KEARNY MESA – This month marks the official launch of National University’s (NU) new 14,000 square-foot, multimillion dollar nursing classrooms and lab space at its 100,000 square-foot Spectrum Campus in Kearny Mesa.
After a year of development, the project aims to support NU’s growing nursing program, featuring two large classrooms equipped with hospital beds, high-fidelity simulation mannequins and virtual-reality training stations that let students practice realistic clinical scenarios.
“The whole idea was to really create this hub of activity for the 200-plus rising nurses that came down to be a part of this larger build out,” NU President Mark Milliron said. “It has transformed that environment. It is a vibrant learning environment now for our non-traditional, working and military students.”
With an average undergraduate student age of 33, NU seeks to support non-traditional students in every way. In early 2025, the university opened its first location of “The Nest” on Spectrum Campus in collaboration with the YMCA of San Diego County.
The space is a “WeWork for education,” said Milliron, offering academic, career and family services, including affordable or free childcare provided by the YMCA, which is located across the parking lot from NU and The Nest.
A second Nest location is set to open in Escondido this May, totaling about 8,000 square feet. The project is estimated to cost about $2 million, funded internally and through grants.
“Our vision [is to create] a home-away-from-home environment for our students where they really feel valued and welcomed,” Milliron said.
For both the Nest locations and NU’s new nursing facilities, the university worked with architectural firm J Studio and construction company Pacific Building Group.
Increasing Capacity to Serve Students
The new nursing facilities at NU’s Spectrum Campus were built in refurbished old buildings. NU originally had much of its San Diego nursing programs concentrated at its Rancho Bernardo facilities. With the completion of its project at Spectrum Campus, the Rancho Bernardo site has been closed down, and operations have moved to Spectrum Campus.
While NU has strong nursing programs at its Los Angeles and Fresno campuses, Milliron said that the university is focused on strengthening its local capacity. In Southern California, NU offers about 5,000 clinical sites for students.
Before the pandemic, Milliron said that NU was about 60% on-ground students and 40% online students. Post-pandemic, that ratio flipped, he said, explaining that now about 25% of students are on-ground and 75% are online.
That shift highlights the need for updated in-person spaces for students in hands-on fields, like nursing.
“We are national leaders in the use of the metaverse and virtual reality,” Milliron said. “We have our students go through the classroom training, but then they’ll go right into VR training. They can test in a failsafe environment where they’re not going to hurt any patients, and then they can go into clinical settings.”
Expanding Nest Locations, Forging New Partnerships
At The Nest’s new Escondido location, NU and the YMCA will partner with Neighborhood Healthcare and Escondido Unified School District to provide a comprehensive array of resources to students. The expansion will be executed as a partnership between the organizations.
Milliron said that NU is currently in conversations with local community college partners about co-locating on new Nest locations in the near future.
For now, one of NU’s big projects on the horizon is the relocation of its Chula Vista campus to National City. When the campus is reopened in National City, NU plans to launch a new Nest location there too.
The project is still in development, but Milliron said it is shaping up to be a multimillion-dollar, 15,000 square-foot, new-built campus with 10 classrooms and possibly a nurse-managed clinic.
“It’ll be connected, I think, to the county offices,” Milliron said. “It’s right across from retail, right down the street from the military housing. We’re pretty excited about that space. It is going to be a true campus, much like Spectrum Campus.”
As NU adapts and expands, Milliron said that strong local partnerships will be essential to next-generation education.
“One of the great things about operating in San Diego is the unbelievable community support,” Milliron said. “Obviously, the military is a big part of our student population… The military have been unbelievable partners. The community colleges have been unbelievable partners… Our partners like San Diego State University and University of San Diego and others are unbelievably supportive and connected.
“There are so many good ecosystem partners that make education a pathway to possibility for more students than ever before,” he continued.
National University
FOUNDED: 1971
PRESIDENT: Mark D. Milliron
HEADQUARTERS: San Diego
BUSINESS: Education
EMPLOYEES: 4,753
REVENUE: $500 million annually
WEBSITE: https://nu.edu
CONTACT: 855-355-6288
notable: NU strives to serve nontraditional students, balancing career and family with education.
NOTABLE: 130,000 learners served per year—50,000 degree-seeking students and 80,000 workforce and professional development students
Born and raised in San Diego, Madison takes great pride in local storytelling. Her coverage at the San Diego Business Journal includes tourism, hospitality, nonprofits, education and retail. An alumna of San Diego State University’s journalism program, she has written for publications including The San Diego Union-Tribune and The San Diego Sun. At the 2024 San Diego Press Club awards, Madison was recognized for her exemplary profile writing. She was also a speaker for the 2023 TEDx Conference at Bonita Vista High School. When she’s not working on her next story, Madison can be found performing music at a local restaurant or on one of San Diego’s many hiking trails.
