By Emilie Milcarek (Whetstone staff writter)

Wesley College recently acquired a 30,000-square-foot building formerly owned by the federal government, and will spend $1 million over the next two years to renovate it for the nursing department.

When the college learned that the Frear Building, at 300 S. New St., was being used as surplus, the college expressed interest.

In September of last year, Eric Nelson, vice president for finance, signed the papers for the college to receive the building. It should officially be part of the campus next summer.

“Right now it is a tight campus,” Nelson said. “What it will do is open up space.”

“This will enhance Wesley’s opportunities and it will allow us to do more in an area where we are already strong,” said Dr. Patricia Dwyer, vice president for academic affairs.

Some nursing students recently heard the news.

“They told us it might be done by my senior year,” said sophomore nursing student Chris Maranan.

The planning of the renovations will take up to a year, and the renovations themselves will take up to 18 months, Nelson said. College officials need to worry first about safety codes, since federal government buildings do not have the same codes for fire alarms and sprinkler systems than educational institutions.

The school is working with Becker Morgan, a consulting and engineering firm.

Despite the fact that Dr. William Johnston, president of Wesley College, made an announcement last spring about the college acquiring the building, and has been quoted in other media outlets, including The Whetstone, many nursing students said they didn’t know about it.

Maranan heard the news in passing when a teacher mentioned it. He believes only about half of the students in the nursing program knew about the building.

Students also said they wondered where the $1 million will come from.

“We want to raise external funds,” Dwyer said. “We don’t envision any kind of hike.”

“We actually have already obtained some grants from various sources and are seeking additional grant money for the renovations,” Nelson said.

The school has received money through the government that is earmarked for nursing called Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grants. These grants will provide seed money for renovation.

So far, the school has received $1.3 million in private donations and federal funds for the building.

Nelson said that the school hopes to use this building to bring in more students into the nursing program as well as expand on the medical majors offered at the college.

Because the building is more than a half of a mile from campus, the school wants to offer a shuttle for students. Walking to the building takes about 14 minutes.