June 27, 2008

Aquinas College seeks approval of facility expansion plans

Andy Telli, Tennessee Register

Aquinas College and the Dominican Campus are seeking approval for a master plan that will be “transformational” for Middle Tennessee’s only Catholic college.

The Dominican Campus on Harding Road in Nashville, owned and operated by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, has filed an application with Metro Nashville planning authorities for an institutional overlay zoning, which is designed to guide growth on school and college campuses.

The first phase of the proposed master plan for the Dominican Campus includes:

• A new 550-seat chapel for all three schools on the campus, Aquinas, St. Cecilia and Overbrook.

• A new academic building that will allow for the expansion of Aquinas’ nursing program.

• Two residence halls, one for men and one for women.

• A new student center.

Other pieces of the master plan, which could take as long as 20 years to fully implement, according to Aquinas officials, includes a new library, a faith and culture center, a new administration building, a Eucharistic adoration chapel, the renovation of the current library back to a gymnasium, and two more dormitories.

“When we add campus residences, it will truly be transformational,” said Aquinas President Sister Mary Peter, O.P. Dorms will provide housing for students from outside the Nashville area, allowing Aquinas to recruit students from a larger area, she said.

Adding dorms is an important part of Aquinas’ goal of becoming a nationally recognized Catholic liberal arts college.

But most likely the first new building to be added to the campus will be a 49,000 square-foot, three story Nursing and Science Building that will allow the school to more than double its renowned nursing program, from the current enrollment of about 220 students to 500.

Nashville businessman Jim Carell and his wife, Jan, through the CareAll Charitable Trust, donated $3 million and Saint Thomas Health Services donated $2 million to the Aquinas nursing program to build new facilities.

Aquinas has raised about $6.7 million toward the cost of the new Nursing and Science Building but is still trying to raise more, Sister Mary Peter said. Current plans are to start construction early in 2009, but that depends on the success of ongoing fundraising efforts in the next six months, Sister Mary Peter said.

“Everyone agrees that we need more nurses,” Sister Mary Peter said. “Most would agree that the nurses we produce are exceptional.”

The demand for nurses and the interest among potential nursing students in Aquinas’ program would allow the school to double the size of the program immediately if the facilities and faculty were available, Sister Mary Peter said.

The Nursing and Science Building will be built behind the current academic building. When it is completed, the school’s other programs, including teacher education, liberal arts and business administration, will be able to expand in the space in the current academic building vacated by the nursing program, Sister Mary Peter said.

In recent years, Aquinas has added an English major and will add a history major next fall. Another goal is to expand the teacher education program to give students the opportunity to receive their licensure to teach middle and high school grades, Sister Mary Peter said.

The new chapel is planned for space behind St. Cecilia Academy, a location literally at the heart of the campus, Sister Mary Peter said.

All the additions in facilities would allow Aquinas to grow from its current enrollment of about 850 students to 1,500, Sister Mary Peter said.

“We want to maintain the intimate atmosphere we have here while still growing,” Sister Mary Peter said.

Officials from the Dominican Campus and Aquinas are trying to schedule a meeting soon with representatives of the adjacent residential neighborhood, Cherokee Park, said Sister Mary Peter. Initial discussions have included concerns from nearby residences that the Dominican Campus might add another entrance on Cherokee, thus increasing traffic in the neighborhood, Sister Mary Peter said. There are no plans to add another entrance she said. Traffic studies have shown that the current entry on West End Avenue “is sufficient for what we plan to do now and what we’re planning to do in the future,” Sister Mary Peter said.

The Metro Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the request on July 24. It must also be approved on three readings by the Metro Council, a process that should be complete by October.

Drawing: A new 550-seat chapel is part of the Aquinas College and Dominican Campus master plan, that will be built behind St. Cecilia Academy and utilized by all three campus schools. Aquinas is currently seeking zoning approval for a major expansion, which includes a new academic building, student center and two residence halls.