The basics:

• RWJBarnabas Health opens second School of Nursing campus in Oceanport
• 40,000-square-foot facility houses both the school and the Institute for Nursing Excellence
• Expansion supports efforts to address New Jersey’s projected nursing shortage
• The program, in partnership with Union College of Union County, offers RN, cooperative nursing degrees

The RWJBarnabas Health School of Nursing recently celebrated its expansion with the opening of a second location. 

The newly renovated, state-of-the-art Oceanport facility also welcomed its first class of 53 students, RWJBarnabas Health announced Oct. 10. 

The new site is located at 283 Sherrill Ave., in Squier Hall on the old Fort Monmouth. It complements the nursing school facility on the UCNJ Union College of Union County, NJ campus in Elizabeth. 

The location also serves as the home for The Institute for Nursing Excellence at RWJBarnabas Health. 

In Oceanport, the School of Nursing occupies 20,000 square feet and The Institute for Nursing Excellence has an additional 20,000 square feet, an RWJBarnabas representative told NJBIZ. The health care provider did not disclose the amount invested in renovations. 

“Let me be clear, without our 11,000 nurses, there would be no RWJBarnabas Health,” RWJBarnabas President and CEO Mark Manigan said in a statement. “Our investment in nursing merely starts with the School of Nursing, but it does not end there. Through our Institute for Nursing Excellence and our Center for Professional Development, we provide support and training opportunities for the growth of our nurses throughout their entire career.” 

Filling a need 

The program’s expansion aims to address the state’s nursing shortage, according to RWJBarnabas, particularly in the system’s southern region. 

According to the State Nurses Associations, “New Jersey is among many states projected to face the largest RN shortages, driven by an aging workforce, a growing population, workforce shortages, and high demand for nurses.”

Adding to the issue is a shortage in nursing faculty. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing notes that “U.S. nursing schools turned away 65,766 qualified applications from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2023 due to an insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints.” 

The New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing projected the state to have a shortage of more than 24,000 nurses by 2036, the fourth highest in the country. 

About the program 

The RWJBarnabas Health School of Nursing offers Generic Registered Nurse (RN) and Cooperative Nursing programs at both Elizabeth and Oceanport locations through a partnership with UCNJ. 

The RWJBarnabas Health School of Nursing leadership team includes: 

• Mary Beth Russell, executive dean (and a 2025 NJBIZ Executive Excellence honoree)
• Roseminda Santee, dean 
• Constance Kozachek, associate dean 
• Mary McTigue, advisor

“We appreciate the incredible partnership and collaboration with UCNJ’s administration and leaders who were instrumental in making this possible,” said Nancy Holecek, executive vice president and chief nursing officer, RWJBarnabas Health, said of the second location. “Our collective vision for providing students with a learning environment conducive to developing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to become competent, professional nurses will continue to be reflected in our nursing school philosophy.” 

Russell added that Oceanport’s first class, along with the 724 students at the Elizabeth location, “will learn more than they ever imagined, grow into competent and confident professionals, and make a difference that will ripple far beyond those walls.” 

“Welcome to the best profession,” wrote Jessica Pak, RWJBarnabas Health School of Nursing Graduate and keynote speaker at the ribbon cutting of our Oceanport Campus, to the students now enrolled in the school and pursuing their dream of becoming a nurse. We couldn’t be more proud… pic.twitter.com/BV85oeLt6Y

— RWJBarnabas (@RWJBarnabas) October 8, 2025

“We celebrate this expansion of RWJBarnabas Health’s Nursing Program, particularly at a time when they are needed most,” said Maris Lown, executive vice president and provost of UCNJ. “We will do everything we can to enrich, enhance, and make this relationship one of the best in the country.” 

The RWJBarnabas Health Trinitas School of Nursing was founded in 1891 as the Elizabeth General Training School. It officially rebranded to The RWJBarnabas Health School of Nursing in March.