CROWN POINT, Ind. – The University of Saint Francis Crown Point broke ground Friday, Sept. 18 for a $7 million building project aimed to expand the Crown Point site and meet a demand for additional quality healthcare professionals.
USF President Rev. Dr. Eric Albert Zimmer was joined at the ceremony by administration, faculty and staff of the university and representatives of Franciscan Alliance, which contributed a gift to the project. Construction is slated to begin this fall and the facility is expected to be ready for use during the 2021-22 academic year.
“We are pleased to celebrate the groundbreaking for a new facility at the University of Saint Francis Crown Point,” Fr. Zimmer said. “Northwest Indiana has shown an ever-increasing demand for quality healthcare professionals and USF is excited about preparing our students to meet that need. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with Franciscan Alliance, an organization dedicated to excellence and caring in all that it does.”
Fr. Zimmer gave the blessing and delivered remarks of celebration and excitement over the growth expected with the project. Other speakers were Sister Jane Marie Klein, Franciscan Alliance Chair of the Board of Trustees; Dr. Marsha King, Dean of USF Crown Point; Melissa A. Gonzalez, USF Crown Point student; Dave Uran, Mayor of Crown Point; Jon Gilmore, President and CEO of Tonn & Blank Construction; Dan Klein, USF Board of Trustees member; and Sandie Phalen, USF Crown Point Director of Marketing, Development and Enrollment.
Franciscan Alliance Chair of the Board of Trustees Sister Jane Marie Klein expressed her appreciation for USF during the ceremony.
“Through all the change and growth, one thing has remained consistent and that is the mission of Catholic, Franciscan faith within faith and reason,” she said. “We are happy at Franciscan Alliance to be next to you. We need nurses. We need technicians. We need your services. We are excited for this growth.”
For more information on USF Crown Point, contact Sandie Phalen, USF Crown Point Director of Marketing, Development and Enrollment at 219-488-8887, ext. 5421, or sphalen@sf.edu.
University of Saint Francis Crown Point is a regional site of the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Ind., a private Catholic university in the Franciscan tradition. USF Crown Point makes academic excellence and a values-based education available to Northwest Indiana-area students. Among its programs are many healthcare-related majors, including nursing, surgical technology, radiologic technology and medical laboratory technician. The associate of liberal studies degree includes student-designed concentrations.
Left to right: Dan Klein, Dr. Marsha King, Rev. Dr. Eric Albert Zimmer, Dave Uran, Sister Jane Marie Klein, Jon Gilmore