Forty-Five Years of Nursing at Penn State
2009 marks the forty-fifth year that Nursing courses have been offered at Penn State. Since its creation, the School of Nursing has experienced continuous growth and has focused its efforts on educating the next generation of nurses and improving nursing care through research, teaching, and outreach.
Only four students were enrolled in the first Nursing class offered at Penn State (in 1964); today, over 1,400 students are enrolled in Nursing programs across ten Penn State campuses. The school began conferring master’s degrees in the 1970s and doctoral degrees in the 1990s, and they are continually adding to their degree program offerings. This quick expansion, both in class size and in number of programs offered, is a sign of the school’s dedication to enhancing and contributing to the field of nursing.
The school provides a number of international study opportunities for students, has an excellent geriatric research focus, and provides many outreach and continuing education services to the community.
In 2008, the school became an independent academic unit at Penn State. This dramatic transformation provided the school better visibility within the University and elevated the school’s status in respect to its “peer” nursing programs at other universities.
The school celebrated its forty-fifth anniversary in April with a weekend celebration, which brought together alumni, students, staff, and faculty together to learn about the school’s history and future. Highlights of the weekend included a ribbon-cutting for the simulation lab, a research forum, and a reception with remarks by Dean Milone-Nuzzo and former school directors.