| Reflecting its commitment to collaboration, North Carolina A&T joined with its academic and local government partners on April 7 in a groundbreaking at the Union Square Campus in downtown Greensboro.
Union Square’s first phase will be devoted to nursing and other health care professions.
A&T will locate its highly successful accelerated degree program in nursing and its RN-to-BSN program there.
Co-located with the A&T programs will be nursing programs from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Guilford Technical Community College and Cone Health. By housing the programs together, the four institutions can share lab space and equipment with significant cost savings.
“N.C. A&T was established in 1891 to prepare students for the careers of the modern day and the future,” Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. said. “More than 124 years later, A&T is holding fast to that principle, and that is why our participation in this initiative is imperative.”
Union Square is the latest of A&T’s collaborations with other Greensboro-area institutions, UNCG in particular. A&T and UNCG created the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, a graduate-level education and research institution. The two universities also created and operate the Gateway University Research Park. A&T and UNCG offer a joint master’s degree program in social work as well.
A&T’s 12-month accelerated nursing program serves students who want to become nurses and already have a bachelor’s degree in another discipline. The RN-to-BSN program is a bachelor’s degree program for registered nurses who have associate degrees.
The School of Nursing plans to grow enrollment in both programs.
Union Square’s first building will be located at the corner of Lee and Arlington streets, about one and a half miles southwest of the N.C. A&T campus.
The building will contain a state-of-the-art simulation lab, classrooms, other labs, and offices. It also will include a 350-seat auditorium. The estimated total value of the project is $37 million to $40 million. Completion is expected in August 2016.
The City of Greensboro contributed the land for the campus and will provide parking and streetscape improvements. Guilford County also is a partner, through lease funding for GTCC.
Union Square Campus is an initiative of Opportunity Greensboro, a group of leaders from Greensboro businesses, foundations and higher education institutions, created by Action Greensboro. |
