When David A. Straz, Jr., Hall reopened in August as the new home of the College of Nursing, it didn’t take long for the building to start feeling like home to senior nursing student Gillian Llanes and her classmates.
The facility’s naturally lit atrium and concourses were stunning, and they proved to be inviting gathering spots with plenty of plush chairs and benches, cozy booths and assorted tables for individual and group study. As balmy temperatures lingered through mid-autumn, the outdoor balcony beckoned as an ideal spot for relaxing, studying, eating or just passing time between classes.
“This space has been an amazing addition to campus,” Llanes says. “It’s great to have so much open space and availability to study and hang out with friends. We have more space to be ourselves.”
After a multiyear renovation and expansion project, Straz Hall is the university’s latest high-performance academic facility — a learning environment designed around the needs of students in the college, both academic and personal.
Everywhere they go in the building, students find features and design touches to enrich their Marquette nursing experience. Classrooms have been set up for greater collaboration among peers. Inclusivity has been fostered for all students — from residential students to commuter students and graduate nurses — through a spacious student lounge, kitchen with shared refrigerators, break rooms, lockers, a lactation space and quiet rooms for respite and wellness. The Center for Nursing Student Success sits on the first floor, sending a message of support to students entering the building.
“I love the nursing program, and the new building makes it feel like more of a community,” says Erin Higdon, a senior in nursing.
That the building functions so well for its intended users owes much to an inclusive process. In fall 2021, a design committee of faculty, administrators, and planning and facilities management staff led the college community in dreaming up its ideal new home. Informed by data and perspectives from extensive student interviews, this team envisioned a space that would support a diverse set of student needs and strengthen the overall educational experience.
Madeline Schmidt, clinical assistant professor and assistant dean for undergraduate programs, served on that design committee. She’s been thrilled to see the result of that effort every time she arrives at work.
“The first day the building was open, almost every seat available was taken,” Schmidt said. “There was a natural hum of excitement and conversation everywhere. Right away, we felt we’d built the nursing community we’ve always aspired to have — this is what we’ve always hoped and dreamed nursing would be.”
Smart growth
Thoughtful, intentional enrollment growth was also a significant consideration in the visioning process. Marquette Nursing was already feeling squeezed in its previous space in Emory Clark Hall. And with the college’s strategic plan setting a goal of educating 5,000 new nurses in the next 10 years, a new building became a necessity.
“As the nursing shortage continues to increase, the College of Nursing wanted to position itself to help meet this need,” says Dr. Jill Guttormson, dean of the college. “The building with expanded simulation rooms, skills labs and classroom space is allowing us to increase enrollment without compromising how we prepare the Marquette Nurse — a nurse who combines strong clinical judgment with leadership, advocacy and care for the whole person.”
Nursing’s all-new clinical simulation center is double the size of its predecessor in Clark Hall to better accommodate students engaging in valuable care scenarios with patient mannequins. In the classrooms, students now sit in groups at tables instead of at desks bolted in rows. The change allows for greater interaction and collaboration — characteristics integral to the vocation of nursing. Interactive screens at every table grouping connect students to their instructors and one another.
“I love most how the classrooms are set up,” Llanes says. “Now, we have tables where we can share our ideas with bigger groups and experience what it’s like to discuss and work as a team. I’m thrilled to be able to have this experience during my last year, with my friends, and in a building that gives us so many learning opportunities and chances to grow as nurses and students.”
Lora Strigens, vice president for planning and facilities management, says the design of Straz Hall strikes a beneficial balance. “The College of Nursing facility places a priority on spaces that support the studentexperience academically but also foster a sense of community and belonging within the building,” she says.
“You have to see this”
Those attributes were well received on Family Weekend in late September, when Dr. Amber Young-Brice, assistant professor and associate dean for academic affairs, encountered scenes she had rarely seen in her career: students bringing their parents to the building and telling them, ‘This is where I study.”
One family group represented three generations of Marquette Nurses. The grandmother mentioned how she used to take classes “across the street” in older academic buildings. The mother completed her education in Clark Hall, and now the current student was ushering in the newest era of Marquette Nursing in Straz Hall.
“How many students are excited to show their parents a classroom?” Young-Brice said. “Even upperclassmen were coming in with their parents. It was just very cool to hear. Students are very much present and engaging with the building in ways we never could before. You just feel happy in the space.”
