The University of South Florida (USF) celebrated a significant milestone in its mission to address Florida’s critical nursing shortage with the ‘Topping Out’ of its new USF Health College of Nursing facility. In April, the final steel beam was raised into place on the Tampa campus, symbolizing the completion of the building’s structural framework.
“The University of South Florida is committed to providing solutions to the challenges facing our communities, and today we are taking an important step to address the shortage of nurses in Florida,” said USF President Rhea Law. “Thanks to the support from our state leaders, particularly Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson during his time in the Florida Legislature, and our partners at Tampa General Hospital, this project will allow us to graduate significantly more highly trained nurses to help meet a critical workforce need and deliver even greater care for patients in the Tampa Bay region.”
The new 34,000-square-foot facility, scheduled to open in fall 2026, will feature advanced clinical spaces, state-of-the-art simulation labs and flexible learning environments. Once completed, it will enable the university to expand its undergraduate nursing program by 500 additional students by 2028, significantly boosting the pipeline of qualified nurses entering Florida’s health care workforce.
The $33 million expansion is funded by a strategic investment from the state, made possible through the leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature in 2022. Former Senate President and current Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson was instrumental in securing the funding.
“We looked at where we get our critical nurses from and it’s from the universities — with USF at the top of that list,” Simpson said. “We want to make sure we are producing the most qualified nursing students anywhere in the country, and here at USF, anywhere in the state. This project is something I am very proud of, and the $33 million will clearly turn into a great investment.”
Tampa General Hospital further bolstered the initiative with a $4.4 million commitment in 2023 to establish the Tampa General Hospital Nursing Simulation Center. The center will offer immersive, hands-on training for students and feature 12 clinical exam rooms, six debriefing classrooms and six control rooms to simulate real-world care environments.
“USF Health is absolutely committed to fighting Florida’s nursing shortage and expanding our program,” said Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.
This expansion builds on USF’s robust partnerships with local and regional health care systems, helping create a direct pipeline from education to employment. USF graduates more nurses than any other institution in Florida and is home to the state’s top-ranked Master of Science in Nursing program.
About USF Health
USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It comprises the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Public Health, Taneja College of Pharmacy, School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, Biomedical Sciences Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs and a multispecialty physicians’ group. The University of South Florida is a top-tier research university with an annual economic impact exceeding $6 billion. USF is committed to student success, community engagement and driving innovative solutions through extensive research. Learn more at https://health.usf.edu/.
