JU has included the $20 million project as a linchpin in its $85 million Aspire campaign to raise funds for campus improvements.
JU announced the Aspire campaign in December to generate funding for scholarships and research, health sciences facilities, improved athletics venues, an endowment and more.
The campaign, which is explained at ju.edu/aspire, began its quiet phase in 2009. It is led by new JU President Tim Cost.
Aspire includes a new 45,000-square-foot College of Health Sciences with dedicated classrooms, faculty and staff offices, meeting rooms, a multidisciplinary simulation learning center and a computer laboratory.
The proposed building is adjacent to and comparable in size to the Lazzara Health Sciences Center building. The Davis College of Business sits north of the proposed building.
According to JU, the 29,800-square-foot building is the first phase of the College of Health Sciences to meet intermediate growth plans. A second phase would expand the college space to 45,000 square feet.
The building will free up space in the Lazzarra Health Sciences Center for the JU School of Orthodontics, which is quickly growing and is one of the largest orthodontics programs in the country.
The new building will house the School of Nursing, Exercise Science and Speech Therapy along with some or all of the other degree programs.
JU's new master plan calls for the College of Health Sciences to offer a three-pronged educational approach, starting this fall and progressing over the next three to four years while JU launches new masters-level programs in health care administration and allied health.
JU plans to expand its nursing programs with continued growth in its undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs.
It plans new master's programs in speech therapy (2014) and occupational therapy (2016).
And in health administration, JU plans new master's programs in health executive leadership (2014) and health information management (2015).
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