Franklin, Johnson Memorial Plan Graduate Center
(photo courtesy Franklin College)
A new partnership between Franklin College and Johnson Memorial Health aims to provide a state-of-the-art learning space for graduate students. The partners have established the Franklin College Graduate Health Science Center, which will house the college’s masters programs in athletic training and physician assistant studies.
The Graduate Health Science Center will be located in the lower level of a building currently owned by JMH just off U.S. 31 in Franklin, about three miles from the Franklin College campus. The college is currently putting the finishing touches on renovations to the 8,300-square-foot space, which includes office space, classrooms and additional restrooms.
The facility is expected to be complete June 1. Franklin College will lease the space from the hospital for 10 years with the option to renew for another 10 years. The space previously housed the JMH Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapies services, which moved to the Johnson Memorial campus in December.
"Franklin College is very pleased with this partnership," said Franklin College President Thomas Minar. "It allows the college to provide a state-of-the-art health-teaching facility for our graduate programs while also allowing Johnson Memorial Health a creative way to utilize vacated professional space. It is not only beneficial to the college and the hospital, but to the city of Franklin, as well."
The site still requires approval from the Higher Learning Commission and the U.S. Department of Education, however faculty will move into the space in June. The Physician Assistant Studies program is set to begin in January 2019, pending approval from the HLC and the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, which is the accrediting agency for the physician assistant profession.
Franklin College says the upper level of the building will continue to house an immediate care center, occupational health center and physician offices.