Nursing School completes major overhaul

With plenty of champagne and fine cheeses on hand, the School of Nursing celebrated the completion of the $8.5 million renovation of the Nursing Education Building.

The renovations, which began in November of last year, include a complete transformation of the building's lobby and mezzanine areas.

Nursing Dean Afaf Meleis said that funding for the project came mainly from alumni and other supporters of the school.

Nursing freshman Lizzie Converse visited the building twice last year and said that the difference is remarkable.

"I think it's gorgeous," she said. "There are so many more places for us to sit, and it's more open."

Meleis said that opening up the building to the rest of the Penn community was one of the main goals of the renovation.

"We're changing the face of the School of Nursing," Meleis said. "We're making the building more hospitable to our students."

Meleis kicked off the celebration with a presentation of the progress of the renovations in the newly revamped Ann L. Roy Auditorium.

The jubilant crowd of over 200 attendees spilled out into the lobby of the building and was treated to speeches by Meleis and Provost Ron Daniels.

Energy was high as the well-dressed crowd mingled and sampled fine appetizers in the building's new cafe -- the Arcadia Cafe, made possible by a grant from the Arcadia Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Norristown, Pa.

The cafe also features state-of-the-art, wall-mounted Internet kiosks.

College junior Rania Riad said that the new space will be a place that all Penn students can enjoy.

"I have had classes here, and I think it's a space that students will use more; it's more comfortable," Riad said. "People like to be in pleasant surroundings, and this is definitely pleasant."

Another part of the project was the building of the Killebrew-Laporte Center for Admissions and Student Affairs on the mezzanine level of the building.

The center will be a place for prospective students to learn about the Nursing School, replacing the former hub of admissions, which was located on the fourth floor of the building.

It will also serve as a meeting place for student groups to convene.

Meleis said the building is more than mortar and bricks, as it gives the school a sense of identity that is reflective of its faculty and students.

This project is the first of three phases of the school's renovations. The second phase will involve building lab space for faculty research and is expected to be completed by June 2007.

Meleis envisions the space as a visible, bustling hub of student interaction and activity.

"I hope to see vibrant groups of students working on projects, dialoguing and debating, and student and faculty leadership really enhanced by this space."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.