Fayetteville Technical Community College unveiled its Nursing Education Annex with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Monday, Sept. 16.

The 6,000-square-foot building, which is connected to the College’s Nursing Education & Simulation Center, provides office space for faculty, staff and the Dean of Nursing.

The annex is the second of a two-phase project to expand Nursing facilities on FTCC’s Fayetteville campus as the College strives to meet regional workforce demands in healthcare.

“Today marks another milestone in the College’s ongoing commitment and investment to partner with our community leaders from government as well as the healthcare sector to address the pressing need for more nurses and more highly skilled workers in our county and in our region in the healthcare industry,” FTCC President Dr. Mark Sorrells said in an address to those gathered.

The Nursing Education & Simulation Center, which opened in January 2023, includes 32 hospital beds in spacious state-of-the-art simulation labs as well as study rooms and meeting spaces, all on the first floor. Classrooms are located on the second floor.

While students enjoyed the new facility upon completion, Nursing faculty and staff retained offices in the program’s former home in the Healthcare Technologies Center across campus. The Annex allows faculty and staff to work in close proximity to their students.

As a result of the expanded facility space, FTCC was granted permission from the N.C. Board of Nursing to increase its Associate Degree Nursing enrollment capacity from 280 slots to 400, the second-highest cap in the state. FTCC also has a Practical Nursing diploma program capped at 83 students. The combined total makes FTCC the third-largest overall Nursing program in the state.

The Nursing Education & Simulation Center required a $2 million renovation of an existing building, while the Annex was built as a new $3.9 million project.

FTCC has worked hand-in-hand with key healthcare partner Cape Fear Valley Health (CFVH) to grow the program, identify local workforce needs and develop specific training to meet those needs.

“This partnership with Fayetteville Tech has made the biggest difference to us,” Dees said. “It has made a difference in the care we provide our patients, and that’s what it’s really all about. I will take every one of those 400 nurses that you have,” shared CFVH’s Chief Nursing Officer Susan Dees. 

The growth of FTCC’s Nursing program began during the tenure of former president Dr. J. Larry Keen, who retired in 2022. It was Keen who responded to Cape Fear Valley’s call for a larger pool of nurses, setting the wheels in motion to increase the number of students in the program.

“It is an economic boon to be able to expand programs like this,” Keen said.

Both Sorrells and Keen emphasized the role collaboration played in expanding the Nursing program. Funding for the project came from multiple sources, including bipartisan legislative support, as well as philanthropy generated by the efforts of FTCC’s Board of Trustees and FTCC Foundation, Inc.

Sorrells recognized several local current and former legislators who were present, including N.C. Rep. Diane Wheatley, an alumna of the FTCC Nursing program, and former N.C. Sen. Kirk deViere, who both offered remarks during the ceremony.