GO Bond 3 could provide needed funding for UNM-Valencia’s Nursing and Health Sciences renovation

Nursing and Allied Health programs have been assessed as a primary need for students at The University of New Mexico's Valencia branch campus. This year, GO Bond 3, which is on the November general election ballot, earmarks $1 million for Phase I of the Health Sciences building at UNM-Valencia to improve and better serve students in health-related fields.

General Obligation Bonds, or GO Bonds, come before the voters in the state of New Mexico every two years. They are a proven and accepted method of funding brick-and-mortar projects throughout the state. This November, voters will have an opportunity to pass GO Bond 3 for Higher Education to help provide New Mexico's colleges, universities and specialty schools with the ability to ensure students have the tools and resources they need to be successful. There are no tax increases associated with GO Bond 3.

This year's GO Bond 3 will provide more than $230 million in higher education funding statewide, including $94.5 million for The University of New Mexico and its branch campuses. Supporting GO Bond 3 not only provides funding for more than 40 projects at colleges and universities in New Mexico with access to the latest in training and teaching tools, but will also help attract, retain and recruit new students to colleges and universities statewide through a variety of projects designed with student success in mind.

The GO Bond funds will allow improvements from the Phase I renovation to increase the Nursing cohort in size from 23 to 28. Traditionally, the program cohort size has been 16. The recent expansion this year to 23 comes as a result of Nursing Expansion funding that allowed UNM-Valencia to hire additional faculty, which is necessary to maintain the faculty/student ratio required by our Nursing accrediting bodies.

"The goal is to take our nursing program to the flagship level. It's what we are known for. It stands out as our big program," said UNM-Valencia Chancellor Samuel Dosumu. "We have a good, strong cohort right now. When I came on board, there were 16 per cohort. With the Nursing Expansion money, we are pushing that to about 20 to 22 per cohort. We've got some more work to do on that, but it's going well."

The existing facility was designed to accommodate a cohort size of 16, and increasing the cohort size has had multiple impacts due to the facility's constraints. Classrooms, simulation labs, and testing spaces will be renovated to accommodate the increased cohort size. The space currently occupied by the Nursing program is not adequate for growth. The classrooms are small and cramped, and with the program's expansion, the space will limit the ability to have a large cohort class (25). The teaching and lab spaces are currently suitable for the 16 students in a typical cohort, but with the growth of the cohort, the spaces don't have the necessary capacity.

"The GO Bond money will help us co-locate our health sciences programs, including our allied health programs and the nursing program, in the same kind of complex," said Dosumu. "Phase I of the renovation of the Valencia Nursing and Health Sciences will house an expanded nursing and allied health program, including utilities and equipment. These improvements will allow for program expansion, the purchase of additional resources and equipment more conducive to today's learning environment and image, and the inclusion of a community clinic that students can utilize for clinical experiences."

There is also a lack of current office space for additional faculty or staff while storage space is also a concern. A similar situation applies to the Allied Health programs. The one space used by all of the programs was initially designed for the EMS program; however, it has also been used out of necessity for nursing assistants, personal care attendants, medical assistants and phlebotomy. Those programs need their own, specialized space. Additionally, the current spaces do not allow for student learning/lobby areas where they can meet with professors in between classes, nor are there any office spaces for the Allied Health faculty.

The plans for UNM-Valencia will utilize two existing buildings. One of them is the Health Sciences building, which has cadaver labs and converts it into a true Health Sciences complex. Another classroom building, which houses UNM-Valencia's adult-based education program, will be relocated to create space for faculty and students to get the advisement and coaching they need.

"Along with specialized classrooms designed specifically to work towards nursing and allied health programs, UNM-Valencia is utilizing existing space and not adding any footprint," said Rick Goshorn, Business Operations director. "It's just a redesign of what we're doing. We're not really making ourselves bigger. We're just retooling the campus in the direction it needs to go. We're keeping UNM 2040: Opportunity Defined in mind."

In addition to the $1 million in GO Bond funding, UNM-Valencia is also on the local county ballot for additional funding from a $15 million local bond issue, which will supplement some of the construction.

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