Kentucky State University, the state’s only public historically Black university, is again asking lawmakers to fully fund a new Health Sciences Center to expand its nursing program and community health services.

In 2024, KSU requested $50 million for the building but only received enough money to complete its design — not its construction. Some lawmakers at the time criticized the decision as another example of “underinvestment” in Black higher education.

In 2026, KSU will seek $54 million to finally build the new center, Wayne Cowan, KSU’s director of capital planning and facilities, told the legislature’s Capital Planning Advisory Board this week.

The proposed Health Sciences Center would include classrooms, meeting spaces, a virtual hospital learning lab, study areas and offices for faculty and staff.

“KSU’s School of Nursing is poised to grow exponentially with the further development of present and new academic programs to help in making America healthy again,” one slide in the university’s presentation read.

The design funding already in hand has helped KSU tackle other overdue campus upgrades.

“We’re starting to move toward the progress that we all hoped for, for Kentucky State,” Cowan said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we started into some of the work on site that’s able to help us really serve our students well.”

Marcus Bernard, dean of the College of Agriculture, Health Sciences and Natural Resources, said the new building could also include dedicated space for nutrition and health education.

“In that health and nutrition space, we’ll focus on health education nutrition programs that will also be connected to our mobile health units that are now funded to be in the eastern part of the state, West Louisville, and to also have one that’s moving across the state,” Bernard said.

These mobile units provide nutrition education and testing for chronic diseases in underserved areas such as Eastern Kentucky and West Louisville — regions where poverty and lack of access to care are persistent challenges.

KSU presented its request as part of a wider round of capital budget pitches from Kentucky’s public universities ahead of the next two-year state budget cycle

Closing Workforce Gaps

‍University officials say the new Health Sciences Center is critical to training more nurses and health professionals at a time when Kentucky faces workforce shortages in rural and urban areas alike. The state’s aging population and increasing rates of chronic disease have made it harder for many communities to attract qualified care providers.

Spotlight on Equity

‍KSU’s repeated funding requests have highlighted a longstanding push for equitable state investment in historically Black institutions. Supporters argue that better facilities and modern labs are essential for leveling the playing field and giving Black students the same quality of training as their peers at larger, wealthier universities.

Integrated Community Health

‍Dean Bernard’s vision to integrate nutrition education and mobile health units underscores KSU’s broader role in serving communities far beyond its Frankfort campus. The university’s mobile clinics bring health screenings and education directly to people in underserved areas, focusing on diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

Statewide Competition for Funding

‍The 2026 session will be competitive for higher ed funding. Other schools, including the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville and Eastern Kentucky University, are also pitching major capital projects totaling hundreds of millions of dollars — from STEM and AI centers to new medical and veterinary buildings.

Next Steps

‍KSU leaders say the $54 million request will help ensure the Health Sciences Center moves from blueprint to reality. They hope state lawmakers will agree the project is critical for Kentucky’s workforce, public health and commitment to fair funding for its historically Black university.

Originally reported by Sarah Ladd in Kentucky Lantern.