January 14, 2026

Renovations to convert the former Center for Manufacturing Technology Excellence building on East Mississippi Community College’s Golden Triangle campus to accommodate expansion of the Division of Nursing and Health Sciences programs is under way.

Ethos Contracting Group, LLC, in conjunction with the Mississippi Bureau of Buildings, Grounds and Real Property Management, began work on the project last year. Hopes are that the work will be completed by the end of March. The architect for the project is Major Design Studio, PLLC.

“There is a need in the Golden Triangle for skilled employees in the health care industry and those programs of study are among our most popular,” EMCC President Dr. Scott Alsobrooks said. “We are fortunate in that we have great partners in the Mississippi Legislature, AccelerateMS and the Appalachian Regional Commission who are supporting this project.”

The CMTE originally housed administrative offices and programs under EMCC’s Workforce and Community Services umbrella, which have moved to The Communiversity, a $42 million facility that opened to students in August of 2019 and is dedicated to training students for careers in modern manufacturing.

Once renovations are complete, the CMTE, referred to now as the Nursing and Health Science Center until an official renaming takes place, will house Associate Degree Nursing instructors’ offices, a nursing skills lab and a simulation lab set up like a hospital ER with patient beds and a nurses’ station that will allow for simulation of medical procedures, such as CPR, intubation, defibrillation, obstetrics and more. 

Plans also call for classrooms for the Associate Degree Nursing and Emergency Medical Technician programs, a computer lab and a lounge area for students, faculty and staff. There will also be a reception area for visitors.

“We need a centralized space for our Division of Nursing and Health Sciences programs and room for growth as we look at the potential expansion of existing programs and possible additions to our health-related offerings,” EMCC Vice President of Instruction Dr. James Rush said when the project was announced. “There is a demand for employees in the health care industry and we want to make sure we are positioned to meet the future needs of both the community and our local employers.”

The estimated cost to renovate and equip the Nursing and Health Science Center is $4 million.

EMCC’s Division of Nursing and Health Sciences received nearly $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funds from AccelerateMS, with a separate disbursement of $567,828 for the project. An additional $92,225 from AccelerateMS was earmarked for the Surgical Technology program, and $55,475 for the Associate Degree Nursing program, some of which will offset the cost for renovations and new equipment purchases.

The remaining renovation and equipment costs will be covered by EMCC through funds available from previous bond issues by the Mississippi Legislature, along with $500,000 EMCC received from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

The work on the Nursing and Health Science Center follows on the heels of renovations in the adjacent Douglas Building for additional classrooms and labs for health-related programs.

Among other things, that work included upgrading an existing skills lab with new equipment, combining standard-sized classrooms to accommodate more students, and adding two computer labs to serve nursing and health science programs. Additional office space for Practical Nursing instructors was also installed.

EMCC has been expanding its offerings in the Division of Nursing and Health Sciences since 2022, when the Practical Nursing program was reinstated on the Scooba campus after a 19-year hiatus. In 2023, EMCC doubled the number of Associate Degree Nursing students on the Golden Triangle campus when a second cohort was added. In August of last year, the first class of Associate Degree Nursing students began on the Scooba campus.

“Our Division of Nursing and Health Sciences programs have been steadily growing and given the high demand for employees in the health care industry, there is a local need for additional students,” EMCC Director of Nursing Programs/Associate Dean of Health Sciences Jamonicia Johnson said. “We are well positioned to address those needs with the additional space we have been allocated through these renovations.”

In addition to the work at the Golden Triangle campus, plans are also in the works to construct a new career technical building on EMCC’s Scooba campus, which will free up space in Hawkins Hall to potentially expand Division of Nursing and Health Sciences programs there.