The UTC School of Nursing has come a long way since Mary B. Jackson founded the program in what she lovingly called “a broom closet on the second floor of Race Hall.”
Born from such humble beginnings — its first graduating class was 28 students —the School of Nursing now offers multiple bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs. The school has secured millions of dollars in grant funding and built a state-of-the-art simulation lab, among many other achievements. Click here to learn more about the school’s history.
The UTC School of Nursing celebrates 40 years. Photo by Eric Williams.
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the school hosted an open house this past Saturday. Twelve out of the 28 students from the first graduating class attended as well as Martha Butterfield, a professor emerita and the first faculty member in the department of Nursing.
Dr. Chris Smith, the current director of the School of Nursing, gave a brief presentation on the history of the program and current students offered demonstrations in the simulation lab and tours of the Metropolitan Building. Dr. Smith also presented the inaugural Outstanding Nursing Alumni award to Dr. Jan Keys, the senior vice president and CNE for the Erlanger Health System.
Dr. Chris Smith (left) presented the inaugural Outstanding Nursing Alumni award to Dr. Jan Keys (right). Photo by Eric Williams.
The school also celebrated 10 years of its RN-BSN Gateway program. The online program allows registered nurses to earn a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing in just 16 months.
In addition, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the School of Nursing’s master’s of science degree with a nurse practitioner concentration. After graduating nearly 300 students, the program now offers a program in Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and, in May, graduated its first class of seven students.
The school also recognized the following programs and their graduates:
- Master’s of Science in Nursing: Nurse Anesthesia. First graduating class in 1996.
- Doctor of Nursing Practice. First graduating class 2012.
- Doctor of Nursing Practice: Nursing Administration Systems. First graduating class in 2014.
- Post-Masters Certificate in Nursing Education. First graduating class scheduled in 2018.
Click on the video below to hear alumni Pam Powell Taylor and Gail Minga Nicholson talk about their experiences in the UTC School of Nursing.
