The University of St. Thomas has altered its plan for its satellite campus in Conroe and has announced plans for a second project in the city—a “microcampus.”

Jeff Olsen, vice president of marketing for St. Thomas, said the university is no longer pursuing plans to build a satellite campus for an accelerated bachelor’s degree in nursing at 700 Old Montgomery Road. Olsen said there were various factors contributing to the decision, including associated costs with the location and the parking and living situations for prospective students and staff.

Olsen said the university is still committed to finding a location in Conroe and will be ready to open in fall 2020.

“We are absolutely still intent on bringing nursing to the area, but it will be in a different facility,” Olsen said.

In the meantime, the university will open a microcampus in downtown Conroe in early 2020. Olsen said the university has not decided on a specific address, but the microcampus will serve as a storefront for the university in the community.

“It’ll be a place where we can, No. 1, create awareness on our end about who we are as the University of St. Thomas,” Olsen said. “But No. 2, we can listen to the community, and we can find out more about the community as we commit to different and varying programs in the area.”