Mayor Emanuel visited site of new University at Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center

With the parking lot renovations complete and classroom and administrative offices under construction on the Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center campus, Mayor Rahm Emanuel  visited the new site for Resurrection Health Care University on Jan. 30.

Scheduled to open later this year, the new site was made possible by $4.8 million in tax increment financing (TIF).  "I am laser-focused on creating jobs for Chicagoans, especially in crucial fields, such as nursing," said Mayor Emanuel.  "This deal will bring 77 jobs to Chicago and will allow hundreds of additional Chicagoans each year to get essential training for great jobs in this important industry."

"We are excited about moving to our new location at Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center and about the new educational opportunities the university will bring to Chicago and its diverse communities," said Beth Brooks, PhD, RN, FACHE, the university's President. "Building a new campus for Resurrection University would not have been possible without the support of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and 1st Ward Alderman Joe Moreno."

The campus is concentrated the St. Elizabeth area between Claremont and Western north of Division and will be an additional asset for the community which will not just be a source of jobs but also as a consumer of local businesses products and services. It is expected that enrollment will increase to 500 students by fall from the current 275.

Founded in 1914 as West suburban Hospital School for Nurses, Resurrection University is a fully accredited, Roman Catholic upper division specialty institution, owned and operated by Resurrection Health Care. The University has a College of Nursing and a College of Allied Health and currently offers a bachelor of science in nursing degree (BSN), a bachelor of science in nursing for registered nurses degree (BSN for RNs), a master of science in nursing degree (MSN), as well as a bachelor of science degree in health informatics and information management degree (BSHIIM).

Designed to test basic competency for nursing practice, the comprehensive integrated National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), which has testing for registered nurses (RN) and practical nurses (PN), is a licensing examination. The University's NCLEX pass rate, the percentage of its nursing graduates who pass their state licensing exam, is 96 percent.