Nursing college opens Regina campus

The new Regina campus is located at 4400 4th Avenue, on the corner of Lewvan Drive. Although the building is undergoing renovations, students have been attending classes and participating in labs in the completed areas of the facility since September.

Once renovations are complete, the campus will feature a lecture theatre, two classrooms, break-out rooms, offices for staff, faculty, research and the Native Access Program to Nursing, a boardroom, a nursing skills practice lab that provides for simulation practise related to student's clinical experience, a student learning commons and a graduate student mezzanine.

"We are thrilled the U of S now has a modern teaching facility in Regina for our program," said Lorna Butler, dean of the College of Nursing. "It's a very exciting time for the college. Not only are we located in a newly renovated space, we also welcomed the first class of our new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program this September." The U of S BSN degree is a four-year program, consisting of a pre-professional first year, followed by three years of nursing education.

The U of S College of Nursing has had a presence in Regina and southern Saskatchewan since 1996 but this marks the first time the U of S has invested in teaching infrastructure in Regina.

"The College of Nursing is building on the U of S history of partnering with regional colleges and other post-secondary institutions," said Butler. "Our Learn Where You Live model reaches out to students in their home communities. When the new space was designed, we made sure the facility was equipped with state-of-the-art technology to assist us with distributed learning. Our students can complete their entire U of S BSN degree without leaving their home communities in La Ronge, Ile-a-la-Crosse, Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina."

The new U of S Regina campus grand opening celebrations took place today in conjunction with the university's president's tour. "I am delighted to be part of such an important event," said U of S President Ilene Busch-Vishniac. "Opening a stand-alone U of S campus is part of our continuing effort and commitment to serve the educational needs of the entire province". Key representatives from the Government of Saskatchewan, the City of Regina, FSIN, health regions and associations, regional colleges and the U of S were in attendance for the grand opening.

The U of S College of Nursing now has the capacity to admit 345 undergraduate students throughout the province each year. The first graduating class from the nursing program at the Regina campus is expected in 2015.