Yale School of Nursing moving to University’s West Campus

Yale School of Nursing (YSN) will move next year from New Haven to the University’s West Campus in Orange and West Haven. The relocation of the school and its 450 students, staff, and faculty is expected to begin in the summer of 2013 and be completed in time for the school’s 90^th anniversary in the fall.

Yale University is planning to adapt and renovate an office building at Yale West Campus (YWC) to meet the specific needs of YSN.

“The ways we educate students have changed, and we need space that is flexible and equipped for tomorrow’s students,” said Margaret Grey, dean and the Annie Goodrich Professor at YSN. “We are developing plans for customized spaces suited to modern teaching, simulation, research, and lab needs.”

The move will nearly double the population at West Campus, which is already home to several thriving research and technology centers as well as art conservation programs.

“The relocation of the School of Nursing will bring the first major educational initiative to YWC, giving the campus a clear teaching mission with a dedicated student body,” said Scott Strobel, vice president of West Campus planning and program development. “This progression is indicative of the University’s vision for YWC, to develop a campus that is fully integrated with Yale’s various missions. Permanent placement of a professional school on-site is a major step toward that goal.”

“It also means that the Yale School of Nursing will finally have a facility that matches the excellence of their program,” added Strobel, who is also the Henry Ford II Professor of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry at Yale.

For much of the past year, YSN’s tenured faculty has been studying potential issues and benefits of this move. Input was solicited widely from faculty, students, and staff, as well as the Alumnae and External Advisory boards. Feedback was received and analyzed, and multiple solutions and options surrounding space issues were explored. In the end, the faculty came to the consensus that the School of Nursing should move to the West Campus.

“We concurred that the opportunity for a building that would meet current and future needs to do the innovative work related to our tripartite mission— research, education, and clinical practice—is a terrific opportunity,” Grey added.

On the West Campus, YSN will join an established and growing number of Yale scientists, engineers, medical researchers, artists, and natural historians.

Yale’s West Campus, located seven miles west of downtown New Haven on 136 acres, straddles the city of West Haven and the town of Orange. The cluster of 17 buildings, ample parking, and acres of open space was acquired in 2007. It includes 1.6 million square feet of research, office, and warehouse space that provides opportunities to enhance the University’s medical and scientific research and other academic programs.

Yale University School of Nursing enjoys national and international reputation for excellence in teaching, research, and clinical practice. One of Yale’s professional schools, YSN is a leading school of nursing in the United States, with a diverse community of scholars and clinicians with a common goal: better health care for all people. More information on YSN may be found at www.nursing.yale.edu.