UCF’s Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion opened today as Knight nurses excitedly began fall classes, ushering in a bright future for them, the nursing profession and the health of Florida’s communities.
Elected leaders joined founding donors to celebrate the pavilion’s opening on UCF’s Academic Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona. They gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and toured the pavilion, which will help to address Florida’s critical nursing shortage. Fittingly for Florida’s Premier Engineering and Technology University, the pavilion also features the latest in immersive modeling and simulation technologies.
“This facility will help strengthen Florida’s nursing talent pipeline in ways that make communities across our state healthier.” — UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright
“The Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion is a powerful example of what is possible when vision, community and partnership come together. Built with the generous support of state leaders, donors and health care champions, this facility will help strengthen Florida’s nursing talent pipeline in ways that make communities across our state healthier,” says UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. “Together, we are fueling hands-on learning, enabling new research and discovery, and preparing generations of Knight Nurses who will have a lasting impact on the lives of those they serve.”
With the opening, UCF will increase access to its accredited and nationally ranked nursing degree programs and graduate an additional 150 newly licensed nurses annually. These graduates will have a direct impact on the state. Of the 17,000 Knight nurse alumni, 85% live and work in Florida, and nearly 60% remain in Central Florida.
Located next to the College of Medicine and in Lake Nona’s Medical City, a nationally recognized hub of healthcare innovation, the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion will bolster interdisciplinary collaboration to prepare providers to thrive in the workforce and deploy cutting-edge research to solve the industry’s greatest challenges and ensure a healthier future for all.
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson played a vital role as Senate President in securing about $43 million in state funding for the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion, as well as additional funding for state university and state college nursing initiatives throughout Florida.
“We worked very hard to secure the funding,” he says. “When you think about state-of the-art nursing, when you think about doubling the capacity of nursing, this couldn’t come at a better time. Florida is growing 400,000 people a year still. We’re going to continue to grow.”
“Thanks to the leadership of Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature, the state continues to invest in key academic programs that set an example nationwide,” says State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues. “The new Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion at the University of Central Florida is no exception — by providing innovative educational opportunities for nursing students now, Florida is ensuring a promising future of skilled nurses that will care for our communities.”
The Power of Partnerships
The Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion, which came to fruition through $43 million from the State of Florida and over $29 million from private donors, will directly impact the community that created it and will be a longstanding symbol of what can be achieved through the power of community partnerships — unleashing potential for generations to come.
“We are honored to be part of this transformative moment for Central Florida,” says Kenneth Robinson, president and CEO of Dr. Phillips Inc. and the Dr. Phillips Foundation. “This investment will help address the nursing shortage, strengthen our healthcare system, and expand access to exceptional education and career opportunities. By supporting this project, we’re helping to graduate more Knight nurses who will make a lasting impact. We’re proud to stand with UCF and our community partners to shape a healthier, brighter future.”
Founding donors of the facility also include the Helene Fuld Health Trust; UCF Pegasus Partners AdventHealth, Orlando Health, Nemours Children’s Health and Addition Financial; Zaby and Suree Vyas; and many others.
“Today we are witnessing the power of partnerships,” says Professor Emerita Mary Lou Sole, who, as the previous College of Nursing dean, led the efforts to advocate and raise funds for the new building. “The Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion is the result of the collective efforts of UCF and this community to come together to solve one of our greatest healthcare challenges. We are incredibly grateful for the support, which will have an immeasurable impact for generations to come.”
Inside the Future of Nursing
Every aspect of the 90,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility was thoughtfully designed to foster collaboration, innovation, and student success and well-being.
“The Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion will serve as a catalyst for ensuring a brighter, healthier future,” says new College of Nursing Dean Sharon Tucker. “In this space, UCF will strengthen and empower future nurses and nurse leaders to advance healthcare innovation and collaboration to improve evidence-based patient care and outcomes.”
On the second and third floors is a hub of healthcare innovation, the Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation, Technology, Innovation and Modeling (STIM) Center. UCF is Florida’s first simulation center to earn three international accolades in the field and the new, expanded space will build upon its global leadership to innovate healthcare education using the latest immersive technologies to prepare nurses for practice as compassionate, skilled providers.
The second floor also features the Dr. Colleen Conway Welch Virtual Reality Learning Studio, a makerspace design studio to accelerate nurse-led innovations, a home health apartment to meet growing demand for home-based healthcare, and the Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation Healthy Aging Research Lab for interdisciplinary research and innovations led by renowned aging expert Ladda Thiamwong.
Upon entering the pavilion, students, faculty, staff and visitors are greeted with the inspiring “Vitality” public art commissioned by Florida’s Art in State Building program. The first floor also includes three large high-tech learning studios, the Zaby and Suree Vyas Collaboration Concourse, the Martin Andersen-Gracia Andersen Foundation Study Cafe and a student success suite.
The opening comes a little over a year and a half after the groundbreaking in January 2024. UCF built the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion in conjunction with HuntonBrady Architects, Ayers Saint Gross and DPR Construction.
UCF’s Industry Partners Highlight Transformational Impact
AdventHealth
“At AdventHealth, we’ve seen firsthand the extraordinary caliber of nurses who graduate from UCF. They bring clinical excellence, compassion and an unwavering commitment to their patients — values that perfectly align with our mission to provide whole-person care. As the demand for skilled nurses continues to grow, we’re happy to support this exciting new chapter for the UCF College of Nursing. And as a UCF alum, I’m excited to welcome even more outstanding Knight nurses to AdventHealth.”
-Cathy Stankiewicz, (MSN’11), chief nursing officer, Central Florida Division
Helene Fuld Health Trust
“The Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation, Technology, Innovation and Modeling Center at UCF exemplifies our mission to support the education of nursing students. Simulation is a critical component [of] nursing education and will continue to be in the future, and we’re proud to make this investment to strengthen nursing skills and improve the welfare of our communities.”
-Robert Campbell, vice president of Trust & Fiduciary Services at HSBC, who oversees the trust
Nemours Children’s Health
“Growing and solidifying the nursing workforce is critical to care delivery across the healthcare sector. Through our longtime relationship with the UCF College of Nursing, we have seen firsthand the benefits of hiring their well-trained, work-ready graduates. The new nursing pavilion will be a tremendous asset in our continued collaboration, partnership, and investment to support the education, development, and maturation of emerging nurses.”
-Nicole Johnson, (DNP’17), senior vice president and chief nursing and patient operations officer
Orlando Health
“It is an honor and privilege to be associated with UCF, and we are thankful for our partnership with the university, nursing professors, and students.”
-David Strong, president and CEO
