Aiken Tech breaks ground for new Nursing Education Center

Aiken Technical College held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Nursing Education Center on Monday, May 19.

Representatives from local industry and community partners, elected officials, and Aiken Tech administrators, faculty, and staff gathered for the event, with several sharing the impact the new academic building will have on preparing the next generation of nurses.

“The new Nursing Education Center will empower our students with the state-of-the-art facilities, hands-on experience, and the kind of training that is essential to meet the ever-evolving needs of health care,” said Joe Lewis, chair of the Aiken County Commission for Technical and Comprehensive Education, Aiken Tech’s governing board.

The 30,000-square-foot facility will become home to the School of Nursing, which includes registered nursing (RN), licensed practical nursing (LPN), and patient care technician programs. The building will include advanced technology, auditorium seating, skills and simulation lab spaces, and additional faculty office space.

The center will also provide opportunities to increase the number of students the School of Nursing can accept into its programs.

Each semester, the School of Nursing accepts 40 students into its RN program and 24 students into its LPN program. Once the Nursing Education Center opens, program enrollment is projected to increase each semester to 60 RN students and 32 LPN students.

“Your investment is not just in bricks and mortar. It is an investment in the health and the well-being of the Aiken community for generations to come,” the School of Nursing Dean, Dr. Hannah Williams, shared with attendees. “This future space represents more than just a building. It symbolizes an opportunity. It will provide state-of-the-art learning environments, where our future nurses can grow, they can thrive, and prepare to serve with skill and compassion.”

The projected enrollment impact will help address the industry’s shortage of skilled nurses, said Matthew Merrifield, CEO of Aiken Regional Medical Centers.

“We know we're in one of the fastest-growing regions of the country, and so that's only going to make this shortage get more and more challenging. I applaud the vision of (Aiken Tech President) Dr. (Forest) Mahan, Dr. Williams, all the legislative team, everybody that helped bring this to fruition today, because we're ahead of the game in getting a new facility set up for training,” said Merrifield. “I think this new building is not only going to enhance the level of training that the nurses and their counterparts are getting, but also it's going to attract new people into the field, because this is the type of state-of-the-art facility that new clinicians want to be trained in. So for us to be able to offer that right here in Aiken is just a special thing.”

Construction costs for the Nursing Education Center are estimated to be about $17.3 million, with the majority of the cost being covered by funds allocated to the project from the SRS Settlement.

College and community leaders thanked and acknowledged the Aiken County Legislative Delegation's key role in supporting the project and advocating for funding. Delegation Chair Sen. Tom Young, Jr., briefly shared what it took to ensure funding was in place for this significant project and highlighted the impact the facility will have in Aiken County and beyond.

“We are very proud to be able to be here today for this groundbreaking, to see this come to fruition…This is an investment for the future, and we want to thank you for giving each of us the opportunity to serve in Columbia, and to be able to be part of this, and to be able to say that we were able to make a difference in bringing back these dollars to be invested on this campus for this purpose,” said Sen. Tom Young, Jr.

Construction on the facility is expected to be completed in summer 2026.

For updates about this project and other capital improvement efforts at Aiken Tech, visit www.atc.edu/CapitalProjects.