SSU to kick off Nichols Hall renovation Sept. 29 for expanding nursing programs
ROHNERT PARK, CALIF. – Expansion of Sonoma State’s nursing programs will be celebrated later this month as the university kicks off renovation and modernization of a longtime academic building that will provide clinical settings and larger study areas, as well as accommodate student and faculty growth in the programs.
On September 29, SSU staff, faculty, and students, along with community leaders and elected officials, will formally kick off a $25-million upgrade of Nichols Hall with a “wall breaking” – rather than a groundbreaking – ceremony beginning at 10 a.m.
Speakers will include SSU President Michael E. Spagna, Interim Provost Stacey Bosick, Nursing Department Chair Krista Altaker, nursing student Emily White, and Assemblymember Damon Connolly. Those five will then “break through” an existing wall of Nichols to symbolically begin the renovation process.
"The future of health care in the North Bay lives in the nursing and health sciences students and faculty at Sonoma State University, in partnership with our regional health care providers and fellow educational institutions," Spagna said. "This modernization is one aspect of a reimagined Sonoma State University, one that honors its liberal arts history and tradition while identifying and meeting the needs of a constantly evolving and changing workforce."
The modernization and renovation of Nichols – a three-story, 31,000-square foot building erected in 1975 – is possible thanks to funding from the $45-million “Sonoma State Commitment” made by North Bay legislators, including Connolly, in summer 2025, along with a line of credit from the California State University. Nichols Hall, named after the university’s founding president, Ambrose R. Nichols, served for many years as a major classroom and office building for the arts and humanities.
“With the support of university leadership, School of Nursing faculty have endorsed a $25-million renovation that will create a modern, technologically advanced, and welcoming space to educate and prepare future generations of nurses to serve the North Bay region,” said Bosick, SSU interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Planned improvements to Nichols include modern simulation labs, as well as updated skills labs where students will be exposed to hospital- or clinic-like settings. New lounge and study spaces in Nichols will support individual and collaborative academic study and community connections for students and faculty.
The modernization is part of a broader expansion of Sonoma State’s health sciences programming. The university anticipates growth in its traditional (pre-licensure) bachelor of science in nursing, RN to BSN, and master of science in nursing programs, as well as its post-graduate certificate in psychiatric nursing. SSU also is developing a health sciences major.
“Having up-to-date space and equipment will significantly enhance the learning environment for students and faculty, and will support an even better-quality education for our students,” said Altaker, an SSU professor and chair of the nursing program. “(It) will also clearly communicate to our clinical partners in the community, and to our surrounding neighbors, that SSU believes strongly in supporting nursing education.”