$60 million complex at Houston Christian University will support science, nursing programs

The Houston Christian University Board of Trustees approved a $60 million budget for construction of a new science, engineering and nursing complex at its May 21 quarterly meeting.

The details

Construction of the Sherry and Jim Smith Engineering, Science and Nursing Complex is expected to begin in January 2025 and be completed in time for the start of the fall 2026 semester, according to a news release from the school on 28 may.

The estimated 71,000 square foot, three-story building will provide the campus’s School of Nursing and College of Science and Engineering with consolidated space for science labs, classrooms, instructional and training labs. simulation, makerspace learning environments, and faculty and administration offices. .

Construction of this building comes at a time when there is an increased need to fill STEM and nursing-related jobs, according to the release, and is intended to allow HCU to prepare students for “high-demand” professions. , as :

• Data Science
• Statistics
• Cyber ​​security
• Computing
• Registered Nurse
• Kinesiology

The new complex is named for longtime HCU supporters who donated $20 million to the project, the largest donation received in the university’s history, according to the release.

What they say

The new academic building is part of HCU’s 2030 institutional strategic plan. It will provide instructional spaces for students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in STEM disciplines and contribute to HCU’s goal of increasing the student population to 10,000 by 2030, according to the release. .

Dr. Katie Evans, dean of the College of Science and Engineering, said the complex will provide students with essential learning experiences and “high-quality” physical spaces that match HCU faculty and curriculum .

“The new building will not only provide excellent laboratory spaces for experimentation, but the additional space will also create the opportunity for HCU to transform existing spaces into active learning classrooms that will support teaching practices and high-impact learning,” Evans said in a statement.

What else?

HCU offers a wide range of honors, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs as well as NCAA Division I athletics in the Southland Conference.