Concordia University Wisconsin celebrates the groundbreaking of its new nursing wing, a major investment aimed at expanding hands-on training opportunities and helping meet the region’s growing demand for skilled health care professionals.

At hospitals, clinics, and care facilities across Wisconsin, nurses are often the steady presence patients remember most, the reassuring voice, the careful attention, the compassionate hand during moments that matter most.

Concordia University Wisconsin is preparing the next generation of these caregivers.

On April 22, from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m., the university held a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new nursing wing designed to expand its capacity to prepare future nurses to address ongoing health care workforce shortages. The project will include approximately 26,000 square feet of new construction and 11,650 square feet of renovated space. Construction is expected to continue through summer 2027, with the new space anticipated to open for the fall 2027 semester.

Across Wisconsin and the nation, health care systems continue to face critical staffing shortages affecting hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, and community health organizations. Concordia’s investment reflects a proactive response to this need by expanding the university’s ability to prepare highly skilled, practice-ready graduates.

“Our students are equipping themselves for moments that truly matter—when the stakes are high, when families are seeking reassurance, and when steady, thoughtful care makes all the difference,” said Jessica Leiberg, dean of the School of Nursing at Concordia. “We view nursing as both a profession and a calling. The new nursing wing will give students space to practice with confidence, learn alongside dedicated faculty mentors, and grow into nurses who serve others with clinical excellence, compassion, and Christ-centered purpose.”

The new wing will feature advanced hospital simulation and virtual reality suites where students practice responding to real clinical scenarios, such as stabilizing patients in cardiac distress, navigating difficult conversations and de-escalation, and assisting with the delivery of newborns. Before caring for real patients, students will face hundreds of realistic clinical situations in these immersive environments.