Major Renovations to Business and Nursing Building Complete

February 21, 2023

Anoka-Ramsey Community College re-opened its modernized and renovated Business and Nursing facilities on the Coon Rapids Campus in time to welcome students back for fall 2022 semester. The 31,150 square-foot renovation provides a state-of-the-art home for our business program, addresses unique learning needs for our nursing program and provides our broader campus community contemporary academic and social spaces.

"This space will be transformative for our students for many years to come," Anoka-Ramsey Vice President of Administration and Finance Don Lewis said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in August 2022.

The $16.3 million renovation project was funded through Minnesota State's 2020 legislative session bonding request providing impact beyond Anoka-Ramsey's campus. This project would not be possible without the support of local legislators and strength of partnership with Minnesota State.

"This is an exciting day for Anoka-Ramsey, the Twin Cities community and the state of Minnesota. This new space will allow us to provide our students the education they need to become leaders of the future in their industries," said Kent Hanson, president of Anoka-­Ramsey Community College. "We're thrilled to open our doors and get to work."

In addition to supporting Anoka­Ramsey's commitment to student success, the project aligns with the college's commitment to sustainability. Throughout construction, 90 percent of construction waste was diverted from landfills. In addition, it met Minnesota's B3 energy efficiency building standards and exceeds SB 2030 energy goals.

Spaces to Learn and Connect

After learning in virtual and makeshift environments, nursing student Jean "Sony" Revolte says new spaces improve students' experiences as they gather, learn and connect. Prior to the completion of the renovated spaces, nursing students sometimes found themselves practicing skills in spaces that were less than ideal for the tasks at hand.

"The lab was by the performance gym. It's terribly loud. We're practicing checking vitals. To do that, we have to listen to someone's heart, check a pulse. It might be hard to hear that over the sounds of the gym," he says. "Plus, these rooms were full. There were a ton of us in there and when people get together, they talk and get loud."

Updated learning spaces resolve many of those issues.

"You can not only learn together but from each other," he says. ''And in spaces that are designed for this type of learning."

 

Cambridge Campus Renovations

Changes are underway on Anoka-Ramsey's Cambridge Campus as well. Renovations were made to classrooms to accommodate nursing learning spaces with beds and headwalls-a feature of hospital rooms that, when replicated in learning spaces, gives students a hands-on opportunity to interact with electrical and gas functions they would encounter in hospital or other medical settings.

Additional updates are expected soon as Anoka-Ramsey works to deliver an extraordinary learning experience for all its students.

 

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This feature appeared in the Winter 2023 Anoka-Ramsey Community Newsletter. View a full PDF version of this story and additional pieces.