William Carey University broke ground Feb. 28 for a new College of Health Sciences building.
“We’ve been trying to hold this ground-breaking for three weeks, but couldn’t quite pull it off between rainstorms, so we’re happy to have such a beautiful day for it,” said WCU President Dr. Tommy King.
“This will be the largest single building William Carey has ever built – more than 74,000 square feet. It’s a big step, but it’s necessary to accommodate the growth of our healthcare programs, which have expanded from Hattiesburg to the Gulf Coast to Baton Rouge.”
For decades, WCU’s nursing school has enjoyed a reputation for producing highly-skilled graduates in demand by hospitals and clinics throughout the Southeast. In 2010, the College of Osteopathic Medicine opened at the Hattiesburg campus. Physical therapy, health information management, and health administration and education programs came next. By 2018, the WCU School of Pharmacy had opened at the Tradition campus and a WCU nursing school accepted its first students at Baton Rouge General.
In fall 2019, two things happened: 1) WCU College of Osteopathic Medicine was authorized to double the size of its incoming class over the next three years; and 2) WCU College of Health Sciences posted a record enrollment of nearly 1,000 students.
“This is a huge day for us, for healthcare in our region, and for the 26 states from which we draw students. As we have grown and grown, we have found innovative ways to use our space to handle the extra students,” said Associate Vice President Dr. Janet Williams of the College of Health Sciences.
“Without Dr. Tommy King, none of this would have happened. He has been hugely supportive of us and we couldn’t have done it without him. Everyone in our Carey family has been supportive of all our efforts and you can’t grow unless people support you.”
Located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Tuscan Avenue and Cherry Street, the new facility will house nursing, physical therapy, health information management, and health administration and education. It is expected to open in fall 2021.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine – in need of more classroom and laboratory space for what will soon be a total enrollment of 800 students – will have access to the buildings vacated by the College of Health Sciences. These include Fail-Asbury Hall, Mary Ross Hall and Thomas Hall. All three buildings are in close proximity to the present College of Osteopathic Medicine, allowing for the creation of a medical school complex at WCU’s Hattiesburg campus.
In the photo: WCU President Dr. Tommy King visits with Associate Vice President Dr. Janet Williams of the College of Health Sciences after the ground-breaking.
