With updated health science and nursing labs, high-tech classrooms, new computer labs and expanded student and faculty space, the new facility is dedicated to the advancement of its students, faculty and staff. Kathy Sanger, campus director of Rasmussen University in Mankato, said she’s excited for the move, calling it a “win for both the students and the community.”
Within the past few years, the demand for healthcare professionals has grown significantly. Sanger notes their student population has followed this trend, with many students pursuing programs such as nursing and health sciences. With the shift in the population of students taking classes on campus, Rasmussen University feels that its new facility will better serve its students.
While the facility will be new, the familiar Madison Avenue location will help Rasmussen University staff, faculty and alumni feel right at home. Sanger, who will be celebrating her 22nd anniversary with Rasmussen University in June, says, “We are excited to return to our roots, to Madison Avenue and become a part of this popular and growing area in Mankato.”
When Rasmussen University first arrived in Mankato in the 1980s, the then “Rasmussen Business College” sat in beautiful Good Counsel Hill. In 1994, the campus moved to a building that was once the Mankato Clinic on Madison Avenue. This central, prime location was ideal, but Sanger says, “Unfortunately, in 2007, we again had to move because Victory Drive was being built right where the campus stood. At the time, we were hoping we could have stayed.”
Then, as the end of the lease at 130 Saint Andrews Drive drew near, Rasmussen University saw an opportunity to make a move that would not only cater to its students’ needs but also reinvest in the Mankato Community.
“Our students, faculty and staff will soon have access to restaurants, shops and other services all within walking distance,” Sanger says. The convenience of the new location, coupled with the building’s student-focused amenities, reinforces confidence in Sanger that “the new campus will positively impact our students and the entire Mankato community.”
Sanger is most excited about the new location’s opportunity to provide its students with top-of-the-line, hands-on facilities that will help prepare them for the real world. The proximity of the new location to other medical facilities and to many of the University's employment and clinical partners will also provide more opportunities for nursing and healthcare students to complete their clinicals.
Construction on the new building will begin in the spring of 2017 and the first classes are set to commence in January 2018.
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