January 15, 2025
Ben Mondor Center for Nursing and Health Sciences opens for first day of classes
The Ben Mondor Center for Nursing and Health Sciences opened on Monday, January 13, 2025, the first day of classes for the spring semester at Providence College. The new academic home for programs in nursing, health sciences, and health policy and management, it also includes features available to the college community, including a 100-seat classroom, a chapel, study spaces, and a cafe.
“The Mondor Center will set a new standard for nursing and health sciences education, offering transformative learning experiences that utilize the latest technologies and resources to prepare the next generation of healers,” said Kyle J. McInnis, Sc.D., founding dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences.
At 125,000 square feet, encompassing four levels with a fifth available for future expansion, it is the largest structure on campus. Among its highlights:
• A third-floor clinical simulation suite that replicates a hospital floor, with manikin patients in hospital beds, specialized examination rooms, and a nurse’s station. The suite will make it possible for nursing students to have 30 percent of their required clinical skills on campus.
• Three anatomy and physiology laboratories, each with classroom space and anatomage tables with life-size, interactive, 3D displays so users can explore the human body through a library of virtual human cadavers.
• A student resource center where nursing and health sciences students can meet with academic advisors and where students from around campus can study and socialize.
• The Diane P. Parrett, R.N. Cafe offering custom smoothies, acai bowls, hot grill items, and a deli, with emphasis on healthy options.
• Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel, a 40-seat space for Mass, prayer, and spiritual rest.
The goal of establishing a school of nursing and health sciences was announced by College President Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P. ’78, ’82G in his inaugural address in October 2021. Eleven months later, the Rhode Island Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education approved the college’s request to establish a bachelor of science in nursing program.
Construction of the new building began in the summer of 2023 following the demolition of Fennell Hall, a residence hall that was part of the former Chapin Hospital property acquired by the college in 1974. The name of the new building reflects a $10 million donation by Madeleine Mondor in memory of her husband, Georges “Ben” Mondor ’04Hon., a Rhode Island industrialist and philanthropist remembered for his ownership of the Pawtucket Red Sox.
The first 100 nursing and health sciences students were admitted to PC in the fall of 2023. Temporary classrooms and laboratories were built for them in the Feinstein Academic Center. The first cohort of nursing students, now second-semester sophomores, will begin their clinical placements this semester at Rhode Island Hospital, Miriam Hospital, and Roger Williams Medical Center, all in Providence.
Both majors have proven popular. More than 1,600 high school students have applied for admission to the program’s 150 spots for the Class of 2029.
A formal dedication of the Mondor Center is planned for April 2025.
Gifts through The Fund for Providence College provide essential support for the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, strengthening Beyond Limits: The Campaign for Providence College, and empowering students to reach their full potential.
