Sinclair Trustees Approve $31.5 Million Budget for Health Sciences Building and Strategy

The Sinclair Board of Trustees approved a $31.5 million budget December 22 for a renovated and updated health sciences center on campus in the existing Building 14. Sinclair will finance the project by leveraging existing state funds, tapping allocated leveraged savings funds, raising money through community partners, and will fulfill a levy campaign promise by using funds from the new levy passed in November of 2015. The $16 million in levy funding will allow the college to responsibly invest in the project without taking on costly debt and to move the project along faster for the benefit of thousands of students pursuing 41 health sciences degree and certificate programs. 

"This is a great day for Sinclair and a great day for health care in this community," Sinclair President Steve Johnson said. "Health care will require greater investment in cross training across disciplines and greater focuses on simulation and home care. This facility and strategy will allow Sinclair to meet those needs with talented personnel in greater numbers at a more advanced rate of progress. I'm grateful the Board is moving to continue to invest in this project and to allow us to deliver on our promise to the community to invest in the health care jobs of tomorrow." 

"Sinclair is dedicated to finding and meeting the needs of this community and a great coming need in this community will be in the health care sector," Sinclair Board of Trustees Chair Rob Connelly said. "This project will allow Sinclair to meet the emerging needs in health care and position our graduates well in vitally needed fields. I appreciate the careful and deliberate approach the administration has taken on this project." 

The project will add approximately 59,000 square feet of space to the existing Ned J. Sifferlen Center and will move health programs from several buildings on campus to one consolidated space. The goal will be to allow students to begin using the facility in Fall of 2017. A goal of Sinclair's strategy is to increase collaboration across disciplines to reflect the structural changes happening in American health care.