ANGOLA, Ind. (WANE) Trine University is continuing to expand, this time with the purchase of 43 acres of land in northern Allen County adjacent to where it’s currently constructing a medical professions building.

The land purchase was announced by Trine in a news release Wednesday afternoon. Parkview Health agreed to sell the 43-acre plot which is next to the 13-acre plot Parkview previously sold Trine to build the aforementioned Dr. Earl D. and Melanie Brooks College of Health Professions facility which is scheduled to open in the summer of 2024.

The new parcel is north of the existing property and includes additional frontage on Union Chapel Road.

John Shannon, Ph.D., Trine University president, said the acquisition will allow the university the opportunity to continue to grow its health professions programs.

“It will also give us the flexibility to consider other options, such as future housing and recreational possibilities,” he said.

The new 110,000-square-foot Brooks College of Health Professions facility, developed in partnership with Parkview Health, will employ 100 faculty and staff and serve nearly 700 students. The new space will allow the Brooks College of Health Professions to add new programs, such as occupational therapy, medical science and emergency medical sciences, among others.

The new facility will offer state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories and feature, in partnership with the Parkview Mirro Center, an innovative Simulated Patient Care Center (SimCenter) including mock surgery and Emergency Room suites and exam and patient rooms. It also will include a Virtual and Augmented Reality Immersive Training Room, Intensive Care Unit, Nursing Station and Med Room and Sterile Processing.

Student support resources will include a library, gathering area, academic support and counseling services.