Allen College Completes $4 Million Sim Lab Expansion, Hosts Community Open House

July 15, 2026

WATERLOO – Allen College is ready to open the doors to its newly transformed McElroy Hall following a major expansion and renovation designed to elevate hands-on learning for future healthcare professionals.

The $4 million expansion to the Van G. Miller Family Charitable Foundation Simulation Center saw the college add 8,000 square feet to McElroy Hall, which is located across the street from the main campus. The project quadrupled the previous lab space with a state-of-the-art learning experience for students in nursing and health sciences programs.

To celebrate the project’s completion and share it with the public, Allen College is hosting a community open house for the new sim lab on Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 2 to 6 p.m. Attendees should use the new entrance (on the south end of McElroy Hall, facing the fire station), where self-guided tours and refreshments are available. At 4 p.m., there will be a ribbon-cutting and short presentation.

The expansion includes special classrooms along with a nurses’ station and debriefing rooms, four medical/surgical simulation rooms, four clinic simulation rooms, a home health space, a new entrance and reception area and student study spaces. The open house will also feature simulation technology, including the college’s new virtual reality headsets.