Daytona State College's new Quanta-Honors & Health Technology Hall includes simulation labs designed to help prepare nursing students with hands-on experience in a controlled setting. Photo by Sierra Williams
Daytona State College's new Quanta-Honors & Health Technology Hall includes simulation labs designed to help prepare nursing students with hands-on experience in a controlled setting. Photo by Sierra Williams
Daytona State College unveiled its new Quanta-Honors & Health Technology Hall at its Daytona Beach campus. Photo by Sierra Williams
Daytona State College unveiled its new Quanta-Honors & Health Technology Hall at its Daytona Beach campus. Photo by Sierra Williams
With the unveiling of Daytona State College’s new Quanta-Honors & Health Technology Hall, nursing and honors students at DSC will have access to a collaborative and hands-on educate designed to help them succeed.
“This building reflects what Daytona State does best,” DSC President Thomas LoBasso said, “bringing together opportunity, innovation, and community to prepare our students for what comes next.”
The new building houses both the Quanta-Honors College and the school’s nursing program. The hall, originally opened in 1974, was closed after Hurricane Ian in 2022, and the school took the opportunity to “create something that reflects who we are today and where we are going,” LoBasso said at the May 21 ribbon cutting.
“The result is the Quanta-Honors College and the Health Technology Hall,” LoBasso said, “a modern, purpose-built space that showcases the strength and scope of our programs.”
The Honors College is housed on the second floor of the building while the nursing program classes are on the ground floor. The nursing program now includes an immersive simulation program that will help nursing students gain practical training.
“Before becoming a nurse requires more than knowledge,” LoBasso said. “It requires confidence, precision, and the ability to perform under pressure. This starts with hands-on training in an environment that feels real.”
Dr. Maxine Hicks, dean of the DSC’s Allen School of Nursing, the simulation lab will play a vital role in elevating the nursing students’ readiness. The nursing classrooms are equipped with advanced hospital technology, including electronic medication dispensers to artificial intelligence-enhanced simulators.
DSC’s nursing program, she said, has consistently had a state board pass rate above 95%, and it is now the second largest nursing program in Florida. DSC nursing graduates are in high demand by local healthcare partners.
“Our graduates are truly practice ready,” Hicks said.
The simulations are a script-driven experience where teachers man a control room, controlling the mannequins inside the “hospital rooms.” The students can ask the “patients” questions about their symptoms and pain levels, and the teachers are able to respond as the “patients,” to give more information as the students work to diagnose and treat.
These simulations closely mirror real world practice, Hicks said.
“Our immediate goal is to earn national accreditation for this simulation center. Currently, only about a dozen centers across Florida hold this honor,” she said.
DSC District Board of Trustees Chairman Randy Howard said the new Hall is a perfect example of Trustee’s mission to ensure students are not just prepared to graduate but to succeed.
Employers are looking for people who can think critically, communicate effectively, work collaboratively and solve problems, Howard said.
“That is exactly the kind of environment that Quanta Honors College strives to create.”
Howard said the Quanta-Honors College & Health Technology Hall is designed to give students more opportunities to work together, explore new perspectives and develop the confidence to think independently.
Quanta-Honors College Chairman Ben Graydon said the college is called “quanta” after an idea in quantum mechanics that how someone understands something depends on how one looks at it.
“Quanta-Honors & Health Technology Hall puts our program close to the center of campus, the perfect spot for launching the next generation of students centered on community connection, working together to learn and grow,” Graydon said. “We can't wait to get started.”
