Members of the Duke community gathered Friday evening for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication of Duke University Medical Center's new 59,000-sq. ft. School of Nursing laboratory and classroom building.
The night featured remarks by University leaders in the building's Champagne courtyard-named in honor of Dean Emerita Mary Champagne-and an interactive tour of the $18-million building, which opened its doors to students in early September.
"This is the realization of a dream that's collective of so many people," said Victor Dzau, chancellor for health affairs and president and CEO of Duke University Health System. "[Catherine Gilliss, dean of the School of Nursing] is trying to bring together the academic and the clinical components of healthcare to bring about the goals of translational research-the things that we're truly interested in."
Dzau said the University's recent investments in the school and a re-evaluation of its role within DUMC have resulted in a "renaissance." He pointed out the new building's unique features, including its location at the center of Duke's medical center community.
Located on Trent Drive near the existing School of Nursing structures, the building brings together facilities that were currently scattered among five buildings, said President Richard Brodhead, who also spoke at the event.
"[The school] had the spirit... but lacked the housing to fully support its role within the medical center," Brodhead said.
Brodhead said the new facility appears on the cover of Duke's financial statement this year, and said that it is a "milestone" for the University and its medical center.
Students present at the event said updated spaces and centralized resources were two of the most important perks of the new building.
"There's a kind of synergy from having students at different levels working in the same environment," said Yvonne Ford, one of five nursing Ph.D. students in the school's new program. "It's important for students to not only interact in general, but to be able to plan and inspire one another."
Ford, who also attended Duke's nursing school in order to earn a masters degree in nursing, said her past experience as a researcher and student was an isolated one, adding that the school's unique features such as the facility's open spaces have already contributed to a "more lively" community.
Those touring the facility's "state-of-the-art" laboratories and classrooms Friday saw a number of research presentations and interactive displays.
Students performed anesthesia procedures, mock patient resuscitations and birthing simulations for guests after remarks by administrators.
Gilliss concluded the event by expressing an optimistic vision for the future of the School of Nursing.
"When my parents dropped me off at Hanes House in the fall of 1973, I could have never imagined our role within Duke," Gilliss said. "We have a place that we can call home, a place for education, a place where we can find one another."
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