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University leaders celebrated the official dedication of the new state-of-the-art UT Medical Nursing Building, which finished construction this fall.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee officially dedicated the new UT Medical Nursing Building on Monday, celebrating its grand opening for the fall 2025 semester.
The new 117,000-square-foot Nursing Building cost the university $85 million and broke ground in September 2022.
Three years later, the new state-of-the-art nursing building is equipped with enhanced technology, new simulation and research labs, classrooms, a student common area and an event space.
UT Chancellor Donde Plowman, UT System President Randy Boyd, Smokey and the Dean and Board Chair of the College of Nursing were all there to celebrate the ribbon-cutting.
“This is a step forward in empowering more Vols to answer the call to care, lead, and serve. I look forward to seeing our Vols learn and grow in this beautiful space,” Plowman said on Facebook.
Registered nursing jobs are expected to grow 6% from 2023 to 2033, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent data, which is “faster than the average for all occupations.”
The RN workforce is expected to reach 3.4 million in 2026, an increase of 15% from the last ten years, according to the U.S. BLS.
The Bureau also projects the need for over 200,000 new RNs each year through 2026 to fill new nursing positions and replace retiring nurses.
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UT’s College of Nursing reached over 1,400 students this year, according to the university, and the recently added UT Medical Center Nursing Scholars Program expects to add 100 new graduates to the workforce annually when it’s at full capacity.