With a $150,000 gift, two nursing labs within Virginia Western Community College’s new Center for Science and Health Profession building will be named after Friendship Retirement Community.

The naming rights are the first to be granted for the $26 million building currently being constructed on the Roanoke campus. In this case, the nursing and simulation labs for the college’s registered nursing program will bear Friendship’s name.

“The nursing vocation is such an integral part of the health and rehabilitation of our senior population and the greater community that investing in a training program in the Roanoke Valley that will attract educated and compassionate individuals is in keeping with our mission to attract and retain the best healthcare professionals possible,” said Friendship CEO and President Russ Barksdale in an email. “It is also critical as an employer and a member of this community to have continuing education opportunities in the nursing field.”

Virginia Western is working to secure donations for other naming rights within the new building, said spokesman Josh Meyer. The money is handled through the college’s educational foundation and is used at the discretion of the board, he added, adding that how the Friendship gift will be spent has not yet been determined.

Construction on the Center for Science and Health Professions is slated to be completed in the spring, with the building opening for students and classes in time for the fall 2013 semester, Meyer said.

The building is aimed at meeting the increase in demand for courses in science and health technology and will house programs for nursing, dental hygiene and basic lab sciences.