Gannon expanding campus in Ruskin, Fla.

FaithLife staff report
02/16/2018

Gannon University’s Ruskin, Fla., campus opened a little more than two years ago, but its enrollment already has quadrupled, from 24 students to more than 100.

The good news doesn’t end there.

Today, Erie Bishop Lawrence Persico is in Ruskin, along with Bishop Gregory Parkes of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, for the groundbreaking of a new 80,000-square-foot building. The structure will house masters’ and doctoral programs in the health service professions.

Both bishops will formally bless the ground and officially begin the expansion project, which is expected to cost $21 million.

The new three-story structure is located on land purchased adjacent to the original building, which was opened in 2015.

“Currently, we have occupational and physical therapy and athletic training programs at Ruskin, but this new building will allow us to bring in additional health profession programs,” said Dr. Steve Mauro, vice president for academic administration.

The first floor of the new building is expected to be completed by March 2019, allowing the school to enroll more students beginning in the fall semester of 2019.

Among the additional programs that will be offered is a master’s physician assistant degree, a popular program at Gannon’s downtown Erie campus, Mauro said.

“By next fall, our enrollment will be closer to 200. We really want to grow over the next six to seven years to bring enrollment to between 400 to 500 students,” Mauro said.

According to Mauro, Gannon is paying for the expansion with savings and capital funds. He said the university is expecting to hire five to six new faculty and additional staff at Ruskin.

“We’re offering the right kinds of programs and high quality programs,” Mauro said. “Health professions, in general, are such a high-demand field.”

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