Nursing receives $1 million for McLeod expansion

By Catherine Seigerman

The U.Va. School of Nursing will expand McLeod Hall with a $1 million challenge grant from the Theresa A. Thomas Memorial Foundation, helping the school to address a national shortage by training more nurses.

A five-story addition to McLeod Hall will provide approximately 30,000 square feet to its existing space, adding larger and more flexible teaching spaces, new technology and space for research designed to improve patient care. The addition will help the school fulfill its plan to boost enrollment.

“The Thomas Foundation’s grant comes at a critical moment in the field of nursing,” said Jeanette Lancaster, dean of the School of Nursing. “Experts predict that demand for full-time registered nurses will begin to exceed supply by 2010. By expanding McLeod through the assistance of friends like the Theresa A. Thomas Memorial Foundation, we can respond to the growing nursing shortage by educating more new nurses and giving existing nurses the advanced knowledge they need to maximize their skills.”

The addition will cost approximately $14 million. Seven million dollars will be requested from the Commonwealth of Virginia, while an equal amount is expected to come from private donors. The first of these contributions — from the Theresa A. Thomas Memorial Foundation — is in the form of a challenge grant aimed at encouraging other donors to step forward.

“We congratulate the University of Virginia School of Nursing on its long-standing record of service to the health care industry,” said Jim Roberts, president of the Theresa A. Thomas Memorial Foundation. “We firmly believe that the proposed expansion of McLeod Hall will serve well the interest of the University’s School of Nursing and health care in general.”

The School of Nursing was ranked in the top 9 percent of nursing schools in the United States this year by U.S. News and World Report. This year marks the school’s 100th anniversary.

“Our School of Nursing is one of the best in the country. With the support of this generous challenge grant, we will be able to provide our fine teaching staff with the resources they need to educate the nurses of tomorrow,” said Leonard Sandridge, executive vice president and chief operating officer.