The City of Crossville has invested $100,000 in a project to expand Roane State’s Cumberland County campus with an entirely new wing devoted to health science education.

Members of the Roane State Foundation met with Crossville Mayor R.J. Crawford and the city council to thank them for their early support of the project. The expansion will grow the college’s overall health science capacity and offer a full nursing program for the first time in Crossville.

“It was an easy decision to partner with Roane State on this new addition,” Crossville Mayor R.J. Crawford said. “We need more people in the nursing field, and the campus expansion provides a pathway for more members of our population to pursue this career. We are very excited about what this facility will do to keep local talent local.”

Construction began in 2023 and is estimated to be complete by this summer. The new portion of the campus will include a flex lab and two flexible classrooms as well as a dedicated nursing area with its lab and classroom.

“Growing our campus in Crossville to better accommodate student needs will mean far less travel for those who are having to commute to other campuses for certain classes and labs,” explained Roane State President Chris Whaley. “Serving these students locally helps us eliminate barriers that might otherwise prevent students from reaching their goals.”

An estimated 150 health science students from Cumberland and Fentress counties alone are expected to benefit from reduced commute times during their foundational course years.

“We are tremendously thankful to the City of Crossville and its city council for supporting this effort and our students,” said Roane State Foundation Executive Director Scott Niermann. “Working together on projects like this means we are better able to meet our area’s growing healthcare workforce needs.”

The total estimated project cost is $2.5 million. The State of Tennessee has funded $1.7 million, and Roane State Foundation is raising the additional funds needed to complete the expansion, furnish the rooms, and provide scholarships for student needs.

The Cumberland County Government recently contributed $150,000 in support of the project.