Delta State University announced Wednesday the completion of an expansion and renovation project at its school of nursing, the move aimed at increasing student capacity and providing the best education possible to future healthcare professionals.
The project at the Robert E. Smith School of Nursing covered approximately 14,000 square feet of new construction and renovation on roughly 21,500 square feet of existing space.
Upgrades include one new classroom and the expansion of another, bringing the total number of large classrooms to three with an 80-student capacity in each. The facility’s skills lab now has 10 beds, compared to the previous number of five. The computer lab can seat up to 90 students, up from 58.
The nursing school’s simulation center also saw a major facelift, increasing from four to five fully functional beds and the addition of three observation rooms, two debriefing rooms, and two offices. A new nurse practitioner suite was added, featuring five exam rooms, a waiting room for standardized patients, and a conference room.
Additionally, a multi-purpose classroom was built to serve as a venue for small-group interactions between students and faculty, workshops, and training sessions.
When students aren’t behind the books or learning how to save lives, they can take advantage of a new lounge included in the project. Faculty were rewarded for their hard work with new offices.
“This much-needed expansion and renovation allows us to better meet the demand for qualified nurses I our region and beyond, said Dr. Vicki Bingham, dean of the College of Nursing, Health, and Sciences. “With the new and improved facilities, we can now accommodate larger cohorts of students while enhancing the quality of instruction and clinical preparation.”
The project was funded through state bond appropriations with support from the Delta State University Foundation and private donations through a nursing capital campaign.
Mississippi, like the vast majority of states, is facing a nursing shortage. As Delta State has put more into their nursing program, enrollment numbers are a testimony to that commitment. Admissions for nursing students has increased by 54% from 2024 to 2025.
