California Baptist University dedicated the new Nursing Annex and Robert and Phoebe Lamberth Prayer Garden on Sept. 25.
The ceremony, which was attended by faculty, staff and nearly 200 nursing students, is a reminder of the major growth that has occured since the opening of the nursing school in 2005. It included speeches about the contribution’s importance as well as a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
During the dedication, CBU President Ronald L. Ellis spoke about the generosity of Robert and Pheobe Lamberth, acknowledging their contribution to what is now a huge new part of the nursing program, as well as their decades of financial support of the university.
Similarly, Dr. Geneva Oaks, dean of the School of Nursing, offered a prayer of dedication to commemorate the completion of the building.
The Lamberths, who attended the ceremony along with their son, Pike, and his family, were touched by the acknowledgement of their contribution to the university.
The new nursing annex nearly triples the space available for classrooms and laboratories for students and features state-of-the-art labs, offices and classrooms, as well as a simulation room designed to provide realistic clinical scenarios for nursing students.
The prayer garden, was created to give students a place to participate in reflection during their time in and around the nursing annex. It features a fountain with an inscription of Matthew 25:35-40, verses in which Jesus speaks to those in his presence about feeding the hungry and visiting the sick, which Ellis noted was fitting given the importance of nurses serving those in need.
The nursing school, which has grown in size to nearly 600 students, will greatly benefit from this contribution to the program.
