Seton Hall University Breaks Ground on New Nursing and Health Sciences Building

Seton Hall University broke ground this week on an $85 million health sciences building in South Orange that officials say will nearly double the capacity of its nursing program, a direct response to a nursing shortage that has strained hospitals across New Jersey.

The 90,000-square-foot facility will include simulation labs modeled on hospital units, a dedicated clinical skills center, and expanded classroom space for the university's physician assistant and physical therapy programs. Seton Hall currently turns away several hundred qualified nursing applicants each year due to space constraints, according to enrollment data released alongside the announcement.

"We have more qualified applicants than seats, which is a strange problem to have when hospitals across the state are begging for nurses," said Seton Hall College of Nursing Dean Marguerite Holloway. "This building exists to fix that mismatch."

The project is being financed through a combination of university bonds and a $20 million partnership with two regional hospital systems, which will gain priority clinical placement slots for their staff pursuing advanced nursing degrees in exchange for funding lab equipment. Construction is expected to take about 22 months, with the first classes scheduled to begin in the new building in fall 2028.

State workforce data cited by the university shows New Jersey will need roughly 12,000 additional registered nurses by the end of the decade to keep pace with an aging population and hospital expansion projects already underway across the state.