Published Friday, April 8, 2016 at 1:47 pm

By Jesse Wood

UNC President Margaret Spellings will visit the campus of Appalachian State University early next week as part of her recent tour of all the higher-education institutions in the UNC system.

During her visit, she will participate in a ceremonial tree planting and site dedication for the future home of the Beaver College of Health Sciences, located at the corner of Deerfield and State Farm roads, on Monday, April 11 at 5 p.m.

This dedication is not open to the public because of current site limitations and scheduling.

An open-to-the-public groundbreaking celebration for the facility will be scheduled at a later date, according to ASU spokesperson Hank Foreman.

“We want our entire community to have the opportunity to celebrate the educational and health care benefits this building will make possible and we are planning now to make the site more accessible for a larger event and ensure we can find a date that works for all the people who need to be part of this celebration,” Foreman said.

Construction of the anticipated educational facility is expected to start in May. LS3P is the architect, and Rodgers is the construction manager at risk. Construction is expected to take 18 to 24 months.

The building is roughly 203,000 square feet in size with simulation labs, offices and classrooms. Currently, the department is spread throughout seven buildings on campus, and construction of this facility will free up 100,000 square feet elsewhere on campus.

The College of Health and Sciences was formed in 2010 and has since more than doubled in size since its inception. The most recent college to form in 40 years at App State, it is already the second largest college at Appalachian State.

This $70-million building project will be among the first projects funded through the Connect NC Improvement Bond that voters approved in the 2016 state primary. The passage of the bond triggered the donation and transfer of the 10-acre building site to the university from Appalachian Regional Healthcare System.

The college is named after Donald C. Beaver of Conover. Beaver is a graduate of App State and worked at Watauga Hospital – before it was named Watauga Medical Center. He is currently president and CEO of Universal Health Care.

Spellings will also meet with the media on Tuesday, April 12 at 1 p.m. in the McKinney Alumni Center across the street from the Holmes Convocation Center.

See the attached architectural renderings of the Beaver College of Health Sciences.