SIUE's Health Science Complex to Hold Ribbon Cutting to Mark Construction Completion

Edwardsville - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's Health Sciences Complex, a $117.4 million state-appropriated construction project made possible by the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois Capital program and overseen by the Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB), will hold its ceremonial ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 28.

The Clayco and Poettker joint venture design-build team, in collaboration with design firms Lamar Johnson Collaborative, Inc. and Christner, Inc., began work on site in spring 2023. HOK served as the bridging firm on the new academic healthcare facility.

Just five months shy of two years from the 2024 groundbreaking ceremony led by Gov. JB Pritzker, the completed Health Sciences Complex is a 172,495-square-foot facility featuring state-of-the-art technology, simulation teaching and research laboratories.

"SIUE's new Health Sciences Complex will help thousands of future healthcare professionals thrive in our world-class workforce," said Governor JB Pritzker. "With support from Rebuild Illinois, the cutting-edge facility will equip students with the skills they need in this vital field - all while attracting even more students to a premier Illinois university."

"The new Health Sciences Complex will prepare students to work in healthcare, a critical field with growing workforce needs," said Capital Development Board Executive Director, TJ Edwards. "This investment provides exciting hands-on learning opportunities and space for discovery and collaboration at SIUE."

Students of SIUE's School of Pharmacy and School of Nursing began classes in the facility in time for the start of the fall 2025 semester. The School of Nursing saw its largest enrollment growth at the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year. The School of Pharmacy matriculated its largest first year class ever that same fall. This figure was more than 30% greater than the year prior. For both, the significant enrollment increase is a direct reflection of the impact a state-of-the-art facility can have.

"The advanced technology that the Health Sciences Complex provides as a facility complements the experience and enthusiasm of the faculty providing top experiential learning in the nursing and pharmacy programs," said SIUE Chancellor James T. Minor, PhD. "These state-of-the-art classrooms prepare student practitioners to walk confidently into their next assignment as healthcare professionals."

The three-story Health Sciences Complex includes office space, modernized instructional areas, and convertible multipurpose classrooms. The new facility is an exemplary model of SIUE's ongoing commitment to excellence in education.