New College of Health Sciences building renovations to be completed for Fall 2020
June 23, 2020
The former Hancock High School (featured pre-renovation) will be the new location for FinnU’s College of Health Sciences beginning in Fall 2020.
Finlandia’s College of Health Sciences will have a new home in time for the Fall 2020 semester. After nearly a decade, renovations on the old Hancock High School building on Quincy Street finally commenced at the beginning of the year. After a slight delay due to the Covid-19 outbreak, construction has resumed this summer and the contractor, Andy Lahti, is confident in his team’s ability to have renovations complete in time for the start of the fall semester.
“We are very excited about the new educational spaces for our health science programs,” said VP for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College of Health Sciences/Nursing Department Chair Fredi de Yampert. “A new cohort model will be implemented, placing learning spaces and faculty offices within designated spaces, allowing for easy access for students and faculty.”
The first three floors of the building will be used for state-of-the-art instructional and lab space for FinnU’s physical therapist assistant and traditional nursing and online RN-BSN programs, while the fourth-floor conversion remains under development.
“In addition to the newly upgraded learning spaces, the building will house a fully functioning auditorium and multi-purpose room in the previous gymnasium,” de Yampert said. “The university is looking forward to utilizing these spaces for such activities as intramurals and various university events.”
The College of Health Sciences hopes to begin moving into the new space by August. Taking its place in Nikander Hall will be Finlandia’s innovative new Center for Vocation and Career.
a culture of growth and success
The College of Health Sciences houses the physical therapist assistant and award-winning nursing programs including the online RN-BSN program. This spring, FinnU announced an exciting new 2+2 program for PTA students that allows them to meet prerequisites for a Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
In addition, Finlandia’s nursing programs have consistently been ranked as the best in the nation, thanks in large part to high job placement for graduates and consistently high pass rates on the NCLEX license exam, including a 100 percent first-time pass rate in 2019. Accolades for the traditional nursing program include being named a Top 30 Nursing School designation from Nursing Schools Almanac in 2019. Unlike most traditional nursing programs across the country, there is no waitlist for students.
The Online RN-BSN program, with it’s $15,000 guarantee, has won numerous awards including the 2019 and 2020 Top Ranked RN-BSN Online Programs award from registerednursing.org, 2019 Most Affordable Online Colleges – Christian Schools from SR Education Group, and a 2020 Best Online Colleges – Michigan from SR Education Group. With numerous start dates and eight-week long classes, the Online RN-BSN program was designed with the working nurse in mind.