ALBUQUERQUE, NM — The University of New Mexico (UNM) recently celebrated the official opening of its new College of Nursing and Public Health Excellence building. The space, designed by RDG Planning & Design in partnership with Dekker, expands access to health care education and deepens the university’s impact on public health. As part of a $43.3 million investment, the 94,000-square-foot building provides a centralized space that merges innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to serving New Mexico’s communities.
As the largest nursing school in New Mexico, the College of Nursing is integral to addressing a critical shortage of health care professionals across the state, including the estimated 8,800 vacant nursing positions. This new facility is expected to help UNM further increase its enrollment and training capacity, supporting students and preparing them to become frontline health care providers in their communities.
“We designed UNM’s new College of Nursing and Public Health Excellence building to be welcoming and purposeful so everyone — from students and faculty to the families they’ll serve — feels connected and inspired," RDG Senior Partner Mike Houston said. "It’s a place where students become health care advocates and leaders, with every element intentionally designed to inspire a new generation of health care professionals who are prepared to give back and fulfill the health care needs of their communities. We’re honored to have collaborated with UNM on such an impactful project."
The new three-story facility reflects UNM’s commitment to addressing New Mexico’s health care needs by uniting the College of Population Health, previously dispersed across eight buildings, into a cohesive, collaborative space. Designed with flexibility and interdisciplinary learning in mind, the building offers resources that support active engagement and hands-on training. Adaptable classrooms feature movable walls to accommodate various class sizes and layouts, while advanced technology, such as ceiling-mounted monitors, allows students to collaborate on complex health projects. This consolidation strengthens UNM’s ability to respond to the state’s unique health challenges through research and community-focused programs, preparing future health care leaders to meet real-world needs.
In addition to classrooms, the building houses advanced research and clinical spaces, including a dedicated wet lab for biomedical research and clinical research space that will enable UNM’s faculty and students to conduct studies that address critical health issues in New Mexico. Through these design elements, the goal is to increase the university’s capacity to explore complex health conditions and to train more “bench scientists” who work at the molecular level to understand and improve human health.
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Beyond its educational mission, the building positions UNM to address the statewide shortage of nurses, a need amplified by recent labor shortages across health care. The College of Nursing, which has more than doubled enrollment over the past two years, is well-positioned to increase its student body further. With nearly 70 percent of students identifying as members of underrepresented communities, UNM plays a role in training health care providers who reflect the populations they serve. Approximately 92 percent of UNM’s nursing graduates stay in the state, bringing culturally competent care and an understanding of New Mexico’s health care landscape to hospitals, clinics, and community health centers statewide.
