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Donald W. Reynolds Center for Health
Sciences to be dedicated Sept. 25 during Centennial Weekend
Sept. 24, 2009 --
Two years after
construction began, the newly-completed Donald W. Reynolds Center for
Health Sciences will be dedicated in a special ceremony Friday, Sept.
25, at 10:30 a.m., as part of Arkansas State University’s Centennial
Weekend public events on campus. The dedication ceremony will take place
on the building’s lower level. Tours of the building, located at 116
North Caraway Road, will follow the ceremony.
'This is a landmark event for the College of Nursing and Health
Professions,” said Dr. Susan Hanrahan, dean of the College of Nursing
and Health Professions. “Without the resources of Donald W. Reynolds or
the generosity of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, this building would
have never become a reality. Our ability to move to the next level has
been achieved. Everything about this building is state-of-the-art and we
are eternally grateful to the donors, architects, and contractors--it is
an incredible space.”
Arkansas State University received the largest single donation in its
history when a charitable gift of $14,508,342 from the Donald W.
Reynolds Foundation was granted to the university in May
2007. The gift was earmarked for the construction of a three-story
health sciences building just northeast of the Student Union to support
the College of Nursing and Health Professions. Groundbreaking ceremonies
for the Reynolds Center were held Nov. 3, 2007.
'There may not be a greater educational need in the country today than
educating doctors and nursing and healthcare providers,” stated Donald
W. Reynolds Foundation chairman Fred W. Smith. “Although this facility
was funded through the Foundation’s Capital Grants program, it is also
an excellent strategic match with our focus on training health care
providers to meet the needs of our aging population. With this new
facility, we believe that ASU will be better positioned to help improve
the quality of health care for the elderly and for all Arkansans.”
"During recent months, our great country has been engaged in debate and
discussion about health care reform,” said Chancellor Robert L. Potts. “Despite
issues about access and payment, there is little dispute that the
quality of health care in America is excellent. Health care
professionals are responsible for that, and we, at Arkansas State
University, are dedicated to preparing students to become excellent professional
health care providers.
"Having the tools and facilities necessary to carry out our mission is
crucial. The growth and success in the College of Nursing and Health
Professions compelled us to acquire new space. Through its visionary
outlook and its outstanding generosity, the Donald W. Reynolds
Foundation has heard our impassioned dream and converted that dream into
reality. Arkansas State University aspires to progress in size and in
academic reputation. This stunning facility will enable the Jonesboro
campus to make a huge leap toward our goals. Dr. Susan Hanrahan, Dr. Les
Wyatt and Mr. Mike Gibson deserve much credit for presenting a
compelling case for funding of this project to the Donald W. Reynolds
Foundation.”
In August 2008, a $1 million commitment was made to ASU by the Judd Hill
Foundation for the Reynolds Center. The restricted fund is to be used
exclusively for building maintenance and repair including the repair or
replacement of specialized equipment within the building.
“I would also like to sincerely thank Mike Gibson, executor of the Judd
Hill Foundation. His commitment to investments in the Delta will
reap rewards for us, our children, our children’s children and beyond.
What incredible vision!” said Dr. Hanrahan.
The center is a 50,650-square-foot structure that houses the Speech and
Hearing Center, the Beck PRIDE Center for America’s Wounded Veterans,
the Department of Communication Disorders, and a nurse anesthesia lab. The center also
houses interdisciplinary labs, a community education center, research
labs, classrooms, an auditorium, a computer lab, a student lounge, a
conference room, group study rooms, a nursing clinical learning lab,
health assessment labs, and special project rooms.
'The Reynolds Center for Health Sciences has provided new learning
opportunities for students in the College of Nursing and Health
Professions,” said Dr. Sue McLarry, chair, School of Nursing. “Our
students are very tech-savvy, and the state-of-the-art technology
creates a wonderful environment in which to learn. The Clinical Learning
Centers allow students to gain skills and confidence prior to entering
an actual patient setting.”
Standard equipment
fixtures include high fidelity mannequins and classroom teaching
technology. The facility is furnished with $744,801 worth of major
equipment and $344,645 of loose furnishings. The College of Nursing and
Health Professions will also continue to occupy space in the Eugene
Smith Building and the original Nursing and Health Professions Building.
The additional 50,000 square foot Reynolds Center was fueled by the
tremendous growth of the college and the need for space for new
programs, equipment, research, increased enrollment and faculty, and
areas for simulations and academic assignments.
Chairman of the Department of Communications, Dr. Richard A. Neeley,
said, “A critically important component of the graduate curriculum in
Communication Disorders is supervised clinical practicum. Relocating the
ASU Speech and Hearing Center to the new Donald W. Reynolds Center for
Health Sciences has provided our students and patients a
state-of-the-art environment for improving communication skills.”
'Approximately 55 patients are treated each week in the ASU Speech and
Hearing Center, and each patient is scheduled for two one-hour
appointments per week. Since we use the Speech and Hearing Center as a
“hands-on” teaching facility, we provide free services to the campus and
the general public. The Reynolds Center is providing wonderful
opportunities to expand the number and types of diagnostic and treatment
services students and faculty are offering. We are convinced that this
facility is the nicest and most functional in the state of Arkansas and
in the mid-south region.”
"Thanks to the the hard work and dedication of our faculty, staff, and
students, a new building was necessary,” said Dr. Hanrahan. “The
Reynolds Foundation made a great choice. Our opportunities are once
again unlimited.”
The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation is a national philanthropic
organization founded in 1954 by the late media entrepreneur for whom it
is named. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Foundation has, since
1994, awarded over $378 million to organizations in Arkansas.
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