TAMHSC dedicates Bryan campus

(BRYAN, TX) — The Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) held one of the most significant events in its 10-year history Thursday with the dedication of its new Bryan campus. The dedication included recognition of the occupancy of the inaugural building and emergence of the campus’s first clinical building.

“The remarkable evolution of this campus demonstrates the vision and leadership of the Texas A&M Health Science Center and the commitment of The Texas A&M University System to the long-term needs of our state,” said A&M System Board of Regents Chairman Morris E. Foster. “The core concepts of the A&M System – research, education and service – are perfectly addressed in the land, the buildings, the equipment and, most of all, the people who will realize the full potential of this wonderful facility.”

The new campus, located on 200 acres along State Highway 47 (adjacent to Traditions Club Golf Course), will allow the TAMHSC to eventually consolidate onto a single campus its academic programs and administration currently located throughout Bryan and College Station.

Attendees included State Sen. Steve Ogden, R-District 5, State Rep. Fred Brown, R-District 14, and State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, R-District 13; members of the A&M System Board of Regents; officials with the cities of Bryan and College Station; representatives of Blinn College, the Texas Brain and Spine Institute, and Mary Crowley Cancer Research Center; Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Inc.; Broaddus & Associates; FKP Architects; Project GreenVax; Skanska HealthRealty; the Research Valley Partnership; community leaders; A&M System administrators; and invited guests.

“Having presided over unprecedented growth in programs and student numbers, it is particularly enjoyable to dedicate this campus and the state-of-the-art facilities it represents,” said Nancy W. Dickey, M.D., president of the Texas A&M Health Science Center and vice chancellor for health affairs for the A&M System. “From a philosophy of meeting the state’s needs to a commitment to partnering and sharing to maximize every dollar spent, this campus represents the future – and it is exciting to step into the future.”

Regents approved the allocation of acreage to the Texas A&M Health Science Center in December 2006, having previously accepted the land gift from the City of Bryan. Fifty of these acres are for health-related public-private partnerships and facilities while the remaining acreage is for academic facilities.

“Providing state-of-the-art health care to the people of Texas through superior medical education is a cornerstone of the mission of the Texas A&M System,” said Michael D. McKinney, M.D., chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. “From this spot, we will produce doctors, nurses and an array of health professionals who will make Texas a better place to live. As a physician, I am always uplifted by progress in health care. As chancellor, I am especially proud that the A&M System is once again leading the way.”

The first two campus buildings are the $68 million Health Professions Education Building (HPEB), funded through the Available University Fund (AUF), and the $60 million Medical Research and Education Building (MREB), funded with $45 million in tuition revenue bonds approved by the 2006 Texas Legislature and $15 million from the AUF. The AUF is provided through the A&M System.

The HPEB already is open, with the MREB scheduled for occupancy in spring 2011.

At approximately 132,500 total square feet, the four-story Health Professions Education Building has four lecture rooms, two dividable seminar rooms and 16 small group rooms with videoconference capabilities on the ground floor. The main entry level features an outdoor courtyard area, open meeting and dining space, student services, an information technology help center, a teaching and learning resource center, and a library.

The second level is a Simulation Center comprised of 15 clinical exam rooms, eight multi-functional simulation rooms, two fundamental skills rooms, conference rooms and multiple clinical testing areas. The top floor provides offices for the HSC-College of Medicine and HSC-College of Nursing as well as an outdoor courtyard.

At approximately 131,000 total square feet, the four-story Medical Research and Education Building will have ground floor space for seminar rooms, a scientific display area, imaging lab, and offices for the TAMHSC-College of Medicine associate dean of research and graduate studies and chair of the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics. The second, third and fourth floors will house faculty offices, laboratories and support spaces for the college’s Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics and Department of Microbial and Molecular Pathogenesis.

And further development of the Bryan campus is moving full speed ahead.

Scheduled to open in summer 2011, the campus’s first clinical building will feature student training space and equipment. The 127,500-square-foot facility also will serve as home for a Mary Crowley Cancer Research Center, the Texas Brain and Spine Institute, Blinn College allied health programs, a St. Joseph Health System imaging center, and the TAMHSC-College of Medicine and TAMHSC-Rural and Community Health Institute.

“Today is truly a historic day for the Brazos Valley, and I am so pleased to see the community-wide support of this new campus and the biotech corridor that it anchors,” said State Rep. Brown. “I especially want to congratulate Dr. Dickey for delivering on the promise to build an interdisciplinary campus, one that is destined to bring excellent education and health care to our citizens for many years to come.”

In fitting with the theme “Marking the Moment,” a ceremonial time capsule will be put on display on the new campus. The capsule contains items representing the breadth of health professions training on the new campus now and in the future.

After the ceremony, visitors toured the Health Professions Education Building and met with faculty and students. Regents also are hosting their regular meeting Friday in the HPEB.

“The Texas A&M Health Science Center represents a partnership between numerous entities,” said Bryan Mayor Jason Bienski. “The City of Bryan, The Texas A&M University System, the health science center and board of regents were committed and dedicated to make this happen, and it’s an important addition to the City of Bryan and the Research Valley that is going to serve our community for generations to come.”

Additional attendees at the event included TAMHSC students, faculty and staff, and the Bryan campus Master Planning Committee.