MSU breaking ground on new nursing building in Great Falls Nov. 28
Montana State University is breaking ground on its new instructional building for the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing’s Great Falls campus on Nov. 28.
The new building will be near the recently opened Touro University medical school near Benefis Health System.
Benefis donated two acres for the new building and construction costs will be covered by a portion of the $101 million donation to MSU by Mark and Robyn Jones.
The new building will be two stories, totaling 22,060 square feet, for a total estimated project cost of $14.8 million, according to MSU.
In August 2021, the Joneses announced their $101 million to MSU for the construction of new, larger, state-of-the-art educational facilities on the five campuses of its college of nursing in Bozeman, Billings, Great Falls, Kalispell and Missoula. This investment provides the first opportunity to have university-owned facilities in Billings, Great Falls, Kalispell and Missoula, which currently utilize leased facilities, according to MSU.
Benefis closes some beds for nursing shortage
The nursing school in Great Falls currently admits 48 students annually, according to MSU. The new building will increase enrollment capacity to 72 students annually, which the nursing colleges hopes to meet by 2030, according to MSU.
One of the main objectives of the nursing college is to eliminate the shortage of health care providers in Montana and increasing enrollment at the Great Falls campus will help offset the shortage of nurses in the community, according to MSU.
City considering rezoning, subdivision for Touro medical school
No permits have been issued for construction by the city planning office and no applications have get been received, according to the city.
MSU said their project plans are expected to go into review in February and they are planning to start construction in April or May.
The college is holding a groundbreaking ceremony at 1 p.m. Nov. 28 at The Grandview at Benefis Town Square, 3015 18th Ave. S.
MSU President Waded Cruzado; nursing college Dean Sarah Shannon; Great Falls campus director Susan Luparell; and Benefis CEO John Goodnow are scheduled to speak during the event and there will be a reception following the ceremony.
In February 2022, the city approved a Touro initiated subdivision to split 19.33 acres into three separate lots.
The first is the lot where the school is was built and is 5.12 acres.
Touro breaks ground on proposed Great Falls medical school
The second lot is 12.21 acres for a separate private developer to construct eight apartment buildings of 36-units each for a total of 288 housing units.
The third lot is two acres for the MSU nursing school.
Groundbreaking set for new medical school in Great Falls
The Benefis land gift was contingent upon the successful subdivision of the land, which will also require City Commission approval. The gift must also be approved by the Montana Board of Regents of the Montana University System, according to Benefis.
The property is currently zoned as Public Lands and Institutional, which allows for an educational facility and permits the medical college and nursing school.
Founded in 1937, MSU’s nursing college offers bachelor’s, accelerated bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral-level nursing education to produce nurses, nurse leaders, nurse educators and nurse practitioners for Montana.
Great Falls was the first location where upper division, clinical nursing education was offered, followed by the establishment of the Billings nursing campus in 1939, Missoula campus in 1976, and Kalispell campus in 2002, according to MSU.
Nursing majors have taken prerequisite courses in Bozeman at MSU since 1937, upper division or clinical nursing education was first offered at the Bozeman campus location in 2004, according to the university.
MSU is the largest producer of registered nurses in Montana and is the sole provider of doctoral nurse practitioner education in the state, according to the university.
