Building Directory
| 1st Floor | |
| Student Services | 101/102 |
| Accelerated Program | 102B |
| RN-BSN Program | 102 |
| Freshmen Direct Program | 102C |
| MSN Program | 102 |
| Libby and Harry Dodson Auditorium | 113 |
| Museum | 114 |
| DNP Program | 116 |
| 2nd Floor | |
| Classrooms | 201/202 |
| Seminar Rooms | 205/209 |
| Student Lounge | 212 |
| Doctoral Student Lounge | 213 |
| Nursing Research and Scholarship | 215 |
| PhD Program | 215H |
| Professional Practice Lab | 218/220 |
| 3rd Floor | |
| Evelyn B. Weinberger Dean’s Office Suite | 301 |
| Board Room | 302 |
| Practice and Community Engagement | 303 |
| Academic Programs | 304 |
| Eminent Scholar Suite | 307 |
| Conference Room | 324 |
| Faculty Offices | 320-357 |
The intention of our home is to create a healing space to transform nursing education. As nurses, we are responsible for healthy environments. And with this wonderful opportunity to create a new home, we felt it was our obligation to build our new home in the most sustainable, right way. The College of Nursing building is one of the few educational buildings to receive the federal government’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. As you explore our home, enjoy its special features based on the principles of Feng Shui and LEEDS, and how it reflects the College’s commitment to caring.
As you enter, you are standing in the Ron and Beth Blake Lobby. The lobby features a multi-story glass atrium crowned with an exquisite maple wood ceiling. On the floor is the Dance of Caring Persons reminding those who visit our home the right way of being in the world. The circle of dancers portrays equality, interconnectedness and valuing the unique gifts each person brings to the nursing situation. This is the “Ming Teng” area, a transitional zone from the outer to the inner world and the beginning of the educational journey. In this area, you are surrounded by 12 pillars representing the 12 earthly branches. Earthly branches are symbolic of the movement of “ch’I” or “positive energy” through time.
The Lobby leads to the garden “T’ai Chi” which includes patios, rock and herb gardens, a labyrinth, and a variety of lush native plants. As you enter the garden note the river rocks, symbolizing water. Actually, the symbolic water begins with the river rock in the front of the main doorway, flows through the lobby as the black terrazzo, and culminates in a water feature in the southeast corner of the garden.
To the west is the Christine E. Lynn Center for Caring, a place to receive scholars and engage in dialogue to humanize care through the integration of teaching, research, and service. An art glass sculpture “in the spirit of caring, giving … sharing” recognizes friends of the College. The Center provides a panoramic view of the garden as well as an entrance to an outdoor seating area.
From the Center for Caring, you enter the Libby and Harry Dodson Auditorium. The auditorium is a 350-seat, state-of-the-art learning environment used for classes as well as special events of the College. The first floor is also the home of a high-technology classroom with videoconferencing capabilities.
The Student Services area is an environment focused on the needs of prospective, current, and returning students. The Assistant Deans of the BSN and Graduate Practice Programs are housed in this area to respond to student’s needs as they travel the road to a career in nursing.
The Museum is an inviting space for reflection on the beauty and uniqueness of nursing as a profession and a discipline, and the history of nursing at FAU. Thanks to the generous gifts of a number of nurse scholars, the museum is the archival home for a collection of scholarly works on caring (the essence of nursing) and the personal papers and writing of some of the leading theorists on Caring in nursing.
To the east is the gallery featuring an original oil painting of Christine E. Lynn titled “A Triumph of the Heart” by artist Ralph Wolfe Cowan. Throughout the gallery is the work of FAU Artist Carol Prusa, titled Cradle. The Cradle consists of 56 circular wood panels done in silverpoint and graphite, heightened with titanium white pigment in an acrylic binder, and highlighted with ground sulfur. Collectively, these paintings create a protective and generative space where the viewer feels “cradled,” cared for, and nurtured, and evoke a feeling tone that supports a learning environment dedicated to the wholeness and celebration of each individual.
As you journey through the gallery, you experience several of the special spaces created for reflection, self-knowing, and healing. The Holistic Space provides an area for members of the community to explore the use of healing modalities in caring for oneself. Along the gallery are pristine views of the garden. A series of “outdoor rooms” with individual doorways and teak furniture provide quiet spaces to study and reflect while connecting with nature. At the end of the gallery is the Sacred Place, a simple quiet austere room for meditation, reflection, and journaling. The stucco walls, bamboo floor, and arched wood ceiling with translucent windows create a serene environment for coming to know self. From the Sacred Place, one can gaze into a rock garden or enter the labyrinth. The Labyrinth is an ancient symbol conveying wisdom. The labyrinth consists of two elements, the walls (pavers) to guide one towards the center and out again and the path, which unlike a maze has no dead ends. The elliptical shape honors our humanness. Walking the labyrinth provides an environment to calm and center self.
As you return to the lobby, note the curving stairway leading to the second floor. The ceiling is maple wood and provides a smooth sloping motion to facilitate the movement of Ch’I or energy throughout the spaces.
The second floor is primarily focused on the student. Two large state-of-the-art classrooms provide an optimal learning environment. Both rooms are outfitted with video-conferencing equipment to facilitate learning across geographic distances and to benefit from the learning opportunities available via the Internet.
Three seminar rooms, including the Mary Anna Fowler Seminar Room, are designed to facilitate dialogue and reflection on nursing situations. These rooms are designed to provide a connection with the natural environment while providing all the learning technologies available in today’s cutting-edge educational setting.
The Robert Adamson Student Lounge is a place for students to gather, eat, and just hang out. The doctoral study space is furnished with resources and computer technology to provide an inviting environment to support study, collaboration, and community.
Th Professional Practice Lab is a caring and nurturing environment where students engage in simulated nursing situations. The purpose of this space is to enhance caring competence in nursing practice. In addition to a nursing assessment practice area, the lab includes simulation rooms and Lynn Hospital, a simulated hospital. In these simulation rooms, students will experience the sights, sounds, and challenges of real-world nursing in the safety of the College’s learning environment.
The Office of Nursing Research and Scholarship and PhD Studies is a suite of offices housing the faculty and staff that support the research mission of the College. The Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship, the Director of the PhD program, the College statistician, two research associates, and research assistants are available for consultation with faculty and doctoral students to advance their research.
The third floor is home to the Evelyn B. Weinberger Dean’s Office suite, and faculty and staff offices. The entry to the Dean's Suite is graced by bamboo flooring and leather furniture. The Executive Board Room features audio-visual support for meetings.
Faculty offices feature supportive desk placement, looking towards the door but not directly in front of the door. Office décor is consistent with the elements of the Feng Shui Ba-gua. The William T. Kemper conference room and a smaller conference room are available for faculty meetings and gatherings. Three Eminent Scholar Suites and the Offices of the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Practice, and Community Engagement are located on the third floor.
The hallway of the third floor overlooks the garden and is highlighted by a curved maple banister. Informal seating areas are placed throughout the space to invite ongoing dialogue and scholarly interaction.