Sonoma State Breaks Wall To Expand Nursing

ROHNERT PARK-COTATI, CA — Sonoma State University launched a $25-million renovation of Nichols Hall today to give nursing students new clinical training spaces and accommodate growing programs.

The university held a “wall-breaking” ceremony at the building, which will house modern simulation labs, updated skills labs, and larger study areas, according to a news release. University leaders, nursing faculty and students, community representatives, and elected officials attended, including U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, and California Assemblymember Damon Connolly.

“The future of health care in the North Bay lives in the nursing and health sciences students and faculty at Sonoma State University, in partnership with our regional health care providers and fellow educational institutions,” Sonoma State President Michael E. Spagnas said.

“This modernization is one aspect of a reimagined Sonoma State University," Spagna said, "one that honors its liberal arts history and tradition while identifying and meeting the needs of a constantly evolving and changing workforce.”

The project will modernize the three-story, 31,000-square-foot building, which opened in 1975.

Named for founding university president Ambrose R. Nichols, the hall served for years as a classroom and office building for the arts and humanities.

Funding comes from the $45-million “Sonoma State Commitment” that North Bay legislators, including Connolly, made in summer 2025, along with a California State University line of credit.

“With the support of university leadership, School of Nursing faculty have endorsed a $25-million renovation that will create a modern, technologically advanced, and welcoming space to educate and prepare future generations of nurses to serve the North Bay region,” said Stacey Bosick, Sonoma State's interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Updated skills labs will expose students to hospital- or clinic-like settings. New lounges and study spaces will support individual work, collaborative study, and connections among students and faculty, according to the university.

The renovation forms part of a broader expansion of Sonoma State’s health sciences programs.

The university anticipates growth in its traditional, pre-licensure bachelor of science in nursing program, RN-to-BSN program, master of science in nursing program, and postgraduate certificate in psychiatric nursing. SSU also is developing a health sciences major, according to the university.

“Having up-to-date space and equipment will significantly enhance the learning environment for students and faculty, and will support an even better-quality education for our students,” Krista Altaker, an SSU professor and nursing program chair, said. Flanked by nursing student Emily White, Altaker said the project will “clearly communicate to our clinical partners in the community, and to our surrounding neighbors, that SSU believes strongly in supporting nursing education.”