Many nursing schools grow in baby steps, adding a classroom here and a new lab there. Middle Tennessee State University just took one giant leap.

A $5.5 million expansion to the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building, located in Murfreesboro, recently doubled the size of the facilities at the school and makes room for 64 new students. A 20-bed lab that mirrors a surgical floor is one of the highlights. Offices, classrooms, and new labs were also created during the expansion.

Federal money and a $2 million donation from the Christy-Houston Foundation-a philanthropic organization aimed at improving healthcare in the area-combined to support the project financially.

Sources: Daily News (TN) Journal and Murfreesboro (TN) Post