Hartford Business Journal

14 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | July 18, 2022 The Arizona College of Nursing, which is currently trying to secure regulatory approval to begin operating in Connecticut, has signed a lease to occupy 30,000 square feet of space in an East Hartford office building at 99 East River Drive (shown above). PHOTO | COSTAR Filling A Gap Arizona nursing college eyes East Hartford campus amid industry worker shortage By Robert Storace rstorace@hartfordbusiness.com A n Arizona-based nursing college is looking to tap into the Connecticut market for growth and help the state address its healthcare workforce shortage, which some say has reached a crisis stage. The Arizona College of Nursing has signed a lease to occupy 30,000 square feet of space in an East Hartford office building at 99 East River Drive, where it plans to open its first Connecticut campus next year. The school, which was founded in 1991 and currently enrolls 4,254 nursing students across 11 campuses in eight states, is going through the Connecticut approval process, which could take six to nine months. It has filed an application to begin operations in Connecticut with the state Office of Higher Education. And it's one of only a few higher- ed institutions in recent years that has applied to enter the Connecticut market with a brick- and-mortar presence. Healthcare officials say the entrance of a new college would be welcome news as the industry sorts through a nursing shortage that is sweeping the nation. It's estimated 1.2 million new registered nurses are needed nationally to address the labor gap. "I'm extremely excited that they plan on coming to Connecticut," said Christine Laprise, vice president of operations at Bristol Hospital, which is currently looking to hire nurses for various roles. "Anytime we have another avenue to be able to grab some talent is a good thing. Because there is a nursing shortage, it's now starting to look like a needle in a haystack for a nursing candidate when years ago we had to say 'no' to someone. I'm really happy to see more opportunities to bring talent to our organization." Diverse population The Arizona College of Nursing has proposed to launch an accelerated three-year, 120-credit bachelor's degree program in East Hartford similar to what it offers at its 11 other nursing schools throughout the country. The Connecticut location would be the school's first New England outpost. If all goes as planned, upwards of 32 students would be enrolled at the East Hartford campus in the first year, starting in May 2023, according to the application. The school said its goal would be to enroll about 285 pupils by the end of year five. The nursing school would offer both virtual and in-person classes and hire 18 new faculty over the next three years. The college said it chose East Hartford for its diversity. "One-quarter of the population in East Hartford alone is Black or Asian," the school said in its application. "This multiracial, multilingual, and ethnically-diverse population will have different needs, including language and cultural requirements that must be met by the education and healthcare systems. [Arizona College of Nursing] is well positioned to serve the diverse potential student population, to prepare graduates, not only to serve the diverse population's healthcare needs, but to also increase the registered nursing diversity, mirroring the population they serve." The application notes that the typical Arizona College of Nursing student is 25 years of age or older, "mirroring the population of Hartford." Additionally, between 20% and 40% of the school's student population nationwide (depending on the campus) is white, with the remainder of students coming from diverse backgrounds, the school said. The cost to attend the Arizona College of Nursing varies depending on the campus, officials said. At some campuses, the cost is $808 per credit hour, or nearly $100,000 to complete the three-year accelerated program. However, tuition rates for the planned East Hartford campus have not been set, officials said. According to the school's application, students in year one would start the bachelor's degree program with eight-week general education courses in biology, psychology, human development and cultural diversity and global These higher-ed institutions are also looking to enter CT The Arizona College of Nursing is the fifth higher-ed institution to apply to do business in the state since 2019, according to the Connecticut Office of Higher Education. The others include: Red Fashion College, which specializes in fashion merchandise, started the application process in 2022 to open in Norwalk. Upper Iowa University, which works with Coast Guard entities, started the application process in 2022 to open in Groton. Relay Graduate School of Education, which focuses on teacher preparation, started the application process in 2019 to open in New Haven. International Institute for Astronautical Sciences, which special- izes in space science, started the application process in 2020 to open in Groton. The Relay Graduate School of Education and International Institute for Astronautical Sciences had their applications approved; the oth- ers are pending. Christine Laprise

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