Joe K. & Alberta Blanton Nursing Building Houses School of Nursing
LAKELAND, Fla. (Nov. 10, 2009) − Florida Southern College is pleased to announce the new Joe K. & Alberta Blanton Nursing Building on Johnson Avenue will be dedicated at noon Friday, November 13. Following the dedication, there will be tours of the building and laboratories and a demonstration of the virtual patient simulators used in the labs. The public is invited to the dedication, tours, and demonstrations.

The state-of-the-art 8,600-square-foot facility includes a teaching and treatment simulation laboratory, high-tech classrooms, faculty offices, and student and faculty lounges. The building is home to the College's burgeoning School of Nursing, which offers Polk Countys first and only four-year baccalaureate nursing degree as well as distinguished RN-to-BSN and masters degree programs. Currently, more than 297 students are pursuing nursing degrees, and the number of applicants is rising exponentially.

The late Alberta Blanton, a longtime Lakeland resident and philanthropist, gave the lead gift of $2.5 million for the building, which was designed by Michael Murphey of Wallis Murphey Boyington Architects, Inc., of Lakeland. The building is named for Mrs. Blanton and her husband.