Interactive, cutting-edge technology is built right into Concordia College’s Heimarck Center, offering students opportunities to learn in a rapidly evolving field while maintaining healthcare’s core focus on people, from patients to caregivers to support staff and administration.
That same focus was present at the ceremonial opening and dedication of Concordia’s newest building Oct. 12, as dozens of people gathered on a crisp autumn day to celebrate the official opening of the facility that will house the Sanford Heimarck School of Health Professions.
“The impact of our partnerships resonates far beyond the walls of the classrooms and hospitals. It resonates to the lives of the patients and their families, making our communities healthier and stronger,” said Theresa Larson, vice president of nursing and clinical services at Sanford Fargo. “Together we are shaping lives and fostering a community of caregivers who work together to make a difference.”
One of those people who made a difference was Dr. Ted Heimarck himself, founder of Concordia’s healthcare administration program. All seven of Heimarck’s children attended the event, and Sara Heimarck Hansen, ’96, spoke about his legacy.
“My dad could have been many things in his life. He got a law degree from the University of Chicago. He passed the Illinois bar. He could have been a lawyer; he could have been an administrator. But he found his passion as a teacher,” Heimarck Hansen said. “He loved Concordia, he loved his students. He believed in curiosity, progress, and science. He believed in contributing to the community and helping those in need.”
Heimarck’s curiosity, as well as his interest in science and progress, can be found throughout the building that bears his name and, following the ceremony, the public had a chance to tour the facility. It features multiple state-of-the-art simulation labs for nursing and home health, a leadership boardroom that allows students to give executive presentations, and even a Bod Pod, which is a high-tech device that can measure a patient’s body fat percentage.
Equipment also includes life-like medical manikins that can be operated by an instructor in a nearby control room, while professors monitor students through one-way mirrors in order to give feedback.
“This whole building models … a brilliant concept in education, which is: you can tell me, or you can show me, or you can let me learn by doing. And this is a building all about learning by doing,” said Concordia College President Colin Irvine.
Irvine thanked the Heimarck family, the architects, the donors who funded the building, and the faculty and staff who have made the college’s healthcare programs successful over the years, including its namesake.
David Horazdovsky, who graduated from Concordia in 1978 and currently serves on its Board of Regents, noted that students come from all over the world, each bringing a story of their own and weaving them together at the college.
“We learn to experience unity here,” Horazdovsky said, referring to the many friendships, professional relationships, and even marriages forged at Concordia. He recalled how Ted Heimarck, with an impressive set of eyebrows and an even more impressive heart, listened to his students’ stories and, no matter what they were, always brought them along.
That will continue at the Heimarck Center that bears his name, where students will study clinical laboratory science, exercise science, food, nutrition and dietetics, healthcare leadership, nursing, and social work, as well as athletic training, dentistry, medicine, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, and more.
The college announced the Sanford Heimarck School of Health Professions after a pledge of continued support from Sanford Health in 2021. With that partnership came the donation of land and the clinic on the corner of Eighth Street and 12th Avenue South in Moorhead, where the Heimarck Center now stands.
“Welcome to the future of healthcare,” said Dr. Gwen Halaas, dean of the Sanford Heimarck School of Health Professions. “This new facility and some new programs that I’ll tell you about, bring our faculty and students together to learn and practice teamwork and leadership that prepares them to be change agents.”
She offered a sneak peek of Concordia’s work developing future offerings in the healthcare field, including new programs and partnerships, and thanked those gathered to celebrate the completion of the new facility.
The dedication ceremony concluded with a brief prayer and then a ribbon-cutting with the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber and its Chamber Ambassadors. Afterward, much of the crowd headed indoors for refreshments, a glimpse at the Heimarck Center’s features, or chatting with fellow alumni, staff, students, and friends.
For more information about the Heimarck Center and the Sanford Heimarck School of Health Professions, visit ConcordiaCollege.edu/HealthProfessions.
