Health Professions Center Renovations - University of Southern Indiana

USI Health Professions Center undergoing $49 million renovation

A $49 million renovation of the University of Southern Indiana Health Professions Center, which houses the University’s Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions, is underway, adding over 48,000 square feet of additional space for classrooms, updated labs and state-of-the-art equipment for growing healthcare programs while also transforming the building's exterior and entrance to campus.

“This exterior expansion, facing the roundabout and campus entrance, will add a striking new front door to our University,” says Steve Bridges, USI Interim President. “Inside, new labs, meeting spaces, and new and updated areas for students and faculty will allow us to continue to grow our programs. The investment represents our commitment to advancing health professions education and serving the healthcare needs of our broader community.”

Funding for the design fees, construction, furniture and equipment comes from the Indiana General Assembly’s capital funding appropriation for USI approved during the 2023 legislative session, according to Jim Wolfe, Director of Facility Operations and Planning. This is the fourth and final stage of a multi-phase project in the Health Professions Center that began with a third-floor renovation in 2017.

"The Kinney College is proud to play a vital role in building the healthcare workforce for our community and state, with licensure and certification pass rates that consistently exceed the national average,” says Dr. Julie McCullough, Dean of the Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions. “As we expand and renovate, our students will have access to cutting-edge labs and classrooms, ensuring they receive the best possible training to meet the evolving demands of the healthcare industry."

Current Phase of Construction

New Exterior

The Health Professions Center is getting a bold new makeover that will redefine the entrance to campus.

Fresh Look for First Floor

The expanded first floor will be the new home for the Kinney College’s administrative offices, Advising Center and Center for Health Professions Lifelong Learning Department, which are currently located on the second floor. There will be multi-functional student dining and study spaces on the first floor, in addition to additional classroom space.

New Auditorium

A 250-capacity auditorium will be built on the first floor. The auditorium will be used as an interactive classroom and gathering spot for meetings and large campus events.

Second Floor Updates

Faculty and staff offices, study areas, bathrooms, elevators, hallways and stairwells will be updated to match the newly remodeled areas in the building.

Nursing Skills Labs

Nursing Skills Labs: The University is constructing seven new nursing skills labs equipped with the latest technology and equipment to provide future nurses with hands-on training in patient care. These state-of-the-art facilities will simulate a hospital setting, ensuring that students gain practical experience in a controlled and supportive environment.

Respiratory Therapy Labs

On the second floor, two new labs will be created for students in the USI Respiratory Therapy Program to support hands-on learning and clinical skill development. Equipped with the latest technology and ventilators, these labs will offer a realistic healthcare environment where students can practice critical procedures such as ventilator management, airway clearance techniques and cardiopulmonary assessment. A comfortable, quiet, and safe pulmonary function testing lab will allow students to conduct various tests that assess lung function.

Occupational Therapy Assistant Labs

On the second floor, there will be two new OTA classrooms with advanced therapeutic equipment and adaptive tools to help students to develop critical skills in assisting patients with various physical, cognitive and sensory challenges. The space will foster collaboration, learning and innovation, preparing OTA students for success in diverse healthcare settings.

Previous Renovations

Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting

The Kinney College has a newly-remodeled Dental Clinic with a larger waiting room, modern dental equipment and additional lab space. In addition to an increased number of patient stations for student use, there is a new dedicated dental assisting simulation laboratory and increased capacity in the dental materials lab.

Radiologic and Imaging Sciences

A radiology suite has been constructed on the first floor and includes state-of-the-art equipment, including portable X-ray machines, MRI simulator, CT scanner. The suite contains four digital imaging rooms capable of producing X-rays and a large Radiologic and Imaging Sciences classroom.

Clinical Simulation Center

On the lower level of the Health Professions Center, workers are putting the final touches on the brand new Clinical Simulation Center. In its new home, the center will have an ICU, emergency room, pediatric exam rooms and post-acute care setting, plus new classrooms for simulation pre-briefing and debriefing and a virtual reality room.

Food and Nutrition Areas

The USI Food and Nutrition Program is gaining additional space on the lower level for a test kitchen and food science space with three new areas: teaching kitchen, food science lab and additional classroom space. The new food science lab aids in meeting accreditation guidelines, and the ADA-accessible teaching kitchen will be designed to allow more community engagement with cooking classes and nutrition education.

Third Floor Kitchen

During the first phase of remodeling in 2017, USI’s Food and Nutrition Program relocated to the third floor of the Health Professions Center. Beginning in 2018, students in the program were able to use the new Quantity Food Kitchen containing commercial-grade appliances for the first time.

Health Services and Health Administration

Following the IU School of Medicine's move to downtown Evansville, the faculty and staff offices for the Health Services and Health Administration programs relocated to the third floor.

Health Informatics

The project to remodel the third floor included a high-tech classroom used by many disciplines, including USI's Health Informatics and Information Management Program. Large screens around the classroom allow students to share their screens with the rest of the class.

Diagnostic Medical Sonographny

In 2019, the faculty for the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program moved to the remodeled third floor and started using a new lab for students to practice adominal, OBGYN, vascular and cardiac sonography.

Kinney College

HP Center