The UM Board of Curators approved a $30 million project to replace the Sinclair School of Nursing building in a meeting Thursday.

Curator Julia Brncic, chair of the finance committee, said the project will demolish the current building housing the nursing school on MU’s University Hospital campus, and build a smaller, three-story building over the existing basement. The new building will allow “overall square footage to be more efficient,” Brncic said.

“[Sinclair School of Nursing] Dean Thompson explained how the new building will help recruit and retain students,” Brncic said. “To bridge gaps in the imminent nursing shortage, classrooms will be larger, more interactive and will provide more space for simulations and research.”

The project, a part of a five-year capital plan for the entire UM System, will be funded through the School of Nursing’s reserve funds, MU Health Care funding, private gifts and proceeds from land sales, Brncic said.

The current Sinclair School of Nursing building was initially built in 1979. The school itself was founded in 1920.

_Edited by Ethan Brown | ebrown@themaneater.com_