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Contact: Harriet Laird

MERIDIAN, Miss.—Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum today [Nov. 8] visited MSU-Meridian’s Riley Campus to observe the current renovation to the I.A. Rosenbaum Health Sciences Building and to celebrate its transformation.

The Rosenbaum facility—in the historic Kress and Company store in downtown Meridian—will house one of the most advanced interprofessional simulation centers in the state. It will provide an integrated learning environment for students with diverse academic backgrounds to team train and work together for improved patient health outcomes.

Keenum said, “We want to be a model for the state of Mississippi in preparing students to address critical, rural health care needs throughout our state. These renovations will help us meet nursing accreditation requirements of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning and greatly enhance educational opportunities for our Physician Assistant students. I am so pleased with the efforts of this campus’s team to achieve these goals and others as our health sciences portfolio continues to grow.”

A new member to this team is Alaina Herrington who recently joined MSU-Meridian after leading the simulation center at the University of Mississippi Medical Center to its accreditation. Herrington has a detailed state, regional and national history in the simulation field. A Doctor of Nursing Practice, Herrington founded the Mississippi Academy for Simulation Training at UMMC and holds numerous national licenses and certifications. She also is an American Academy of Nursing Fellow—the field’s highest honor—and is UMMC’s 2022 Alumna of the Year for the School of Nursing.

“The simulation center will encompass the entire third floor of the building,” said Terry Dale Cruse, associate vice president and head of campus for MSU-Meridian. “While we’re in Phase One of the renovation now, once complete this wonderful facility will help us in taking care of a critical need in the East Mississippi region of the state to address health disparity, access to quality health care and improvement in livelihoods.”

A $4 million gift from the Riley Foundation in Meridian, and a $1.06 million grant from AccelerateMS’s Nursing and Allied Health Grant Program are funding the $6 million renovation project that includes the addition of a nursing skills lab, team-based learning classroom, PA skills lab, student lounge and break area, and new offices.

Along with the Master of Physician Assistant Studies and Master of Science in Nursing entry licensure programs, MSU-Meridian this fall introduced the Doctor of Psychology in Combined Health Service Psychology with three concentration offerings—clinical, counseling, and school psychology. This joins existing master’s and educational specialist programs in counseling.

Seven faculty have been added to the 12-month accelerated nursing program in recent months, including Mary Stewart as dean and faculty members Kayla Carr, Katherine Rigdon, Matthew Byrd, LaDaryl Watkins, Alaina Herrington, Cindy Luther.

For more about MSU-Meridian, visit .

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