A Century of Academic Nursing Excellence

A CENTURY OF ACADEMIC NURSING EXCELLENCE TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE

A CENTURY OF ACADEMIC NURSING EXCELLENCE TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER COLLEGE OF NURSING Hank M. Bounds, Ph.D. President University of Nebraska Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. Chancellor University of Nebraska Medical Center, Chancellor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Juliann G. Sebastian, Ph.D., RN, FAAN Dean University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing

Copyright 2017. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior consent of the publisher: UNMC College of Nursing 985330 Nebraska Medical Center 4111 Dewey Avenue Omaha, NE 68198-5330

Produced by the Omaha World-Herald.

First Edition ISBN: 978-0-692-94259-8 Printed by Automatic Printing Co.

Dear Friends of the College of Nursing: What a magnificent keepsake! Like you, I cannot wait to page through this book commemorating the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing’s first 100 years. I am delighted to have you join me in congratulating the College of Nursing on this centennial celebration.

This landmark anniversary marks 100 years of educating nurses, faculty members, scientists, advanced practice nurses and nurse leaders. But it also is the beginning of the second century of the UNMC College of Nursing and the opportunity to transform the future of nursing education, research and practice.

The College of Nursing has been an integral part of Nebraska’s only publicly supported academic health science center since its inception in 1917. Today, with evidenced-based research showing us that the best patient care is delivered Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. by teams, the College of Nursing has actively engaged with the other health Chancellor professions in expanding interprofessional learning opportunities for students and collaborative care in the clinical environment.

As you will see in this book and we continue to see today, the College of Nursing works closely with local communities throughout the state in educating nurses close to home and in promoting nursing care for rural communities.

Beginning with the addition of the Lincoln Division to the College of Nursing in 1972 and continuing to the addition of the Northern Division in 2010, and an all-new facility at the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 2015, the College of Nursing now has five campuses throughout the state of Nebraska.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center has supported the growth and vitality of these campuses, and the College of Nursing has been a leader in making ours a true 500-mile-wide campus.

Nursing also has been a leader in distance-based education, which will only become more common and more effective in the years to come through our Interprofessional Experiential Center for Enduring Learning, or iEXCELSM initiative. And in research, with groundbreaking projects that impact Nebraskans’ everyday lives and health. And through international exchanges which promote global health.

Meanwhile, our alumni continue to make a meaningful impact in every corner of our state.

At UNMC and Nebraska Medicine, our mission is to lead the world in transforming lives to create a healthy future for all individuals and communities through premier educational programs, innovative research and extraordinary patient care. As we’ll see in these pages, the students, faculty, staff and alumni of the College of Nursing have been hard at work on this for the past 100 years.

I am excited to see what they will write in the chapters yet to come.

With warmest personal regards,

A CENTURY OF ACADEMIC NURSING EXCELLENCE

1917-1936

1936-1966

1966-1967

1966-1973

1970-1973

1973

TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE BUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP

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RAISING THE BAR

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CHARTING A NEW COURSE

32

AN EXPANDING MISSION

48

EXTENDING THE REACH

62

ADAPTING TO CHANGING TIMES

70

NEW BUILDINGS, NEW PROGRAMS

78

APPENDIX, FOOTNOTES & CREDITS

92

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

100

The evolution of nursing uniforms: These 1973 watercolor renditions were presented by Dr. Henry W. McFadden in honor of his parents, who held nurses in highest esteem.

FOREWORD CELEBRATING A CENTENNIAL brings a special kind of joy, and with it a time for reflecting on the past and planning for the future. Ultimately, this College of Nursing exists to fulfill a promise to the public that we will educate the best nurses to provide the best nursing care and improve health care. Our mission makes it clear that not only will we teach, but we generate new knowledge to improve how to provide nursing care, practice nursing in its many forms and use the most compelling evidence to provide top level care.

Times change, and thus needs and opportunities change, but people need health care and nursing care to help promote health, prevent illness and the development of chronic conditions, manage acute and chronic illness, and provide compassionate end-of-life care.

Although much health care was still self-care or familyprovided care in 1917, hospitals were increasingly seen as locations for quality care during times of illness. They were largely staffed by nursing students with an apprenticeship model used to help students learn clinical skills.i The Flexner Report that revolutionized the quality and

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Looking north on 42nd Street toward University Hospital and the nursing dormitory around 1930.

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consistency of medical education had been published in 1910, and the Goldmark Report that recommended university education for nurses was not published until

1923. Infectious diseases were among the primary causes of mortality,ii with maternal-child health problems, workplace hazards and health problems related to nutrition as major causes of morbidity.iii Antibiotics were not fully developed until more than ten years after the initial discovery of penicillin in 1929.iv

But scientific advancements energized the public, and people knew that good care and treatment demanded well educated health professionals. It was in an environment of excitement about health professions education that the University of Nebraska opened its medical school in 1902 and its hospital in 1917. The University of Nebraska School of Nursing opened in 1917 as well. Additionally, two world wars stimulated demand for well trained nurses.

Over the past 100 years, what we now know as the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing has been a pioneer in educational innovation and a leader in the development of nursing science.

The story of the College of Nursing is the story of our students, faculty members, staff, deans, alumni, interprofessional colleagues, clinical partners, and our communities, nation and world. It is the story of our university leaders, community members and legislators. It is your story, and our story, and we continue to write it as we build our second century.

We share this volume with you not only as a way of memorializing the College’s history, but as a way of celebrating the bright minds, original thinking, talents, risk taking and leadership of all who have gone before us. These pages will further galvanize present-day College of Nursing stakeholders and those who will come after us to continue the legacy of innovation, excellence and transformative leadership in nursing and health care.

The UNMC College of Nursing has graduated more than 15,000 students as it begins its second century.

This book tells how the college has evolved within the social, cultural, to come, to educational innovations that spark curiosity and prompt lifelong learning, to scientific advancements that will continue to improve nursing care and health, and to clinical partnerships that will leverage the excellent work of so many.

Juliann G. Sebastian, Ph.D., RN, FAAN Dean and Professor October 2017

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political, technological and economic trends throughout the last century. It also helps us point the way to leadership yet

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BUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP THE STORY OF NURSING EDUCATION at the University of Nebraska begins with the state’s first efforts at formal medical education. The Omaha Medical College incorporated and admitted 35 students in the fall of 1881. The University of Nebraska followed suit by opening a medical college in Lincoln two years later, but the school was plagued with problems from the start and closed in 1887.1 The Board of Regents remained committed to a medical college, however, and for years discussed a union of the University of Nebraska and the Omaha Medical College. The regents and the trustees of the Omaha Medical College finally reached an agreement April 18, 1902, to form the University of Nebraska College of Medicine. The new school – using the Omaha Medical College’s building at 12th and Pacific Streets – offered a four-year course, with two years in Lincoln and two years in Omaha leading to an M.D. degree.

The College of Medicine soon began offering a six-year course leading to B.S. and

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M.D. degrees. Two years of college preparation were needed for medical school in

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1908, a requirement that was far in advance of most schools at the time.2 As a result, the College of Medicine already had developed a sterling reputation, being ranked in Omaha Medical College had a faculty of 12 and a one-year program intended to elaborate on what students had learned during study under a practicing physician.

the highest tier by reputable New York examiners.

It was time for a new home, and the Legislature in 1909 appropriated $20,000 to purchase land for a new campus. A fierce battle ensued over the location, however, with supporters for Lincoln and Omaha arguing the merits of their cities. Doctors at the college argued that it made more sense to keep the school in Omaha, because it

was a larger city with more doctors willing to provide free lectures and advice. They also pointed out that the medical school opened earlier in Lincoln had failed. In addition, wealthy Omahans had pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars toward construction of buildings, reducing the amount of taxpayer funding that would be needed. The matter was resolved in 1911 when the State Legislature voted to provide $100,000 to construct a laboratory building in Omaha.3

A PLACE TO GROW The campus site at 42nd Street and Dewey Avenue was on the west end of Omaha at the time and just blocks from where the Joslyn, Storz and other wealthy families had built mansions a few years earlier. The new building – later called the North Lab Building and eventually Poynter Hall, after Dean C.W.M. Poynter – housed the entire medical college when it was dedicated October 16, 1913. Books collected from the University library and the Lancaster County Medical Society were used to create a medical library. University Hospital opened in 1917 and took patients from outside the Omaha area.

EARLY BUILDINGS Some of the early buildings included University Hospital (above), which admitted more than 1,300 patients and delivered 75 babies in its first year of operation.

Below left is the nurses’ dorm and below right is an aerial view of the College of Medicine’s campus.

Irving S. Cutter was named dean in 1915 and began plans for further construction, leading to the completion of Unit I of University Hospital in 1917. The 130-bed hospital – described as “general in character, nonsectarian and open to the worthy sick poor of the state” 5 – did not charge patients for its services. The hospital served as a teaching facil-

CHARLOTTE BURGESS 1917-1946

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Charlotte Burgess earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin and taught high school for several years before pursuing her dream of becoming a nurse. She graduated from the Illinois Training School for Nurses in 1904 and served as director of education at the Illinois Training School from 1908 to 1914.

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Burgess established the University of Nebraska School for Nurses within the framework of her own philosophy of education and the thinking of leaders in the profession. The program reflected many of the principles suggested by Florence Nightingale:4

ity for faculty and students,6 while a dispensary at 17th and Dodge Streets provided student experiences in treating outpatients.

Dean Cutter next laid plans for a nursing school at the University of Nebraska, with the hospital providing education in return for service, a standard arrangement for the era. When the School for Nurses opened in 1917, few schools offered a combined liberal arts and basic nursing curriculum leading to a bachelor’s degree. Schools associated with a college or university also were the exception.7 Dean Cutter needed a superintendent of nurses to share his vision and lay the foundation for nursing excellence at University Hospital.

Charlotte Burgess was up to such a challenge. She had been an

• An organized course of study that included theoretical knowledge and clinical experience.

early volunteer for service with the American Red Cross in World

• A nurse as the director.

fighting broke out in 1914. “During the entire voyage, many hours of

• Students living in a nurses’ home.

• Head nurses responsible for the administration of their wards and for the teaching of student nurses.

Two important Nightingale tenets were not included.

The school was organized within the College of Medicine and thus lacked autonomy. In addition, the school was not considered to be primarily an educational institution, since the students were used as inexpensive labor for University Hospital.

War I and was on a ship headed overseas about six weeks after the each day have been devoted to classes, lectures and conferences, all of which have given us not only a wider knowledge and brought us into closer touch with the service we are about to undertake, but it has also given us courage and inspiration,” she wrote during the voyage.8 She directed a Red Cross nursing unit in Russia from 1914 to 1915 before returning home.9 While waiting for her unit to sail back to Europe, she enrolled at Columbia University Teachers College in

NURSING STUDIES The medical college faculty taught nurses the basic science courses and also provided lectures in medicine and surgery at the school, which was renamed the School of Nursing in 1922.

Burgess disputed the notion that anyone with a strong back could be a nurse. “Icemen can be found at 42nd and Leavenworth,” she said. “What I want is nurses with brains.” Her students met the same requirements of those admitted to the University of Nebraska: a four-year high school education.

At the time, only 28 percent of all nursing schools in the U.S. mandated a high school diploma, with a majority requiring only one year of high school.

The majority of other nursing schools in Nebraska followed the national trend,10 and it was not until 1930 that all nursing schools in Omaha required a four-year high school education for admission.11

STUDENTS IN THE EARLY ’20S Early nursing students found their schedules filled with patching gloves (above left) and practicing anesthesia (above right). Nurses on an operating-room rotation are on the left. The students developed close bonds with their fellow students since their social life was mostly contained to activities with each other.

New York, where Director Adelaide Nutting recommended her to Dean Cutter.12 Burgess agreed to consider the offer in Omaha, although she admitted later that she was reluctant to “undertake so important a piece of work.” 13 She recalled, “I made my decision

UNIFORMS ADOPTED

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A distinctive student uniform was an accepted tradition by the time the School for Nurses opened in 1917, although it had not always been so. Student nurses at New York’s Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital in 1874 resisted a uniform, even though it was deemed advantageous because of economy, neatness and its effect on esprit de corps. The Bellevue School felt it was inadvisable to insist on a uniform, in spite of opposition, and instead devised this plan:

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“In the first class of nurses was a daughter of an old and prominent New York family. She was also, by good fortune, very beautiful, tall and dignified. She was given a couple of days leave of absence, and on her return, she appeared in the wards dressed in the greyish-blue stripe with apron and cap of white. So charming was she to behold – and so dowdy and insignificant did all the non-descript print dresses look beside her – that prejudice vanished and the uniform was quickly adopted, never again to be questioned.”

while walking back and forth in a pouring rain on Broadway a few blocks from the University.”14 Burgess had no experience with a university school of nursing, so she wired Louise Powell at the University of Minnesota and asked to visit on her way from New York to Omaha. She spent a day with Powell and found her suggestions helpful,15 since Minnesota’s nursing school had been organized as part of the university in 1909.16 Burgess arrived in Omaha on August 4, 1917, and found a hospital not yet completed, furniture and equipment not yet unpacked, facilities not yet cleaned and not a nurse in sight. She also learned that the main campus of the University of Nebraska was in Lincoln, a stumbling block for her intention to use the university for several courses. Finally, Dean Cutter delivered the news that the hospital was to open on August 15 – just 11 days away.17 The situation was further complicated by a shortage of prepared nurses, especially in the Midwest. Many of the best trained nurses had been serving overseas with the Red Cross since the beginning of World War I, and even more had answered the call when the United States entered the conflict in April 1917.18 College of Medicine faculty members and students also were called into war service, along with maintenance workers, janitors, engineers and domestic help.19 But Burgess was a woman of invincible courage and leadership

THE UNIFORM AND CAP The young woman entering the University of Nebraska School for Nurses in 1917 was attired in a long-sleeved blue and white gingham dress that measured exactly 10 inches from the floor. Miss Charlotte Burgess sent the pattern for this dress with the letter of acceptance, and the student made her own “probationer” uniforms.

The School thus sustained no economic loss if the student did not pass the probationary courses, since no money had been invested in her uniforms. A white bishop collar, white apron, and black or brown shoes and stockings completed the uniform.

Following the successful completion of the probationary courses, the student was given a long-sleeved blue and white pin-striped dress (worn with white cuffs in the senior year), white apron, bib and cap. Burgess designed the cap patterned after that of her alma mater, the Illinois Training School. For many years Burgess reportedly cut out the dresses and supervised the fitting, and she was known to check the length with a ruler on occasion.

In 1936 the “probie” uniform was discontinued and the sleeves of the dress shortened, but the beginning student was still readily identified. She wore the dress with white cuffs, the apron and white shoes and stockings (worn since 1933). The cap and bib were given after she was deemed “suitable” for a nursing career.

The capping ceremony was a momentous event in the life of the student nurse, symbolizing acceptance into the profession. It was recalled by many students as the most significant event of their nursing school days.

The capping ceremony was held annually, except for a few years during World War II when students received their caps with their weekly laundry.

THE CAPPING CEREMONY Every probie looked forward to the “capping” ceremony, which was held on campus or in a church and was attended by family and friends. The Director of the School placed the cap on the head of the kneeling student as her Big Sister presented a lighted Nightingale lamp. The Nursing School choir performed, and a speaker was engaged to give an inspiring message.

A tea sponsored by the School of Nursing Alumnae Association usually followed in the lounge of the nurses’ residence.

ability, and she was determined to succeed. She opened the hospital September 3 – less than one month after her arrival – in spite of the barriers to filling staffing positions, developing a nursing program and recruiting faculty and students.

Four graduate nurses were recruited: one each for the operating room and the two floors, plus a night supervisor.21 She then arranged postgraduate work for graduates of other schools who needed an ad-

THE FIRE OF 1920

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Students entering the School in 1917 lived on a hospital ward for the first year and then in four different houses near the hospital. Later a two-story building called “the barracks” was built west of the hospital, but the building burned down at Christmas time of 1920.

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Charlotte Burgess was able to account for all of her students and staff, although several students were injured. Fortunately, no lives were lost.20 She later recalled: “Our clothing was all burned; but promptly at seven o’clock the next morning everyone was on duty. We were, indeed, a sorry sight. The nurses hadn’t any uniforms; they were dressed in doctor’s gowns or women’s hospital wrappers that we had at that time, and they wore hospital patients’ slippers and stockings. Their hair was in braids down their backs as they hadn’t any combs; but they were on duty at seven o’clock.

This indicated a fine sense of responsibility.

Maybe the organization and hospital routine and discipline had some influence.”

ditional year of study to qualify for state registration. By September 12, 16 students from other schools had come as affiliation students.22 In October, 13 women enrolled in the University of Nebraska School for Nurses. The three-year diploma program was established with the purpose “to develop nurses of the best type.” The first bulletin in 1919 described a five-year combined academic and professional course leading to a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree and the nursing diploma.24 Burgess limited enrollment to unmarried women between the ages of 19 and 35, with good health and sound physical condition.

She screened applicants personally, monitored their progress carefully and retained the right to dismiss a student at any time for misconduct, inefficiency or neglect of duty. Her program followed the trend of national nursing leaders, who had been working for several years to upgrade education. They sought to change a system in which unqualified students were admitted to schools with poor curricula in exchange for working as many as 105 hours per week at a hospital.24 While other professions had abandoned this sort of apprenticeship, nursing still maintained this earn-while-you-learn system.

THE NURSING LIFE

NURSES’ RESIDENCE After the fire in the nurses’ dormitory, Superintendent Charlotte Burgess faced the task of building a new residence for the second time in three years. Conkling Hall, a modern, magnificent structure, opened in 1923 near 43rd and Emile Streets. The building added comfort to the students’ lives and provided classrooms, reading and sewing rooms, kitchen and laundry facilities, a gymnasium and a beautifully decorated reception room. Students participated in teas and luncheons planned by Burgess and her staff. Sing-alongs and card games were held in the residence, and interns and medical students came for dances several times a week. An occasional walk to a nearby ice cream store on a hot summer night made the dormitory rooms seem cooler.25 Students sometimes used the fire escape stairs to return after hours if they missed the 11 p.m. curfew. A secret tap notified another student to open the door, which didn’t have an alarm at the time.

Student life during the Charlotte Burgess era was typical of nursing schools of the time. Short daily practice periods in the wards began during the third and fourth months. Those who passed the probationary term were assigned to duty in the wards, diet kitchen, linen room, sewing room, operating room and dispensary.

Students worked eight to 12 hours daily, including class hours when it could be arranged, and had two half-days off per week. Students often worked extra shifts, however, and attended classes during the day.

Students and head nurses provided all patient care until graduate staff nurses were hired for University Hospital in the 1930s.

Nurse training was an all-consuming life that left little time or energy to pursue personal activities. Social lives revolved around the hospital since students were required to live in the residence. In fact, Burgess and many of her faculty also lived in the residence.

Students had to be in Conkling Hall by 10 p.m., except on Fridays and Saturdays, when the deadline was extended to 11 p.m. “Overnights” were allowed only for trips home. Duty hours were posted weekly, so students were able to plan ahead only by special request. A 1936 graduate recalled that special permission was needed for a student to take part even in a regular off-campus activity.26

The National League for Nursing Education (NLNE) pushed further advancement by authorizing a comprehensive survey of nursing education. The findings were published in 1923 in what came to be known as the Goldmark Report.27 The NLNE recommended: • Recruiting women of high capacity.

• Instruction planned and correlated with practical experience.

• Training beyond the basic nursing course for public health nurses, superintendents, supervisors and instructors.

MYRA TUCKER

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Myra Tucker, RN, served as the first instructor on the nursing faculty. She and Charlotte Burgess taught courses and supervised the clinical instruction of students with the assistance of hospital nurses.

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• Organization of schools primarily for educational experiences.

• Development and strengthening of university schools.28 Burgess already had implemented some of these recommendations, as further evidence of her knowledge of national trends and the ideals instilled at Columbia University by Adelaide Nutting, who

The curriculum design was based on “A Standard Curriculum for Schools of Nursing,” published by the National League for Nursing Education (NLNE) in 1917. Burgess was committed to quality nursing education and throughout her tenure continued to adopt the recommendations of the NLNE and other nationally recognized nursing groups.

was considered the first professor of nursing.

Tucker spent the remainder of her career at the school and in later years became the assistant director. She and Burgess retired in 1946.

from nursing organizations, medical organizations, the hospital

The Goldmark report and the 1927 revision of the NLNE’s “Curriculum Guide for Schools of Nursing” prompted Burgess to update course titles and to add courses in psychiatric nursing, English and sociology. Public health nursing experiences also were expanded.29 Not long after the Goldmark Report’s publication, representatives association and the public health association began a comprehensive study of nursing schools in the United States. Burgess chose to take part in the study, which was voluntary. Each school received a report comparing it to others in the study, and the University of Nebraska School of Nursing ranked among the nation’s better schools.30

NAVIGATING TOUGH ERA University Hospital Unit II opened in 1927, raising the capacity to 230 beds. The Great Depression hit hard not long afterward, resulting in funding issues that led to the closing of wards and declining hospital occupancy throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Still, Charlotte Burgess was able to maintain the School and began hiring general duty staff nurses for the hospital.

Nurses were not immune to the massive unemployment of the 1930s. Graduates who were working as private duty nurses found themselves out of work. Few graduate nurses previously had worked as general duty staff nurses in hospitals, as this type of duty was considered “student work” and beneath graduates. Amid dismal economic conditions, however, many unemployed nurses willingly accepted board, room and laundry in return for working as staff nurses – relieving students of some hospital duties.31

SIGNS OF THE TIMES Nurses decorated a hospital ward with a Christmas tree (above); a hospital delivery room (below); the nursing dorm looking south toward Leavenworth Street (below right).

Other unemployed nurses were hired at the hospital under the the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Burgess reported in several issues of the Nurse Reporter about the hiring of cleaners, carpenters, painters and seamstresses and stressed the value of their service to the hospital, staff, students and patients. Some medical and nursing students also were paid for CWA work.

However, nursing schools that took part were disappointed that they didn’t receive accreditation, which was seen as public recognition of meeting certain standards and as a recruiting tool for prospective students.32 The National League for Nursing Education filled the need in 1939 by initiating the first inclusive program of accreditation for programs leading to a diploma or baccalaureate degree in nursing.33

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CHARLOTTE BURGESS RETIRES

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Burgess agreed to a visit by the accreditation committee in March 1939, and while some aspects of the nursing program were in need

Charlotte Burgess ended her 29-year tenure April 1, 1946. She had begun her work at the school at the beginning of one world war and finished it at the end of another. She had established a firm foundation for the University of Nebraska School of Nursing, and with the loyal support of both nursing and medical faculty, had led the school and hospital through nearly three challenging decades.

of improvement, the report was generally favorable. “This school has

Burgess was a true professional and a progressive nurse educator. She kept herself informed of trends in nursing and education and made program changes suggested by national leaders.

She was active in professional organizations and served on the State Board of Nursing.

She encouraged her students to earn baccalaureate degrees and to join the professional nursing associations.

felt the consequences of the decision for the next two decades, with

She was proud of the school and its graduates, and frequently reminded students and faculty that “university nurses have no equals.”

many desirable characteristics, as well as unusual potentialities for further development,” 34 the report said.

The NLNE began accepting applications for accreditation, but no Nebraska nursing school was listed when the first list of approved schools was released in June 1941.35 It turned out that Burgess had not applied, despite the favorable report. Faculty, students and graduates the lack of accreditation serving as an embarrassment to the school.

The exact reasons for Burgess’ decision weren’t known, since accreditation would have been a milestone for the school, but several factors might have contributed. Her health was failing as she neared the age of 75, and she had resigned as director in 1940.

But no replacement could be found, and she again was faced with managing the hospital and school under the hardships of war in Europe.

The end of the war signaled the return of physicians and nurses to the hospital, and a sense of normalcy returned. The time was right for Charlotte Burgess to leave the school.

THE WAR YEARS By the end of 1941, the U.S. had again been drawn into a world war, taking away medical college faculty members, head nurses, supervisors and instructors to military service. General duty staff nurses also were in short supply, although the situation was helped in part by Red Cross Nurse Aides and other volunteer help. Burgess noted that these groups “give valuable assistance but do not take the place of good professional nurses.” 35 Students once again were expected to provide the majority of nursing services, and many senior students served as head nurses.

WWII CADET PROGRAM The Bolton Act created the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps program in June 1943. The program provided nursing students with tuition, fees, books, uniforms and monthly stipends. In return, they promised to engage in essential military or civilian nursing for the duration of the war. 37 The School began participation in the program just one month after it was created, and more than 100 students joined in the first year. All 27 students who entered the School in February 1944 joined the program.38 The Bolton Act shortened the nursing education program to 30 months and by July 1944, the Senior Cadets were ready to start the last four months of their training. Four stayed at University Hospital to help Assistant Director Myra Tucker in the operating room and surgical floors and to serve as assistant head nurses. Others went to Immanuel Hospital, Lutheran Hospital, the Omaha Visiting Nurses’ Association and Army hospitals.39 Gladys Sorensen (left) and Alta Dilinger display Cadet uniforms.

RAISING THE BAR CHARLOTTE BURGESS INTRODUCED Irma M. Kyle to the faculty as the school’s new director in April 1946.

“Miss Kyle wore a royal blue wool dress, which emphasized her cheerful expression,” one faculty member recalled.

“We were all happy to welcome her and this was, naturally, mingled with curiosity toward the future.” 1 Kyle undoubtedly was qualified to direct the school, but she raised some eyebrows when she announced that she would live in an apartment rather than in the nurses’ home. Burgess had always lived with her students and graduate nurses. Would this new director break other traditions as well?

One quick change was Kyle’s decision to admit only one class each year, rather than the two or three that previously had been the practice. Beginning in 1946, all students started their course of study in August or September, greatly facilitating course planning and eliminating the need to teach courses several times a year.

The three-year professional curriculum totaled 62 academic credit hours, while nursing practice totaled 1,095 days. Students seeking the Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree completed an additional 68 credit hours of general education courses. The curriculum described in the 1946-1947 Bulletin included pre-clinical, freshman, and junior and senior terms.2

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Faculty in 1947 (from left): Maxine Jacks, Mercedes Breen, Irma Kyle, Vera Warner, Hilda Helmke and Lola Williams.

fourth of their high school classes and who had one year of acceptable college work.3

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months of graduation with written consent from parents and the Director of the School.4

Applicants were required to meet entrance requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, with preference given to applicants who ranked in the upper Admission was still restricted to unmarried women between the ages of 18 and 30, and students who married before completing the program were asked to withdraw from the school. In 1947, students were allowed to marry within three

THE BSN PROGRAM Irma Kyle understood the need for baccalaureate education for nurses, since the Association of Collegiate Schools of Nursing had stressed separation of classroom and clinical instruction for collegiate and non-collegiate students. The university could not afford to offer both the diploma and the five-year programs, as it had for many years, so Kyle asked the College of Medicine and the Board of Regents for permission to start the four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program to replace the diploma program.

Approval came in 1950, and students entered the freshman year in 1952. The curriculum required four calendar years, described for the first time in the 1952-1953 Bulletin of the School.5 A five-year program still was offered for students wanting a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences rather than from the College of Medicine.

Kyle’s goal was full accreditation of this new program.

A major task was the recruitment of faculty with graduate preparation, so in 1955 she urged alumnae to attend graduate programs. In describing the qualifications of a good teacher and supervisor, she quoted Rena Boyle, who would become Director of the School 12 years later.6 Kyle cautioned the nursing faculty and administrators of the College of Medicine and the University that the lack of accreditation was seriously affecting student and faculty recruitment and the School’s future.

Consultants from the National League of Nursing were invited to assist faculty in meeting the standards, but a request for temporary accreditation of the BSN program was denied in May 1956. One can imagine the disappointment and frustration of the faculty who had worked to revise the curriculum and bring about changes to meet the criteria. The next application for accreditation would not be made until 1960.

SURGICAL AMPHITHEATER Students in the operating room in 1948.

A few brave students married secretly. Classmates often knew but protected the bride from dismissal by keeping the secret from the school administration. The married student continued to live in the dormitory, and the director either was unaware of, or chose to ignore, the infraction.

While the marriage rule seemed unreasonable to some, most nursing students of that period would have agreed that a nursing student’s life left precious little time for a social life. Students were still providing most of the nursing care to patients at University Hospital.

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Registered nurses, all of whom were university graduates in 1948,

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IRMA KYLE 1946-1967

held the head nurse positions in the hospital and served as assistant

Irma Kyle was raised in a small Iowa town and started her career as a school teacher. She had earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa, in 1932. She was not happy with her career as a rural teacher, however, and entered the Evanston Hospital School of Nursing in Evanston, Illinois.

She earned her baccalaureate degree, followed by a master’s degree in nursing education from the University of Chicago in 1940. She had held the position of nursing arts instructor at Cook County Hospital School of Nursing from 1940 to 1946.

and night supervisors also were graduate nurses. Very few graduate

instructors of nursing in their clinical specialties. The day, evening, nurses held positions as staff nurses. Care was provided by student nurses in return for their board and room, and students paid only $96 per year for tuition, $20 per year for books and $50 for uniforms.

Kyle helped form a Student Council in 1949 – the student body’s first attempt at self-governance – and it remained active throughout the 1950s and 1960s. All social activities were centered around the school and the hospital, with the teas, dances, Christmas parties and picnics of the Burgess era continuing.

Kyle recognized the need for graduate nurses and appealed to alumnae to work at University Hospital, especially on the evening shift, weekends, and in the summer to relieve students, head nurses and supervisors for vacations. Her appeal in 1948 offered graduates $180 per month for full-time employment and $6.50 per day for

CAPPING CEREMONY ENDS The capping ceremony was the victim of progress and change in the early 1960s. The School was becoming collegiate, and the faculty felt that the capping was a diploma-school symbol. The last ceremony was held on December 18, 1961.7 Entering students received the complete uniform the next year.8 A dedication ceremony, which resembled the capping, was held during the fall semester.9 Sophomore students received the Nightingale lamp from their Big Sisters and repeated the Nightingale Pledge. A reception was hosted by the Student Council and Alumnae Association. This dedication ceremony was discontinued in the late 1960s.

A BIG MOMENT Irma Kyle took part in a capping ceremony in the late 1950s (top). Students posed for “before and after” photographs after their capping in 1954. Students took part in a dedication ceremony in 1963 (above) in which sophomores received the Nightingale lamp and repeated the Nightingale Pledge to “do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession.”

part-time work. A $10 bonus was offered for each three-week tour of evening or night duty.10 Her appeal apparently went unheeded, as she repeated her plea many times in the next few years.

Despite the lack of general duty staff nurses, Kyle did have a small group of dedicated women to assist her in running the hospital and the school. The distinction between faculty and hospital staff was nebulous, as most had responsibility for both nursing service and education. The clinical or ward teaching was done by those with associ-

SYBIL SAWINSKY

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In 1959, Irma Kyle selected Sawinsky, M.Ed., to be the College of Nursing’s first student advisor. She worked with students to determine which courses were needed to complete the undergraduate program’s requirements, maintained statistics regarding the students’ progression and assisted students with submission of licensure exam applications.

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ate or instructor status. Beginning in 1948, Kyle also was required to provide student nurses for a psychiatric unit opened at Douglas County Hospital under the control of the College of Medicine.11 The school was given a vote of confidence by the “Classification Study” of the National Committee for the Improvement of Nursing Services in the late 1940s. Following a questionnaire survey of the nation’s 1,190 state-accredited nursing schools, the 1,155 that

She also encouraged students to participate in the College of Nursing’s activities, which included Student Council, class officers and recreational events such as volleyball and softball games with other nursing schools in Omaha.

responded were classified into three groups based on their ability to

Students celebrated her marriage to Wes Sedivy and later acknowledged her retirement in 1991.

The College appointed her emeritus assistant professor after more than 30 years as student advisor.

and her high ideals and to Kyle for her first few years as director.

provide a sound nursing education program.

The University of Nebraska was in Group I, made up of 301 schools that represented the upper quarter12 – a tribute to Burgess In 1949, the National Nursing Accrediting Service (NNAS) was established to unify the accrediting activities for several nursing organizations. Accreditation was voluntary, and the first published list included only 146 schools – 12 percent of the nation’s 1,195 basic nursing programs – but none in Nebraska. The goal of NNAS was to assist nursing education programs to meet the criteria for accreditation,

STUDENT LIFE

SNAPSHOTS OF THE ’50S Singing at Ivy Day (above); arriving for the start of classes (below); displaying the student uniform with cape (below right).

Student life in the 1950s mostly resembled that of earlier years. Classes, studying and working 40 or more hours on all three shifts left little time for other activities. A typical week included 8-10 hours of classroom instruction and 40 or more hours of clinical work.

In principle, the classroom hours were to be included in the 40-hour work week, but in reality this rarely occurred since many students were assigned to evening and night duty. Classes were held during the day hours, and attendance was mandatory, regardless of the shift worked. Counting study time, a student could easily put in a 70- to 80-hour week.

Social activities were those planned by the students and faculty — holiday parties, picnics, teas, dances, the Junior-Senior Banquet and the Senior-Parent banquet.

Students paid blanket fees ranging from $150 to $180 per year. This included matriculation, registration, medical care, laboratory, library and course fees.

Book costs for three years were estimated at $75 to $125, while uniforms cost $90, with $50 subsidized by the Board of Regents. Board, room and uniform laundry were free. The cost of the freshman year was dependent on the college chosen to meet the pre-nursing requirements.

which could be used by prospective students, their parents and educational counselors to select a school of nursing.13 Kyle’s priorities were reflected in her address to the Alumnae Association in May of 1950: “The standards of the School must be raised if we are to meet accreditation.” She stressed the need for a larger graduate nurse staff to relieve students of evening and night

A GRADUATE PROGRAM

duty, the need for more qualified applicants for admission and greater

Faculty members frequently discussed the need to start graduate nursing programs, in spite of the difficulty in recruiting qualified faculty to teach the undergraduate students.

alumnae participation in School and state nursing activities.

A graduate college program at the University of Nebraska leading to a Master in Psychiatric Nursing (MPN) began in 1954 with funding of $16,876 from the National Institutes of Health.

This program, directed by Theresa Muller, MA, RN, offered nurses a clinical specialization in psychiatric nursing.

activities, by providing nursing care to critically ill patients, and by working 6 to 11 p.m. as staff nurses. While these efforts were greatly appreciated, it would be a long time before the School would meet the standards for accreditation.

Kyle’s efforts did result in “temporary” NNAS accreditation of the three-year diploma program in 1952. Of the 1,108 nursing programs at that time, 18 percent were fully accredited (Union College in Lincoln was the only Nebraska program with full accreditation); 57 percent were temporarily accredited; and 25 percent were denied temporary accreditation. The program of temporary accreditation was to cover 1952 to 1957 and was implemented

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Marjorie Hook Gedgoud, Ed.D., RN, ’40 taught in this program until the School of Nursing started a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a major in psychiatric-mental health nursing in 1969.

Twenty-three students graduated with the MPN.

Some alumnae responded by participating actively in recruitment

was listed as temporarily accredited until 1956, when it no longer

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appeared on the accreditation list published by the NLN.

in lieu of a second classification of schools.14 The process was transferred to the newly formed National League for Nursing (NLN) in 1952, with the goal of assisting schools in achieving full accreditation.15 The School’s diploma program

THE UNIFORM The student uniforms had changed in 1936 to short sleeves with cuffs and slightly shorter skirts and kept the white apron, bib and cap.

These were still laundered by the hospital laundry.

The School’s reorganization in 1957 was an initial attempt, at least in principle, to separate the teaching and nursing service functions.

The development of bylaws for faculty and nursing service personnel drew a distinction between the groups while stressing the need for close cooperation. Although Kyle was still responsible for both education and service, this reorganization was the forerunner to the complete separation of education and service mandated by the NLN.

REGINA TANGNEY BARENTSON In 1962, Director Irma Kyle found the nurse educator who could develop and implement the collegiate program suggested by the National League of Nursing. Regina Tangney Barentson, MS, RN, was named Associate Director and Associate Professor with the instruction from Kyle: “Your job is to get this School accredited.”16

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Barentson, a diploma graduate of St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in Kansas City, earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree from the University of Indiana. She was prepared both educationally and through experience to direct the changes needed for accreditation.

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One of Barentson’s first suggestions was the complete separation of nursing education and nursing service, which was accomplished when Carol Wilson, MA, RN, ’51 was named Director of Nursing Service.

The distinction between faculty and nursing service staff was still blurred. Many nursing service personnel were listed in the bulletin as assistant instructors or instructors in the clinical division.

They were, in fact, responsible for much of the clinical instruction and supervision of students.

The School’s first attempt at full NLN accreditation came up short in June 1960. The group’s Collegiate Board of Review cited lack of prepared faculty to provide direct instruction and supervision in all clinical settings; the need for a nurse educator qualified to assist the director; similarity to technical non-professional preparation for nursing; and lack of personnel practices comparable to those for other undergraduate students at the University.17 Kyle wrote the NLN that the board’s action “was not entirely unexpected” and that she recognized that much remained to be done to improve the program.18 She also shared concerns about the trend to limit clinical experience. While she supported the philosophy that student nurses should not be used to meet nursing service needs, she stated emphatically that the profession and patients would suffer if nurses became

CHANGING TIMES

OUTSTANDING INSTRUCTION A graduate recalled that she phoned an Omaha hospital inquiring about a staff nurse position in obstetrics. She was told that she need not come for an interview and was hired on the telephone.

“We know the capabilities of University nurses,” she was told.

Nursing classes were small, perhaps because of the lack of NLN accreditation. It seems unlikely, however, that students worried about accreditation to the degree that faculty did. Students tended to choose the School because it offered a degree program and because of its reputation. Charlotte Burgess’ statement that “University nurses have no equals” was well known, and students knew that graduation from the School assured them of jobs anywhere in the country.

By the 1960s, clinical hours for students were reduced to 24 hours per week. Additional faculty with master’s degrees and experience in their area of preparation were hired. Faculty began instruction and direct supervision of students in all clinical areas, and the emphasis of clinical experience shifted from meeting service needs to meeting the learning needs of students. Students still were assigned to the evening and night shifts, however, reflecting Kyle’s philosophy that these experiences were essential to prepare nurses for when they graduated.

Public Health Nursing was added to the curriculum, with Frances McDonald, MS, RN, as the instructor, while clinical experiences were provided by the Visiting Nurses’ Association of the Douglas County Health Department. Helen Hested, Director of the Omaha VNA, recognized the importance of Public Health Nursing with a gift of a copy of Notes on Nursing by Florence Nightingale in 1963.19

RNs without knowing the basic skills. Kyle believed that skills were best learned through repeated and intensive clinical experiences and suggested that if trends continued, an intensive training period might be needed after college and before licensing.20

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Kyle probably knew that accreditation would not be granted and

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CAROL WILSON ’51

likely hoped that this formal refusal would convince the administra-

Carol Wilson, MA, RN, served nearly 40 years, as director of nursing, later as Assistant Director for Health Services Administration and as Associate Director of Nursing until her retirement in 1992.

tion of the seriousness of the situation. The better schools had been

Wilson was a role model for professional nursing and was active in the American Nurses Association (ANA), Nebraska Nurses Association (NNA), and District II. In 2005, she received the NNA Distinguished Service Award.

While J.P. Tollman, MD, Dean of the College of Medicine, had been

accredited since the early 1950s, so the message was clear: The School must become accredited, revert to a diploma program, or close. supportive of the School, he became more so after top University administration support waned. Kyle felt the administration was not very interested in nursing education and frequently spoke of the

She was president of the Nebraska Organization of Nurse Executives, which recognized her in 1992 for her accomplishments at UNMC and in nursing locally, regionally and nationally.

That same year, she received the Distinguished Alumnus Award.

need for officials in Lincoln to recognize and support the School as

She was active in the UNMC College of Nursing Alumni Association and spearheaded efforts to fund an endowed chair in nursing to recognize the College’s 75th anniversary. In 2007, she established the Carol M. Wilson Endowed Chair in Nursing at the UNMC College of Nursing.

doctors questioned why they no longer provided lectures. With the

Nebraska Medicine Hospital annually presents the Carol M. Wilson Quality in Nursing Practice Award to a registered nurse during National Nurses Week.

an integral part of the University.

Curriculum changed to bolster basic sciences and liberal arts, and nursing courses were restructured to eliminate repetition. With the emphasis shifted from diseases to patients’ nursing needs, some focus moving to nursing intervention, rather than medical knowledge, it made sense that nursing faculty would be the most qualified to teach nursing practice.

The school was certainly indebted to medical college faculty, since the nursing program could not have survived the early years without the physician lectures. It was time for change, however, and it was believed that nursing courses should be taught by qualified nurse

A NEW RESIDENCE HALL Conkling Hall, which had served as the Nurses’ Residence since 1923, was showing its age by the mid-1950s. Student rooms were dark and cramped, and office and classroom space was lacking. Kyle convinced the administration that a new building was needed and on June 15, 1957, the School of Nursing on the southwest edge of the campus was dedicated.

CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION The 1950s were a period of great expansion for the medical campus and surrounding area.

In addition to the School of Nursing, new construction included the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute (1955), the Hattie B. Munroe Home (1956), the J.P. Lord School (1957), the Memorial Research Laboratory (1957), and the Meyer Therapy Center (1959). With the exception of the Research Laboratory, each of these facilities eventually would be used for clinical nursing experience.

The building could house 100 to 150 students in bright, tastefully decorated rooms, most of which were designed for two students. Level 1 provided classrooms, a game room and a lounge. The north wall of the lounge was partitioned into small rooms, called “date rooms.” The door had been carefully designed, however, so that it would not close completely. Level 2 provided office space for faculty, a Nursing Arts lab, the Myra Tucker Library and classrooms. Levels 3, 4 and 5 were reserved for students.

Each level had a small kitchen where students could prepare snacks and simple meals.

The tradition of requiring all students to live in the nurses’ residence continued through the 1960s.

Admission was still restricted to unmarried women, and while no age limitations were imposed, the vast majority of students were in the 19-22 age range.

Students were allowed to marry within six months of graduation with the consent of their parents and the Director of the School. These married seniors were allowed to live off campus.

faculty members. Recruitment of qualified faculty was an ongoing problem, with few nurses throughout the country prepared for teaching or administrative positions.

Attracting faculty to a non-accredited program in the Midwest also was difficult, but Kyle and Barentson persisted. By 1965, 15 of the 22 faculty members teaching undergraduate students held master’s degrees, with the remaining seven holding bachelor’s degrees.

None held a doctoral degree.21 The faculty again submitted the application for NLN accreditation and self-study report in 1965 and this time was not disappointed.

Barentson, who had directed the faculty toward this goal, deserved much of the credit for the baccalaureate program being granted full accreditation.

Other “firsts” included Charlotte Steiner Abbink and Jane Adkisson earning BSN degrees with distinction, an honor not previously bestowed on nursing graduates. Jane Adkisson McMahill recalled that “the ‘cum laude’ was written on my diploma by hand ... it looks like a forgery!”22 Matthew Faier and David Mattson entered the generic baccalaureate

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program on June 14, 1965, as the first male students. Faier would

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Omaha World-Herald, May 1965

claim in 1968 to be the first male graduate, saying “ ‘F’ comes before ‘M’ doesn’t it?” Actually, the honor of being the first male graduate belonged to Walt Hemelstrand, RN, who earned the BSN degree in 1967.

Kyle had accomplished much in her 20 years as Director and took a sabbatical to prepare for directing the continuing education program. Regina Tangney Barentson was named Acting Director of the School in 1966, and the search for a new director was begun.

STUDENT POLICIES By the 1960s, the School had begun adjusting its student policies, including expanding admission to male students and then married students.

Students who wished to marry after admission still needed permission from their parents and the Director of the School.

Students began paying for room and board in 1963, since they could no longer earn them in return for hospital assignments.

SCENES OF THE ’60S Students were active making candles for the 1961 Fall Festival (above) and raising money with a car wash in 1960 (below left). Students headed off to the 1962 National Student Nurses Association Convention in Detroit in 1962 (below right). Many students also were active in the Nebraska State Student Nurses’ Association (NSSNA), and some served as officers.

Courses were on a semester basis to conform to the University calendar, and students were given vacations and holidays consistent with other undergraduate students.

CHARTING A NEW COURSE DR. RENA BOYLE was the highly respected Director of the Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Programs of the National League for Nursing (NLN) in New York City when she first met Dr. Cecil L. Wittson, then the dean of the University of Nebraska College of Medicine.

Dean Wittson said he wanted “the best in the country” as the new Director for the School of Nursing, and his meeting with Dr. Boyle convinced him that he had found the right person.

He invited her to visit the University.

Dr. Boyle had decided to leave the NLN because of her desire to return to a school of nursing. She had been nearly ready to accept the position of Chairman of the Graduate Program at the University of Indiana, but agreed to visit Omaha.1 Dr. Boyle claimed that she never really wanted to be a nurse.

She yearned to be a teacher, but “it was the Depression and the

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only thing I could afford to be was a nurse.”2 Just as she had not

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had aspirations of being a nurse, she had never thought that she would be a dean. She recalled: “I loved to teach. I had worked The building that had housed the school since 1957 was bursting at the seams by the early 1970s.

with beginning students and with student teachers at Minnesota.

And even as a consultant ... I always did a great deal of teaching.”3 But her time at the League convinced her that she could have a greater impact in administration.

When the rumor spread on campus that Dean Wittson was courting such a well-known and respected educator, the response often was “You’ll never get Rena Boyle!” But Dean Wittson was a persuasive man, and on April 1, 1967 – the School’s Golden Anniversary year – Dr. Boyle began work as Associate Dean for Nursing and Director of the School of Nursing.

RENA BOYLE: 1967-79

CAMPUS

Dr. Rena Boyle, Ph.D., RN, a Chicago native, earned a diploma in nursing from the Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in Peoria, Illinois, in 1938. Her love for teaching led her to the University of Minnesota, where she earned a baccalaureate degree in nursing education (1941), a master of arts in educational psychology (1946) and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and higher education (1953). As director of student teaching in nursing at the University of Minnesota from 1943 to 1954 she was able to combine both careers — nursing and teaching.

GROWTH

After leaving Minnesota, she served as a nurse consultant with the International Cooperating Administration in Haiti and Guatemala. She was chief of research and consultation, Division of Nursing Resources, with the U.S. Public Health Service in Washington, D.C., from 1956 to 1961, when she joined the staff of the NLN. The School’s growth during Dean Boyle’s tenure would surpass anything that had happened in its first 50 years, and it would become known nationally as an innovator in nursing education. Much of the credit goes to Dr. Boyle for her strong leadership, creativity and risk-taking, but she in turn would credit the students, faculty, alumni, university administrators, Board of Regents, the State Legislature and Nebraskans for their loyalty and support.

A view from 1972

What did Dr. Boyle like about Nebraska? “First of all, it was the Midwest, and home for me is the Midwest. It had a small program, it was accredited, and it was only one program. I wanted no part of these huge programs.”4 It was in fact a small program, with 20 faculty members and just 79 students studying for the BSN, the only degree offered. It was not a dean’s position since the School of Nursing was administratively a department of the College of Medicine, as it had been since 1917.

Dr. Boyle had hardly settled into her new position when the University instituted a major reorganization. The Medical Center campus had been administratively part of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, but in 1968 the Municipal University of Omaha was

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MERGING PROGRAMS

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Omaha University’s nursing program was discussed intensely in the months preceding the merger into the Nebraska system. The school had offered a non-accredited program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree to registered nurses for many years. Despite some opposition from nurses enrolled at Omaha University, the merger went smoothly, and no nursing courses were offered at UNO after 1968-69. Dorothy Patach, MS, RN, ’44, who had directed and taught at Omaha University, retained her faculty appointment at UNO. She served as counselor to pre-nursing students. Patach (above with Dean Cecil Wittson) later was given a joint appointment in the School of Nursing.

added to the system and the Medical Center became a semiautonomous unit. The University system thus had three campuses — the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC).

Dr. Wittson was appointed President of UNMC, Dr. Robert B. Kugel became Dean of the College of Medicine, and Dr. Boyle was named Dean of the School of Nursing, reporting directly to Dr. Wittson. In 1971, the title of the chief administrative officer of each of the three campuses was changed from president to chancellor.

The changes were more than just new school names and administrative titles. They meant that the School of Nursing was no longer under the control of the College of Medicine.

STUDENT

A DEMAND FOR NURSES

CARE

An addition to University Hospital (above), completed in 1969, increased the bed capacity to 285 and provided excellent clinical facilities for all of the health profession schools. However, it compounded the nursing shortage at the time. Students who had completed their basic nursing courses were hired as assistant nurses and worked under the supervision of registered nurses. Their contribution to patient care was greatly appreciated, and they in turn benefited from the added clinical experience.

Clare Fleming oversees a student administering care in 1968 (left); a student prepares for a dressing change in 1975 (right).

T HE U NDER GRADU AT E PROGRAM

The four-year BSN program was well established when Dr. Boyle arrived in 1967. The number of qualified applicants greatly exceeded the number who could be admitted, due to physical limitations and available faculty. The number of students admitted had increased from 28 in 1964 to 55 in 1967. In 1968, 80 sophomore students, the maximum number possible, were admitted.5 The students, clad in the new blue and white pinstripe wash-and-wear uniform, went through the traditional courses toward the BSN.

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JANE CARNEY

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Nearly all clinical experiences were located at University

Jane Carney, MA, RN, was named Associate Dean and the administrative head of the baccalaureate program in 1970 after the resignation of Regina Tangney Barentson.

Carney was an energetic, extroverted woman who quickly won the friendship of students and faculty alike. Her gregarious personality complemented the reserved demeanor of Dean Boyle.

Hospital, although Omaha Veterans Hospital and nursing homes

Barentson had served as Associate Director (1962-1966), Acting Director (1966-1967) and as Associate Dean (1969-1970). In recognition of her service to the School, she was named an Honorary Member of the Alumni Association in 1970.

sophomore year was one of pressure and fear. Once they survived

were utilized for some fundamental medical surgical experiences.

The Omaha/Douglas County Visiting Nurses Association and Nebraska Psychiatric Institute for Mental Health provided public health nursing clinical experiences.

The students shared their comments and suggestions when Dr. Boyle met with seniors in the spring of 1968. Students felt the that year, however, the remainder of the program was less difficult and the experiences were interesting. The basic sciences received high marks, as did Maternal Child Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing, Advanced Clinical Nursing and Team Leadership. Students in the Advanced Clinical and Team Leadership courses felt they were treated as co-workers or colleagues by their instructors and were encouraged to be independent. The attitude of the instructors helped the students gain confidence in their ability to practice nursing.6

NURSING SHORTAGE The ever-present shortage, or uneven distribution, of nurses and other health care personnel greatly concerned the state in the late 1960s. A Medical Center study estimated that Nebraska would be short about 2,000 nurses by 1978.

The state’s 11 diploma programs and three degree programs could not meet the projected needs created by additional hospital beds, new nursing homes and expanded roles for nurses. The report recommended increased admissions to the BSN program and the development of an associate degree program (ASN) to attract students interested in a shorter program leading to licensure.7

A RURAL EXPERIENCE Rural areas of Nebraska felt the nursing shortage more acutely than metropolitan areas in the 1960s and ’70s. While many University students came from rural communities, few recent graduates were employed outside the Omaha area. Student experiences were centered in Omaha, and graduates were less likely to seek work in areas where they had no experience.

In 1971, the College designed a project to expose students to health care and nursing in rural communities. Ogallala (population 4,900 at the time), 330 miles west of Omaha, was chosen for the pilot project. The students lived in an apartment provided free of charge but were otherwise responsible for their own expenses.

Learning experiences included work and observations at the Community Hospital, physicians’ offices, mental health clinic, sheltered workshop and nursing home.

They also assisted with 4-H educational programs related to health. The pilot project was declared a success, and a three-credit elective course in Rural Community Nursing was established for seniors.

A major drawback to the course was the requirement to be off-campus for six weeks; many students were unable to arrange this absence due to family, work, or other course responsibilities. A theory-only course, Rural Community Awareness, was offered. These two courses were electives until the generic baccalaureate program was phased out in 1976, when 70 percent of the nursing graduates had participated in one of the rural courses.

T HE ASSOC I AT E DEGREE PRO G RAM

Associate degree (ASN) programs in nursing were first established in 1952, and by 1967 there were 281 state-approved programs in 45 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the American Virgin Islands. The majority of associate programs in 1968 were offered by junior or com-

SCHOOL TO COLLEGE AND ACCREDITATION

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As the School was preparing for the graduation of the first associate degree (ASN) students, two events added to the festivities. The Board of Regents approved changing the School to the College of Nursing in 1972. In the same year, the College of Pharmacy, which had been based in Lincoln, was aligned with the Medical Center, resulting in three health professions colleges on the campus.

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munity colleges. Seventy were at senior colleges and universities, but only five of those schools offered both associate and baccalaureate programs.9 No associate degree programs were offered in Nebraska.

Planning for the University’s ASN program began in 1969 with the appointment of Lois Merrill, MSN, RN, as Associate Dean, and reasonable assurance of accreditation by the National League for Nursing (NLN) was received in 1970. The College’s program, as described in the 1970-71 Bulletin, initially included 34 credits of general education courses and 41 credits of nursing courses, and

The College was also notified in 1972 that the four-year BSN program had received continuing accreditation from the National League for Nursing and initial accreditation of the ASN and MSN programs.

required four semesters and one summer session of full-time study.

The official pin worn by graduates remained essentially unchanged since it was designed in 1921 by Dr. Alfred Brown, Chief Surgeon at University Hospital. Design suggestions were made by Charlotte Burgess and the Alumnae Association, which was organized in 1921.8

designed to prepare men and women for meeting nursing care needs

The central lamp represents Florence Nightingale’s nursing career. Semper fidelis is a well known Latin phrase meaning “always faithful.”

the lack of adequate clinical facilities outside the metropolitan areas

Students completing the 75 credit hours with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale) were awarded the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) degree. The program was specifically of patients and families with common preventive, therapeutic and rehabilitative needs.

Dr. Boyle felt the lag in development of these programs was due in part to the relatively slow increase in numbers of junior colleges, and an inadequate supply of prepared faculty. She suggested that the University should take the lead in developing associate programs.10

THE ASSOCIATE PROGRAM The purpose of the program was to educate students at the technical or semi-professional level. Graduates were eligible for licensure as registered nurses and were prepared to give nursing care as staff nurses, usually in hospitals. A typical two-year ASN program combined nursing theory and practice with general education courses in the arts and sciences. The ASN program was considered complete in itself and was not the first step toward the baccalaureate degree, although some credits might apply if a graduate later could chose to earn a baccalaureate degree.11 Associate degree programs were particularly attractive to students who wanted to complete a nursing program in a relatively short time, and wanted both nursing education and college studies. Students were often older than traditional students, were married, and had family responsibilities. Some were mature men and women seeking preparation for a career change.

The students were attired in a yellow and white pinstripe uniform to distinguish them from BSN students.

With a few exceptions, major clinical laboratory resources also were used by the baccalaureate program, so the problem of identification was a real one. BSN students were sometimes referred to as “the blue students” and associate degree students as the “yellows.”

In keeping with fashion trends, the pantsuit for female students (above) first appeared in 1973. The pantsuit was a welcome change from the short hemlines so popular at this time and was more practical for nursing activities in both the hospital and community.

PINS ON DISPLAY 1972 ASN and BSN graduates show off their Red Cross organization pins marking 20 or more volunteer hours.

T HE ART I C U L AT ED PROGRAMS

A UNIQUE APPROACH

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Initiated in 1973, the articulated career ladder program was the only one of its kind in the nation.

The College had designed and implemented an innovative nursing program which allowed students to stop their education at the ASN, BSN, or MSN level, to proceed through the programs at their own pace, and to select upper division courses which best met their interests and needs. Approximately 40 percent of the students graduating from the ASN program in 1975-1976 went directly into the BSN program.12 The articulated programs were fully accredited by the NLN in 1977.

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An exciting feature of the new baccalaureate program was the development of elective courses, which were based on the needs of Nebraska and requests from faculty, students, alumni and nursing service personnel. They included “Nursing in a Rural Community,” “Care of the Handicapped Child” and “Care of the Older Person.”13 Meanwhile, a school nurse-health educator program, developed with the University of Nebraska at Omaha, was designed to provide students the opportunity to become teachercertified health educators in grades 7 through 12. This program required an additional 20 to 25 semester credits.14

It was quickly apparent that many in the associate program wanted to eventually obtain their baccalaureate degree, but they could not transfer from one undergraduate program to another without loss of time and credit. Graduates of the associate program who decided later to earn the baccalaureate degree were required to complete 41 credits more than students who initially entered the BSN program.

The academic ability of most of the ASN students differed little from those entering the BSN program, and students questioned why it would take three more years to get their degree, rather than two.

The faculty in 1972 moved forward a plan to improve the transition from associate to baccalaureate degree.15 All of those involved agreed that the associate degree program, which totaled 73 credits, would provide an adequate base for an upper division baccalaureate program with the addition of a course in chemistry. To provide for articulation, the four-year baccalaureate program was discontinued, with the last class accepted into this program in June 1973. All students entering the nursing program in the fall of 1973 entered the first step of the career ladder — the two-year associate degree program.

The new baccalaureate program, designed to be completed in two years, was much different than the old program and required the most time for planning. Only registered nurses were admitted to the second step of the career ladder. Graduates of the University’s ASN program as well as graduates of other ASN and diploma programs could now enroll in a program which would be suited to their needs and interests.

SIGMA THETA TAU INTERNATIONAL A significant event of the ’70s was the establishment of the Gamma Pi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, National Nursing Honorary society; Gamma Pi was chartered on April 16, 1978, as the 86th chapter of the society.

Sigma Theta Tau International is the only professional nursing organization that is the Honor Society of Nursing.

The founders in 1922 chose the Greek words that mean love, courage, and honor. The mission of the organization is advancing world health and celebrating nursing excellence in scholarship, leadership and service.

CHAPTER KEY AWARD Two chapters in Omaha merged to form Gamma Piat-Large chapter, which was chartered in 2004.

In 2013, Gamma Pi-at Large chapter was awarded the chapter key award. Dr. Rosalee Yeaworth (above on left) and Muriel Munchrath honored Tom O’Connor, UNMC Public Affairs, for articles on males in nursing.

There are more than 135,000 active members in more than 90 countries. Members include nurses with master and doctoral degrees, staff nurses, nursing administrators.

Muriel Munchrath MSN, RN, spearheaded the effort that led to Gamma Pi’s charter in 1978. Dean Boyle believed the College needed to have this organization’s membership offered to the graduates. BSN and MSN students are selected on the basis of academic achievement and class rank, and community leaders are selected based on achievement in nursing. Members of Sigma Theta Tau wear lavender and white honor cords with their academic attire.

HONOR CORDS Members wear honor cords at the Kearney induction in 2014 (left); College of Nursing faculty attend a Sigma Theta Tau conference (above).

T HE GRADU AT E PROGRAM

One of Dr. Wittson’s questions to Dr. Boyle soon after her arrival was related to a master’s program in nursing, but she told him that she would not even think of it for the first year.16 Ready or not, planning began in 1968 for the graduate program

SR . PATRICIA J. MILLER

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Dr. Miller, Ph.D., RN, earned a diploma in nursing from St. Joseph Hospital in Omaha and degrees from Creighton University (BSN), Catholic University (MSN), and the University of Iowa (Ph.D.). The native Nebraskan returned to her home state in 1974 after having taught at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Omaha, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Ottumwa, Iowa, the University of Iowa and Marycrest College in Iowa.

She is affiliated with the Congregation of the Sisters of Humility of Mary, based in Davenport, Iowa.

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As the graduate student enrollment increased and administrative duties became more time consuming, Dean Boyle recruited Dr. Miller to serve as Chairman of the graduate program.

Dr. Miller’s affiliation with the Congregation of the Sisters of Humility of Mary caused some concern for students enrolled in the master’s program in 1974. “What do we call her, Sister or Doctor?” was a common question. Had she been attired in the habit of a nun, the answer would have been simple, but she had adopted lay dress, as had other religious orders. One courageous student finally asked the question. Dr. Miller replied that she answered to either title, and on informal occasions she soon became “Sister Pat.”

leading to the Master of Science in Nursing. At the time, no program existed in the state of Nebraska to prepare nurses for leadership positions, for teaching positions in nursing schools or as clinical nurse specialists.

The Nebraska Nurses’ Association and the Nebraska State Medical Association both passed resolutions supporting the need for a graduate program, and the Nebraska Hospital Association urged that “training at the graduate level be initiated at the earliest possible date.”

The Board of Regents approved a curriculum proposal in September 1969, and reasonable assurance of NLN accreditation followed. With this preliminary approval, students were admitted for enrollment in non-nursing courses in the fall of 1969.

A year later, students were enrolled in graduate nursing courses in Medical Surgical or Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing for the first time.

Two additional nursing majors were developed soon after the arrival of Sr. Patricia Miller. The Maternal Child Nursing major admitted students in the fall of 1975. The Community Health Nursing major admitted its first students in the fall of 1976.

PLANNING AHEAD Chancellor Cecil Wittson gave Dr. Rena Boyle the task of creating a graduate program for the College of Nursing.

GRADUATE PROGRAM, RESEARCH ON THE RISE The graduate program’s early aim was to prepare clinical nurse specialists in medical surgical or psychiatric mental health nursing. Post master’s courses in teaching were offered for the first time in the spring of 1972, and post master’s courses in nursing service administration were offered beginning in 1973-74.17 Students admitted in 1977 could choose courses to prepare them for roles in nursing service administration, teaching in schools of nursing, or clinical specialization.

Enrollment continued to increase, reaching 98 (39 full-time, 59 part-time) in 1977. The typical student was a 25- to 29-year-old woman employed as a teacher in a school of nursing, married with no children.

Faculty members were becoming more involved in research related to their own interests under the tutelage of Dr. Rena Boyle, Dr. Patricia Miller and Martha Brown, Ph.D., RN, director of the Nursing Care Research Center. Recruitment of doctorally prepared researchers strengthened the research component of the graduate program. Nursing faculty became involved in their own research activities and presented their research findings at national meetings and through publications in refereed journals.

The University had made great strides since the opening of the Nursing Care Research Center in 1968, the first state-supported nursing research center in the nation. The center was closely aligned with the graduate program because of the emphasis on research in the master’s degree curriculum.

Master’s students were required to plan and conduct a research project under the guidance of a faculty member.

FIRST GRADUATES Sharon Swift Rife (left) and Ann Lallman were the first to complete the graduate program and received their degrees in December 1971.

Dr. Brown taught the nursing research courses, advised students in their research activity and continued her own research focused on gerontologic clients. She served as chairman of the Graduate Committee from 1970-74 and performed many of the administrative duties of the chairman of the Graduate Program, although she never officially held the latter title.

END OF AN ERA

Dr. Rena Boyle retired from the College and from nursing in July 1979. She had led the College of Nursing through a period of tremendous growth and change during her 12 years as Dean. An innovative career ladder program – ASN, BSN and MSN programs – was developed to meet the increasing need for registered nurses with different and distinctive educational preparation. Student enrollment increased from 79 in 1967 to 722 in 1979. The recruitment of qualified students, a major concern for previous directors, was no longer a problem. Selection criteria remained very competitive and, as had been true since its beginning, the College was able to admit

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BUILDING DEDICATION

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The College of Nursing building was officially dedicated January 31, 1976, and was host to an Educational Conference on the Articulated Programs. The conference was in response to requests for information from throughout the U.S. Although faculty members were anxious to provide consultation, it soon became difficult to respond to each request. Associate and baccalaureate programs that were NLN members were invited to send representatives to the conference and dedication, and 193 nurse educators from 27 states attended.18 Dr. Gladys Sorensen ’45, Dean of Nursing at the University of Arizona, was the guest speaker and received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the College of Nursing Alumni Association.

only the best candidates.

The College of Nursing had become a collegiate school in every sense of the term. Classes and clinical experiences were scheduled like other college courses, with regular summer and holiday vacations. One hour of credit was given for three hours of clinical laboratory experience – a radical change from 1920, when no credit was given for 48 hours of work in the hospital. Clinical experiences were planned exclusively for learning, and students no longer supplied nursing services for the hospital. Students paid regular University tuition and fees.

The collegiate atmosphere changed student life considerably.

Students no longer were cloistered in a dormitory and dependent on the College for their lifestyles. Many had family and job responsibilities. Since they no longer lived together, class cohesiveness was sometimes limited.

THE LINCOLN DIVISION In the midst of the planning of the articulated programs, the Board of Regents asked the College of Nursing to determine the feasibility of establishing a nursing program on the Lincoln campus. Dean Boyle suggested that clinical facilities in Lincoln were limited, since two of the five hospitals were offering their own diploma programs, and that recruitment of faculty prepared at the master’s level also would be difficult. Dean Boyle submitted a proposal for establishing the ASN program in Lincoln, but the Regents asked that a plan instead be submitted for a BSN program.19 The Regents eventually accepted the articulated ASN/BSN programs in 1972, and in the fall of 1974, 32 students entered the Lincoln Division ASN program.

The BSN program was implemented in 1976, and the first baccalaureate class of 35 students graduated in May 1978.20 The coordination of programs on two campuses 45 miles apart was no easy task. Faculty communication was aided, however, by telephone conferences and a great deal of driving on Interstate 80.

A SECOND CAMPUS The College opened in Fairfield Hall, a former dormitory in Selleck Quadrangle, with nursing faculty and the director of the Learning Center. The Learning Center in the basement of Fairfield Hall (left); a classroom in Benton Hall (above).

Class size and varying schedules prevented students from knowing all their classmates. The College did encourage class and school activities, with limited success. The Student Council was re-activated, and classes continued to elect officers, but gone were the teas, holiday parties, dances and picnics of the Burgess and Kyle eras.

A more normal college life facilitated student participation in activities unrelated to nursing. Many students maintained their ties to the UNL campus by spending weekends commuting to Lincoln.

In 1971 and 1972, nursing students Becke Wagner and Barbara Allen reigned as UNL Homecoming Queens.

The faculty also benefited from the collegiate atmosphere. When Dr. Boyle arrived in 1967, faculty members were on 12-month appointments, but the adoption of the University schedule facilitated 10-month teaching schedules similar to other college professors.

Faculty were able to spend the summer months working in other jobs, or continuing their own education.

Dr. Boyle was successful in recruiting more faculty members with / C H A RT I N G A N EW CO U R S E

master’s and doctoral degrees and enabling better preparation of those already on the teaching staff. Faculty members who did not hold master’s degrees were encouraged to return to school. In 1979, when Dr. Boyle announced her retirement, 83 percent of the 100 faculty members were prepared at the master’s and doctoral level.

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Omaha World-Herald, January 1976

A NEW BUILDING The chancellor of the Medical Center, the president of the University and the Board of Regents gave first priority to a new nursing building. The Nebraska Legislature appropriated $54,000 in 1971 for preliminary architectural drawings. The $3.7 million building was funded with appropriations from the Legislature, a federal grant from the Division of Nursing of the U.S. Public Health Service, a donation from the Nursing Alumni Association and private donations from alumni and friends of the College. Faculty and students eagerly awaited the opening of the building in January 1976, and no one was disappointed.

ROOM TO GROW The five-story College of Nursing building, located on the southeast corner of 42nd Street and Dewey Avenue, was designed to be both attractive and functional. It was built to accommodate 700 students and 100 faculty. The spaciousness, colorful decor and presence of live greenery brightened the Nebraska winter. Faculty members were especially pleased to move into private offices with new furniture.

The electronic capabilities of the building improved communication with the Lincoln Division campus.

Two-way television transmission was available for classes and faculty conferences. Classes taught on either campus could be attended by students on both campuses, making more efficient use of faculty.

Commuting between Lincoln and Omaha decreased, a savings of both money and time. Closed-circuit television allowed transmission of audio-visual materials from the Learning Center to classrooms.

The Nursing Research Laboratory, with its data analysis center, offices, conference rooms and wet laboratory provided a facility that had never before been exclusively available to nursing. Faculty members were becoming more active in research, and the Research Center provided the necessary encouragement, consultation and support services.

AN EXPANDING MISSION DR. ROSALEE COCKERILL YEAWORTH followed Dr. Rena Boyle as dean of the College of Nursing, taking the position September 10, 1979, and serving for 16 years. Her tenure was marked by increased opportunities for nursing education in outstate Nebraska, the beginning of a doctoral program and the expansion of master’s and doctoral degrees to nurses through distance learning methods. Amazingly, these achievements occurred during a period of legislative funding battles with occasional threats to cut University programs.

Dr. Yeaworth had been the assistant dean for graduate programs at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Nursing and Health.

The school year already was underway, and Dr. Yeaworth faced a number of pressing issues. For one, the College was searching for a new Associate Dean of the Undergraduate Programs, Omaha Division, since Jane Carney had left. Nancy Langston Ph.D., RN, later was named dean for undergraduate programs on both campuses. / A N E X PA N D I N G M I S S I O N

In addition, it was soon clear that dwindling state and federal dollars

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would cause closer scrutiny of program costs. The College of Medicine “The funding for state-supported nursing education is an investment in jobs and health care for Nebraskans that repays the funding many times,” Dr. Rosalee Yeaworth said.

was seeking additional funds to strengthen certain departments, and the College of Dentistry had a budget deficit when it was placed under Medical Center administration. It was clear that the colleges would be competing for limited funds.

Beyond those immediate concerns, Dr. Yeaworth began to target some long-term needs. One was that 62 percent of the faculty in the associate degree program for the 1979-80 academic year did not hold master’s degrees. She also sought to begin reviews for promotion and tenure. Other major goals were to reduce student attrition and raise minority enrollment.

THE LEARNING RESOURCE CENTER The Learning Resource Center in the new building had two areas. One area provided students with a place to study and allowed them access to computers.

The other area was for students to practice skills used in providing patient care. Murphy beds on the wall could be pulled down to allow students to practice on peers the skills used in the delivery of care.

PRACTICE AREA This skills area could accommodate clinical groups by returning the beds to the Murphy frame, and tables could be brought in for discussions and other work.

In the meantime, a Board of Regents planning document in 1980 recommended reduction or elimination of Lincoln’s program, sparking students, parents and the health care community to rush to its defense. The Nebraska Nurses Association’s president was among those testifying at a Board of Regents meeting, and other cuts to the University of Nebraska Medical Center also drew strong opposition.

ROSALEE YEAWORTH 1979-1994

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Dr. Rosalee Yeaworth, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, received her basic nursing preparation at the University of Cincinnati. She entered a special program designed to prepare clinical teachers and spent a year as a junior assistant instructor in nursing arts, six months as a junior assistant instructor in the sciences and six months as an assistant head nurse. At that point, the program called for her to become a head nurse and serve as a clinical instructor.

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She began full-time study for her MSN with a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) traineeship in psychiatric-mental health nursing.

The year she completed her master’s degree, the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Sociology initiated a Ph.D. program, and she eventually was awarded the University’s first Ph.D. in sociology.

Dr. Yeaworth then returned to full-time teaching in the graduate program in nursing and subsequently was named director of the graduate program, a title later changed to assistant dean.

In January 1981, Medical Center Chancellor Neal Vanselow recommended against reductions for the College of Nursing, noting the serious shortage of nurses in the state, along with the fact that the College was the only state-supported school offering a comprehensive nursing education. But the battle wasn’t over.

The threat to close the Lincoln program – and a related proposal to reduce the College of Nursing “state tax dollar budget by up to $500,000 annually” – took its toll on faculty time, energy and morale.

The College also was seeing mixed results from national advertising efforts to recruit new faculty to boost the number with master’s degrees. Most of the faculty who did not hold master’s degrees were enrolled in graduate programs.

In the spring of 1982, the remaining 13 faculty members who did not hold master’s were given notice of termination, so their lines could be opened for recruitment. The College’s promotion guidelines were modified to put more emphasis on enrollment in doctoral study for faculty who did not already hold doctorates, and the problem of master’s level preparation was eventually solved.

The University administration told each campus in 1983 to identify 2 percent of its budget that could be freed up to support new or underfunded high priority programs.

CLINICAL EXPERIENCES IN THE 1980S Students learned to work with computers as part of their professional roles and in doing research. Apple and IBM PC computers were installed in the Nursing Research Center. The College also received one of the computer clusters installed by the Medical Center.

Nancy W. Schneckloth, MSN, RN, reflected on the students in this period in her book commemorating the College’s 70th anniversary: “The undergraduate nursing students of today are much like those of the past. They are bright, energetic and articulate; they are eager to gain the knowledge and skills necessary for the practice of nursing.

“Yet they are different. They are more assertive, and take a more active role in decision making for their lives and careers. Nursing is an important part of their lives, but not all-consuming as it was in the past.

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE Students learn pediatric (below) and surgical skills (above); Sue Kloch with a student (bottom left).

“In addition to being nursing students, many are wives, husbands and parents. Many work in part-time or fulltime jobs to support their education and their families.

They are more like college students in other disciplines than ever before. The dream of the faculty of the 1950s for a collegiate program has been attained for undergraduate students at the University of Nebraska.”

Many RNs were still concerned about inaccessibilty of courses, so faculty removed prerequisites for some courses;

FREDDIE JOHNSON ’52 Freddie Powell Johnson, Ph.D., RN, was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and grew up in Lincoln. After graduating in 1952 from the University of Nebraska School of Nursing, she completed a post-graduate certificate in maternity nursing at Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital in New Jersey, then returned to join the nursing staff of University Hospital. She became the head nurse/supervisor before leaving in 1958 to become a nursing supervisor at Salvation Army’s Booth Memorial Hospital in Omaha.

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She earned a Masters of Arts in Nursing Education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1973.

In 1975, she was the first recipient of the American Nurses Association Fellowship for Ethnic Minorities and completed her Doctorate of Philosophy degree from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln in 1976.

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established a visiting student policy to allow students to take some courses prior to becoming officially enrolled; divided some courses into smaller components to allow students to take fewer credit hours at one time; and offered some summer courses.

While the articulated ASN/BSN program had been successful during a period of nursing shortages, by this time some associate degree graduates were having difficulty finding jobs. It was decided that over a five-year period, the articulated program would be phased out and a new generic baccalaureate curriculum phased in.

Once the problem of master’s preparation of faculty was solved, a long-range goal of more doctorally prepared faculty was instituted.

The number of faculty holding doctorates did not show significant change during the first five years of Dr. Yeaworth’s deanship.

In May 1985, another round of budget cuts again raised the threat

Dr. Johnson taught medical surgical nursing, quality assurance and gerontology with clinical interest in nursing administration and elderly care. As an associate professor, she taught graduate students in gerontology nursing and advanced research methods. She was a clinical associate for the Visiting Nurse Association and primary nurse volunteer at a health maintenance center for the elderly.

of closing the College of Nursing Lincoln Division. Once again,

Upon her death at age 51, colleagues and other nurses recognized her as a “trailblazer for minorities in nursing,” for her “humanness” that she extended to students and patients and for contributions to nursing education, research and service.

in the mid-1980s. Community and technical colleges were begin-

nursing faculty, students and alumni came to its defense. And for the second time in five years, the Lincoln Division was saved, but it was not done without losses to the overall nursing budget. But fortunately, the continuing budget battles would finally begin to ease.

The nursing needs of rural Nebraska also came into sharp focus ning to apply increased political pressure to undertake associate degree education in nursing and to articulate their practical nursing programs with the College’s associate degree program.

NURSING RESEARCH CENTER In 1968, Dr. Martha Brown, an established researcher and educator, was recruited as graduate faculty chairman and director of the College of Nursing Research Center. With the assistance from other graduate faculty, graduate students and faculty were guided to study nursing practice questions or variables that affected the individual’s responses to specific diseases.

The College’s Nursing Research Center offered monthly journal club meetings to disseminate faculty and student research findings or discuss interesting research topics. The center also sponsored student research days for sharing research findings with nurses outside of the college.

Dr. Freddie Johnson served as assistant to the director of the research center and in 1981 as the acting director of the center. In September 1981, Dr. Mara Baun became the College of Nursing research center director. Faculty were active in conducting pilot research studies and submitting grants.

In 1984, the College was notified of Florence A. Niedfelt’s bequeathed funds to support nursing students’ education and the college’s professional advancement. Niedfelt was not a nurse. The College determined that naming the Nursing Research Center in her name would be confirmation of her interest in students’ education and the college’s advancement.

Also, student scholarships would be awarded and faculty would be appointed to the Florence Niedfelt Professorship. The dedication ceremony was held January 1988.

NIEDFELT PROFESSORSHIP The endowed appointment honors and rewards faculty members for excellence in research, teaching and leadership.

The College had an excellent record of research and was one of 16 nursing schools to receive a Biomedical Research Support Grant. A plaque was placed in the Nursing Research Center.

West Nebraska General Hospital officials began to assess demand for nursing education in Scottsbluff. Dean Yeaworth and faculty met with representatives from West Nebraska General, Chadron State College and Nebraska Western College to discuss options for the hospital's nursing graduates. In April 1986, the Legislature appropriated $100,000 to fund the West Nebraska Division of the College of Nursing, and the program began in fall 1987. West Nebraska General Hospital School of Nursing graduated its last class in 1988.

MSIA PROGRAM The College of Nursing received approval during the 1984-85 school year to participate in the Medical Sciences Interdisciplinary Area (MSIA) Ph.D. program at UNMC.

getting licensed practical nurses (LPN) to the associate degree level.

Visits to Aurora and Norfolk found individuals concerned about availability of the associate degree program for LPNs. Challenge exams were developed for the beginning nursing courses, and increasing numbers of LPN’s challenged successfully. The College also addressed concerns that only about 50 percent of the associate degree graduates were entering the baccalaureate program immediately, and many of these were attending classes on a part-time basis.

In 1988, the college’s graduate committee approved a proposal for

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A core of doctoral level nursing courses was offered, allowing nurses to earn a Ph.D. with an advanced nursing component. Once there were sufficient numbers of nurse faculty with graduate fellow appointments and with funded research, the courses were pulled out of MSIA, and a doctoral program in nursing was offered.

Other areas of concern in rural Nebraska included the issue of

a Ph.D. program, and the University Board of Regents approved the

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Nebraska hospitals.

development of the college’s Ph.D. program in 1989. Federal funding from Advanced Nurse Education Program supported the development of this program.

Dean Yeaworth continued to push to expand nursing services in rural areas, noting the Nebraska Hospital Association reported the registered nurse shortage was being experienced more by rural

A CHANGING JOB MARKET One out of every seven jobs in Omaha-area hospitals vanished between 1982 and 1984, on the heels of a 26 percent loss of inpatient business.

“We are seeing changes in where the jobs are,” Dean Yeaworth said, and the jobs may require a different mix of professionals than hospitals had employed.

She saw job opportunities shifting with the growth of wellness programs, health maintenance organizations, home health care agencies, weight loss clinics, hospices for the dying and employee health programs and the cessation of smoking. Some entailed jobs that previously wouldn’t have been there for nurses, she said. She pointed to a health maintenance organization that was searching for a nurse researcher and law firms wanting nurses to follow up on medical information.

“It is the well-prepared nurse who still seems to be in shortage,” Dean Yeaworth said.

GRANTS FOR SUPPORT OF ADVANCING EDUCATION The College of Nursing received funding to further its emphasis on training programs: • An Advanced Nurse Training grant for the graduate maternal/child program.

• A Special Projects Grant, “Nursing Management in Rural Hospital Emergency Departments,” a collaborative grant with Creighton University School of Nursing.

• A Kellogg grant to prepare faculty for teaching in associate degree programs, in part by providing financial assistance for students.

• The Robert Wood Johnson Teaching Nursing Home Project, in conjunction with Creighton’s School of Nursing and a positive impact on Lincoln Division students with clinical experiences in the Madonna Professional Care Center.

“Nebraskans are going to need the opportunity to prepare for these positions, and health care agencies in Nebraska are going to need registered nurses with the knowledge and skill that can only be provided by baccalaureate level education,” she wrote in a guest column in the Omaha World-Herald in 1987. “The funding for statesupported nursing education is an investment in jobs and health care for Nebraskans that repays the funding many times over in state taxes from salaries and economical health care.”1 In addition, the College of Nursing and the Creighton University School of Nursing were working together on a training program for

DR . YEAWORTH RETIRES

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Dr. Yeaworth retired as dean in 1994 but continued to teach until 1999. She said changes would be coming more rapidly to the school as the nation’s health care landscape shifted.

“I want to step aside now to give the college a chance for continuous leadership during that period of transition,” she said.

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She had seen tremendous growth during her tenure. When she retired, the UNMC College of Nursing had 115 faculty members and divisions in Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney and Scottsbluff.

nurses responsible for emergency care in rural hospitals in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and Wyoming. The program, Nursing Management in Rural Hospital Emergency Departments, was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Program personnel presented classes on stress on the family to nurses in Valentine, Chadron, North Platte and Columbus in Nebraska; Creston, Mason City and Shelton in Iowa; and Sioux Falls and Fort Meade in South Dakota.

In 1990, the University of Nebraska Medical Center listed education of rural doctors, nurses, dentists and other health professionals as its top priority and announced plans to improve the availability of rural care while stimulating interest in among students.

The timing was perfect. Kearney State joined the University of Nebraska system the next year, and its Department of Nursing was folded into the College of Nursing, making it the fourth nursing campus.

RESEARCH SHOWS RESULTS The College of Nursing began a major push to promote research in the 1980s, hiring a full-time Ph.D. prepared research analyst to assist faculty with research design and data management, analysis and interpretation.

The efforts at increasing research and scholarly activities showed results, with increasing numbers of faculty and graduate students presenting at state, regional, national and international meetings.

The number of published research papers and other scholarly articles increased yearly, and the College of Nursing hosted the Annual Conference of the Midwest Nursing Research Society in 1986.

Externally funded research also showed tremendous growth: • Faculty received UNMC Seed Grants, American Nurses’ Foundation grants and other small grants as the beginning of outside funding.

• The Robert Wood Johnson Teaching Nursing Home project funded individual faculty and small teams for six pilot studies.

• In 1983, three research grants were funded by the Division of Nursing for a total of more than $650,000 for the grant periods.

• The College became one of 12 colleges of nursing in the country to receive biomedical research support grants.

FACULTY RESEARCH

• One faculty member was appointed to the American Association of Critical Care Nurses’ (AACN) National Study Group on Suctioning.

ACTIVITIES

• The Board of AACN approved $50,000 to be used for seed research funds.

Above from left,

• Faculty members also received small grants from the American Heart Association (Nebraska Affiliate), from the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Foundation and from the Nebraska Fraternal Order of the Eagles.

Patricia Miller, Kathleen Ringel and Jane Garrett.

Right, Mara Baun.

NAME CHANGES The hospital has had several names during its 90-year history: 1924-28: West Nebraska Methodist Episcopal Hospital

1928-53: West Nebraska Methodist Hospital

WEST NEBRASKA DIVISION: 1924-1988 On Oct. 20, 1924, the West Nebraska Methodist Episcopal Hospital School of Nursing opened its doors to four students in the newly constructed hospital at 1801 Broadway in Scottsbluff. Two of the first four students completed the three-year program and became the school’s first graduates in 1927.

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Student recruiting brochures advertised the college as, “Side-byside on the North Platte River. Scottsbluff and Gering have a thriving population of 23,500. Stunning views of the Scotts Bluff National Monument and Wildcat Hills. Clean air. Friendly community.

Denver is just 3.5 hours away. On the Oregon Trail, Chimney Rock.”

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Early on, applications to the nursing school were received by the hospital board of trustees, but the Great Depression diverted the board’s attention to the hospital’s finances. In 1932, a vacationing student received a letter from the school asking her to remain at home. The hospital census had dropped so low that there were not enough clinical experiences available for the 28 students enrolled.

Early students lived in one room in the hospital, then later in a woodframe house on the corner of First Avenue and 18th Street. In 1926, the hospital purchased its first dormitory, a three-story house at 1724 Avenue A that accommodated 17 students and six graduates.

Each student had her own room and felt she lived in luxury.

In 1929, students had outgrown housing space, so the hospital purchased a Victorian mansion at 2020 Broadway that accommodated 30 students. The home later was named Ladley Nurses’ Home in memory of Lizzie Ladley of Mullen, Nebraska, who gave a gift of $1,000 to the school to help pay for it. Students loved the old mansion, but they didn’t like living only three blocks from the hospital.

It was too convenient for supervisors to call students back to work.

By the early 1940s, student enrollment once again outgrew existing student housing. In 1948, the hospital purchased an old sugar factory in Gering and remodeled it for student housing. The dormitory was named the Nelson Ladley Home, adding recognition of Martin Nelson, who was instrumental in securing the new residence.

Because the new housing was a distance from the hospital and students did not own cars, the hospital purchased a bus to transport students to and from the hospital. Seating on the student bus became a status symbol, with seniors in front, juniors in the middle and freshman in the back, standing if there were no empty seats.

In 1953, chapel services, once a requirement to ensure “right attitudes and ideas” were no longer a component of the nursing school. And as a further sign of the times, in 1955, the school began to accept applications from married women.

1954-87: West Nebraska General Hospital

In June 1959, the School of Nursing received accreditation from the National League for Nursing and maintained its accreditation through its final year.

A limited number of clinical nursing experiences in acute care and pediatric and psychiatric nursing were available in the hospital.

During the 1940s, agreements were made with a Denver hospital for pediatrics, neurology and orthopedic training. Hastings State Hospital provided psychiatric nursing training, and other agreements were made with Children’s Hospital in Denver and Children’s Hospital in Omaha during the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1967, West Nebraska General Hospital and the School of Nursing moved to a new building on the outskirts of Scottsbluff at 4021 Avenue B. In 1977, the hospital merged with neighboring hospital, St. Mary Hospital, increasing bed capacity to 244. The students moved into yet another dormitory – Kopac Hall.

Psychiatric nursing was moved to Mount Airy Hospital in Denver in 1972. All of the school’s training affiliations remained in Denver until 1980, when pediatrics was moved back to West Nebraska General.

School and hospital administrators discussed bringing psychiatric nursing back to West Nebraska General Hospital’s new psychiatric unit.

However, the 1985 decision to close the school came before the

1988-present: Regional West Medical Center

move could be made. West Nebraska General Hospital School of Nursing had an agreement with the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing that made it possible for graduates to complete requirements for the bachelor of science in nursing degree in Scottsbluff, on a part-time basis.

In April 1986, the Nebraska Legislature appropriated funding for a West Nebraska Division of the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing in Scottsbluff. Students were admitted in the Fall of 1987 for the BSN program, which gave students the choice of completing a BSN in Omaha, Lincoln or Scottsbluff.

Between the 1985 decision and the actual closing of the West Nebraska General Hospital School of Nursing in 1988, school and hospital administrators continued to seek a successor to the nursing diploma program that had prepared many professional nurses.

The growing trend toward baccalaureate nursing programs and monumental changes in hospital economics pointed the way toward a four-year baccalaureate nursing program.

Several years of hard work with the UNMC College of Nursing produced the successor that school and hospital administrators had sought.

Throughout the school’s history, it has been consistently regarded as an excellent teaching facility, renowned for professional, well-prepared graduates.

1980: First graduating class in Kearney

1991: Kearney Division

KEARNEY CAMPUS: 1977-1991

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Kearney State College began the process of starting a four-year nursing program after receiving Nebraska Legislature authorization in 1969. University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing Dean Rena Boyle offered her guidance, along with community and medical representatives from Grand Island, Hastings and Kearney.

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The National League of Nursing in 1972 concluded that facilities, course offerings and support systems were adequate, but that library holdings needed to be addressed and that attracting faculty would be an issue. A planning committee went to work. Committee member Bonnie Bernholtz, community director at Kearney’s Good Samaritan Hospital, noted that “the program ... sounds practical and relatively simple. Practical it is. Simple it isn’t.”

Nevertheless, by 1974, the State Board of Trustees was ready to endorse the program, and the Legislature followed with its approval.

Judith Sims Billings, Ph.D., RN, was hired as project director in May 1976 to develop the program under a federal grant. Billings was familiar with the area, having worked as an RN at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney and taught in the diploma nursing program at St. Francis Hospital in Grand Island.

Billings and Ole Kolstad, Ph.D., who headed Kearney State’s Biology Department, began in the summer of 1976 to lay the groundwork for

a nursing program. They traveled to towns in central Nebraska with faculty members from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing, including Jane Carney.

The Nebraska State Board of Nursing gave its initial approval to Kearney State’s application in November 1976. Most members of the Nebraska State Board of Nursing were from the eastern part of Nebraska and balked at the next part of the application – involving planned policies and procedures – submitted in January 1977.

That spring, Jane Carney was appointed to the board, however, and her experience with rural health care allowed her to become an advocate for the Kearney State program. The Board of Nursing approved the nursing program at Kearney at their March 1977 meeting.

Five faculty members developed the specifics of the first-level courses in the 1977-78 academic year, and 25 students were admitted to the sophomore class. For uniforms, the faculty decided on a blue knit pincord pant suit with blue tunic with yellow pincord collars and sleeve cuffs and pants in blue pincord. They included a yellow pincord apron for the tunic, along with a blue pincord dress with yellow sleeve cuffs and collar. The colors were chosen to represent the blue and gold colors of Kearney State College. The cap was white in a style that was different from other schools in the area.

The West Center, originally the Nebraska State Hospital for Tuberculosis in Kearney, was remodeled to accommodate the nursing program. While the building was structurally sound, some of the classrooms lacked active heating and windows were not insulated.

The winter of 1978 was very cold, including 20 degrees below zero on the first day of second-semester classes.

Building renovations were completed by summer 1978 and on September 8, the program was officially named the Department of Nursing with Dr. Billings as chair. Kearney’s first class graduated in May 1980, making the school eligible to begin the accreditation process. In December 1981, Kearney State President Brendan McDonald was notified that the nursing program had received initial accreditation.

The nursing program began as a five-semester major with students admitted during January. As class sizes rose to 35 students, the number of students using clinical areas each semester began burdening clinical facilities and stretching educational resources of the Department. In fall of 1983, the Department began admitting students to the major each semester, thus decreasing the number of students admitted to each class.

When Dr. Billings came to Kearney State in 1976, registered nurses immediately had asked when they could enroll to complete a bachelor’s degree, but the basic nursing major needed to be soundly

developed and implemented first. The first registered nursing students were admitted to the RN Upward Mobility Option in 1985. The Upward Mobility Option was offered in two off-campus locations, Grand Island and North Platte, as well as on the main Kearney campus. By fall 1989, four registered nurses had graduated from the program, and 32 nurses were enrolled in the nursing major with additional nurses taking pre-major classes in Grand Island, Hastings, North Platte and Columbus.

Requests for an advanced placement program for Licenced Practical Nurses led to the LPN Progression Option, which was designed to provide an opportunity for a baccalaureate degree with a major in nursing. The non-nursing prerequisites and support course requirements were the same as those required for the basic students. Students could obtain credit for non-nursing courses by enrolling in the course at Kearney State, transfer equivalent credit from an accredited college or university or through credit by examination. By the end of spring 1989, 14 LPNs had challenged at least one nursing course, and the first LPN Progression Option students graduated in December 1989.

The Nebraska Legislature passed a bill in 1990 to make Kearney part of the University of Nebraska, rather than the State College System.

On July 1, 1991, Kearney State College became the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and the Department of Nursing at Kearney State College became the UNMC College of Nursing Kearney Division.

EXTENDING THE REACH IT WAS APPARENT THAT FACULTY AND STUDENTS needed increased access to electronic technology when Ada Lindsey, Ph.D., RN, arrived at the College of Nursing in 1995. Full-time faculty initially were given access to a Windows computer environment, and Lotus notes accounts eventually were created for email communication among faculty and students. Internet access also was available on UNMC computers, while an intranet (within the College of Nursing) improved communication across the College’s four divisions.

A grant from the Helene Fuld Trust provided financial resources for equipment in the learning centers at the Lincoln Division. With the fast-paced change in the use of technology, the College added computer information specialists to assist in the adaptation of technology and to support faculty when adding technology to courses.

Development of innovative educational programs and a marked increase in distance education programs attracted national attention to the College of Nursing. Distance education courses in Nebraska addressed the workforce shortage by allowing students to continue employment while completing / E X T E N D I N G T H E R E AC H

their university degrees without being on campus.

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Desktop video conferencing, internet synchronous and asynchronous lessons and teleconferencing became common teaching technological moAdvances in technology have enhanced nursing education while also expanding its reach through distance education programs.

dalities for graduate and undergraduate courses. Human-simulation models enabled each division’s students to practice skills in the learning centers.

Faculty began using an online testing format in the 2002-2003 academic year. Many issues occurred that needed to be addressed by each division.

Solutions included classrooms specially equipped for online testing.

In 1999-2000, a federal grant from Health and Human Services helped fund a computer-based rural RN-BSN program.

DISTANCE EDUCATION Faculty for courses designated for distance education could use four different scheduling plans: asynchronous, synchronous, asynchronous and synchronous, or they could participate at an off-campus traditional site.

Students in asynchronous scheduling would listen to prepared audio-PowerPoints for course information and submit assignments to faculty but have no formal interaction with other students in the course. This allowed great flexibility when the students listened to the lectures. One limitation was that the students sometimes missed deadlines for required assignments.

Synchronous course planning implied the students would connect by telephone with faculty and other students at the same time. Course meetings were usually scheduled every week but could be designed for every other week. Assignments were submitted according to the course schedule. Participation was limited to a designated time, usually in late afternoon or early evening.

OFF-CAMPUS SITES

Maps reflect the 2002-2003 academic year.

Asynchronous and synchronous distance courses combined the two scheduling designs. This allowed students and faculty to meet three or four times during the semester for discussion. Students prepared for the assignments and could work in groups for the assignment without formal meeting times. Students welcomed the added flexibility in this course design.

Traditional off-campus sites were designated for students to travel to and attend the synchronous course or asynchronous and synchronous course if a telephone connection was not available. Students appreciated this arrangement for distance courses.

Yerevan, Armenia

ASYNCHRONOUS

SYNCHRONOUS

ASYNCHRONOUS AND SYNCHRONOUS

TRADITIONAL OFF-CAMPUS

This allowed nurses with diploma or associate degrees to pursue the BSN while remaining in their local areas. Courses were revised to make full use of advanced technology and to foster students’ inquiry of knowledge.

The shortage of nurses nationwide was in the headlines, and health care organizations were asking for more nurses. It was appar-

ADA LINDSEY 1995-2003 Dr. Ada Lindsey, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, had been dean of UCLA’s School of Nursing since 1986 when she accepted the position of dean for the College of Nursing.

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She had two degrees from Ohio State University School of Nursing and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, along with 34 years of experience in nursing.

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Dr. Lindsey had an outstanding record of funding from the Division of Health, Education and Welfare for preparation of faculty and graduate students, and from the National Cancer Institute for cancer nursing research. Additionally, she was author or co-author of 54 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 35 book chapters.

She served as a consultant to the National Institutes of Health Nursing Research Advisory Counsel, National Cancer Institute and other universities. She was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 1980.

ent that the applicant pool for College of Nursing undergraduate and graduate programs needed to expand. Thus, an individual who could tell the stories of nurses and nursing careers was employed in the Student Services Office to develop recruitment strategies.

Some of the strategies to address the shortage included outreach letters in English and Spanish that were sent to parents of high school students with an interest in health care; expanded recruitment of men interested in nursing; and visits to local, statewide and regional high schools and American Indian reservations.

Re-accreditation of the undergraduate and master in nursing programs by the National League for Nursing was scheduled to occur in 1999. However, the College of Nursing’s executive council decided to change the accreditation body and submitted self-study materials to the newly created Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Full accreditation for 10 years was granted to 2009.

The revised undergraduate curriculum was designed so that any student in any division would receive the same content and demonstrate the same outcomes. Emphases on critical thinking, clinical decision-making and rural health care needs were included and

RENOVATIONS Renovation during Dr. Ada Lindsey’s eight-year tenure included major work in Kearney, Omaha and Lincoln.

The Kearney renovations meant faculty were displaced for almost a year. However, when they returned, there were individual offices and classrooms for courses and a simulation lab.

Also in Omaha in 2002-2003, a new skills lab provided hospital beds with computers at each bedside for student learning and a human patient simulator that mimicked clinical conditions. The renovation included a new space for an Alumni History/Museum Room.

In 2002-2003, Lincoln Division facilities housed in Fairfield and Benton Halls on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus needed total renovation, and new space had to be found for the faculty and education programs. Serious discussion about possible options for space occurred over time with the chancellor.

NEW SKILLS LAB The skills lab reflected a hospital environment.

Top left, the old Lincoln Learning lab.

featured a three–week practicum at the end of the student’s program.

The College developed online graduate courses and the registerednurse-to-master’s degree in nursing (RN-MSN) option. Faculty also initiated the option of making elective courses in the graduate program available for either academic or continuing education credit.

Two nurse practitioner specialty tracks – Advanced Practice Health in Adult Health and Illness and Advanced Practice Nurse Curriculum (Women’s and Children’s Nursing) – were funded by the Department of Health and Human Services. These grants provided resources for the didactic content, as well as development of distance learning technology to reach nurses in rural Nebraska.

Additionally, the nurse practitioner program was expanded to rural sites in Norfolk through a federal grant. By using advances in technology, graduate courses reached more students in rural Nebraska and surrounding states via the internet.

Changes in the nation’s health care system shifted some decisionmaking from state and national levels to local, prompting the College / E X T E N D I N G T H E R E AC H

to offer a Health Systems Nurse Specialist graduate specialization in

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1996-97. Informatics courses were offered for nurses who needed an Dr. Marla Salmon Sc.D., RN (left), received an honorary doctorate degree from UNMC in 2003 and celebrated with Dean Lindsey (center) and Dr. Margaret Wilson, Ph.D., RN.

understanding of database management in nursing practice.

Research achievements were especially noteworthy during Dr. Lindsey’s tenure. Having a robust research environment was essential for the growing Ph.D. program. The College of Nursing had graduated its first doctoral student in academic year 1994-1995.

Chancellor Carol A. Aschenbrener, M.D., noted that Dr. Lindsey brought extensive research experience, which the College needed

FACULTY PRACTICE Prior to Dean Lindsey’s arrival, the Ambulatory Care/ Community Health Program, in collaboration with clinics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center Physicians, provided a practice site for faculty to offer home health care in 1988. Those who received this care were not eligible for home health care services through Medicaid or insurance but needed health care without high costs.

A five-year Division of Nursing grant in 1992 provided services geared toward older adults, American Indians, African Americans and Latino and Hispanic populations in rural and urban locations.

MOBILE NURSING CENTER In 1993, the UNMC College of Nursing and the Cornbelt Federation of Cosmopolitan International Club, a nonprofit organization that funds diabetes projects and supports diabetes research, agreed to collaborate. The Cosmopolitan Club customized the Cosmopolitan-UNMC Mobile Nursing Center so faculty and students could provide basic health screening, education, counseling and referral services to residents with transportation, financial or language barriers. A fire destroyed the first mobile unit in September 1997. A second unit was funded through the Cosmopolitan Club by a private donor from rural Nebraska.

In October 1993, the nurse-managed Family Health Care Center (bottom, left) began providing services in South Omaha. By 1995, the interdisciplinary health team – consisting of eight nurse practitioners, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, a physician and five staff – had approximately 375 patient visits per month. In 1997, the nurse practitioners and medical students formed the SHARING clinic to provide free care for underserved populations. Later, the RESPECT clinic opened for treatment of individuals with sexually transmitted diseases.

In 1999, the Senior Health Promotion Clinic (bottom, right) in Lincoln opened to provide weekly health promotion and disease prevention to older adults at the Lincoln Area Agency on Aging.

Scottsbluff faculty have provided health care services through the Panhandle Community Services health department since 1988. Primary health care services currently are offered at various community settings in western Nebraska.

The College of Nursing Clinical Enterprise committee began planning the infrastructure for the nursemanaged College clinics and centers in 2001.

at that point. The school consistently ranked among the leaders in research awards from the National Institutes of Health, rising to 21st of 90 nursing schools with NIH research funds in fiscal year 2002.

Dr. Lindsey wanted more faculty to be engaged in research

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activities and sought support from the chancellor’s office. Over

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ENDOWED CHAIRS

four years, financial support allowed 40 faculty members to move

Endowed chairs provide funding for new initiatives reflective of donors’ interest in enhancing the academic environment. The first endowed chair (1996) was the Dorothy Hodges Olson (left) Endowed Chair in Nursing to support women’s, community and family health. The Charlotte Peck Lienemann (right) and Alumni Distinguished Chair in Nursing (1999) supports a nurse scholar whose preferred research and teaching expertise is consistent with the College of Nursing’s emphasis areas.

from 9- to 12-month appointments, resulting in increasing research

FACULTY RECOGNITION

leaders to maximize collaboration in health care delivered in Nebraska.

Faculty received recognition for their teaching and leadership activities with internal and external awards. Octa Keen received the UNMC J. G. (Jack) Elliott Award for increasing health care for Native Americans in Nebraska. Jan Atwood, Ph.D., RN, received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Oulu in Finland. Dr. Rosalee Yeaworth was awarded the UNMC J. G. (Jack) Elliott Award for contributions regarding health for the elderly in Nebraska. The College of Nursing received the UNMC Chancellor’s 2002 Diversity Award for Dr. Rosaline Olade’s efforts to foster monthly discussions of cultural beliefs, experiences, food and music.

productivity vital for an academic health science college of nursing.

Faculty were funded from various internal and external sources. Internal sources included College of Nursing seed grants, UNMC seed grants and state funds. External sources included National Institutes of Health (nursing and aging institutes), American Heart Association (state and national), Oncology Nursing Society and NASA. Dr. Lindsey also wanted to connect with alumni and community She negotiated the Visiting Scholar program, to be supported by University Hospital and the College of Nursing. This allowed a nursing scholar to present research findings and spend time working with faculty, hospital nursing staff, students and community members.

The College of Nursing celebrated the 80th anniversary of its founding in 1917 in 1997. The West Nebraska division celebrated its 10th anniversary with UNMC. Another major event that year was the merger of University Hospital and Clarkson Hospital to create the Nebraska Health System, resulting in enhanced clinical learning opportunities for students and research opportunities for faculty.

Nebraska Health System changed to Nebraska Medicine in 2014.

HISTORY MUSEUM UNMC College of Nursing and Alumni History Museum was developed in 2005. The museum showcases key historical events from 1917 to the present. The museum allows self-guided tours of the exhibit.

The 475-square-foot exhibition space has museumquality lighting and displays and audio-visual equipment for guests’ use. The climate-controlled room allows historical items on exhibit to be preserved as important artifacts. The museum enables nursing alumni, scholars and students to better understand the history of this distinguished profession and the contributions the college has made.

Three rooms at the front of the museum display student uniforms chronologically from the first in 1917 to the present. Additionally, posters represent the three missions: education, scholarly activities and professional service, including faculty practice. Student life also is captured in poster exhibits. An honor wall presents World War II cadets and names of students/ graduates who have served in the U.S. military. Two touch-screens capture current research projects and practice procedures, along with “in your own words” reflections from members of the 50-year celebration class.

Alumni have donated pictures, uniforms and other items of the past to the museum to share UNMC College of Nursing history with those in the future.

Donations to support the history museum can be made to the University of Nebraska Foundation – History Museum. Memorabilia can be sent to the College of Nursing history museum coordinator, Dr. Audrey Nelson, Ph.D., RN.

HISTORY MUSEUM COMMITTEE Audrey Nelson, ’72

Mianna Thornton, ’55 ’58

Leslie Gleaves, ’89 ’95

Carol Wilson, ’51

Elizabeth Kentopp, ’48

Rosalee Yeaworth,

Nancy Schneckloth, ’60 ’75

honorary alumnus

ADAPTING TO CHANGING TIMES DR. VIRGINIA TILDEN’S EIGHT YEARS as dean from 2003 to 2011 led to notable achievements. She immediately recognized the importance of the UNMC College of Nursing in providing educational opportunities at four divisions across Nebraska. She emphasized the importance of building relationships and support among faculty and staff as well as with Nebraskans. The persistent changes in the health care delivery system led to challenges in resources to meet the state’s needs for registered nurses.

Faculty members knew the state needed more registered nurses and planned for increasing admissions to the undergraduate BSN program.

With funding from the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) in 2004, and additional financial / A D A P T I N G TO C H A N G I N G T I M E S

support from Regional West Hospital in Scottsbluff, faculty

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developed the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program for individuals seeking a second college degree.

Within one year, the program expanded to the Lincoln, The College of Nursing History Museum opened in 2005 with a “bandage cutting.”

Alumni and the Del Lienemann family provided financial resources for developing displays. Marking the event were, from left, Dean Tilden, Mianna Thornton, Nancy Schneckloth, Audrey Nelson, Leslie Gleaves and former Dean Ada Lindsey.

Omaha and Scottsbluff divisions. The didactic content was the same as the College’s traditional BSN program but delivered in one year. This highly intensive program for students was designed to require full-time study.

In the mid-2000s, national attention moved to interdisci-

plinary education of health professionals. The first UNMC interdisciplinary professional education (IPE) was conducted in 2008. Students from the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and School of Allied Health Professions

MOREHEAD DEDICATION In 2000, the College of Nursing received notification from the Kenneth E. Morehead estate that a donation would be arriving to fund nursing care by the faculty.

Morehead was grateful for the quality care and support he received from nurses during his lifetime. With considerable planning, the Morehead Center for Nursing Practice was dedicated to provide the infrastructure for coordination, support and development of faculty practice. The focus is on improving quality patient care through education, research and outreach to the underserved.

MOBILE CLINIC In 2011, U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson and Dean Tilden cut the ribbon (above) to celebrate the launch of the new Mobile Nurse Managed Clinic – another opportunity for faculty practice and student learning. The 38-foot, custom-built mobile clinic filled a critical need for geriatric assessments in rural areas. A federal stimulus grant of $300,000 supported the purchase of the mobile van. Members of the Morehead family and Dr. Tilden are pictured with the Morehead Center plaque (right); Dr. Linda Sather takes blood pressure (left).

participated in problem-solving strategies with faculty. This has become an annual activity in the spring and fall semesters at UNMC. At the same time, nursing education emphasized students’ needs to experience a learner-centered environment. This movement focused on using evidence-based practice and active learning

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activities; developing simulation activities to increase students’

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VIRGINIA TILDEN 2003-2011

confidence in decision-making; helping students build clinical

Dr. Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., RN, FAAN, was associate dean for research at the Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing in Portland when she accepted the position as Dean of the College of Nursing.

answering NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination)-

She had a BSN degree from Georgetown University, and both her master’s and doctoral degrees were from the University of California in San Francisco.

thinking and clinical decision-making skills.

Dr. Tilden had come to the College of Nursing with 36 years of nursing experience and had been a visiting professor at schools of nursing at the University of British Columbia, Vanderbilt University and Gothenberg University in Sweden.

She also had been principal or co-investigator on numerous research grants and was author or co-author of 71 articles and 10 book chapters.

Dr. Tilden’s research focused on end-of-life care and decision making, and on interprofessional team-based care. She was inducted as a fellow to the American Academy of Nursing in 1988.

reasoning skills; and offering opportunities to practice reading and style questions.

The BSN curriculum was revised to reflect the gold standards for patient safety and quality, with continued emphasis on critical The faculty submitted the College’s application for re-accreditation in 2009, and both the BSN and MSN programs were approved for a full 10 years. The undergraduate curriculum was revised and moved from clinical specialties to concept-based and reorganized from a five-semester program to a four-semester program.

Another change included implementing the Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) model1 as an approach to fully involve hospital staff in direct clinical teaching. More than 100 hospital staff members participated in the DEUs and served as clinical staff instructors in the first year.

A new master’s specialty track opened to prepare executive nurse leaders, and the Board of Regents approved planning for a doctor of nursing practice program.

2006-07: NECC IN NORFOLK The UNMC College of Nursing was approached in the spring of 2006 by Northeast Community College President Bill Path and State Senator Mike Flood from Norfolk with the idea of establishing a UNMC nursing division in Norfolk to serve northeast Nebraska.

PRODUCT OF PARTNERSHIP The 43,747-square-foot J. Paul and Eleanor McIntosh College of Nursing opened on Norfolk’s Northeast Community College campus in August 2010 with an inaugural BSN class of 32 students. The partnership brought six levels of nursing education to the region. The McIntoshes were the lead contributors to the building’s fund drive.

“I am so thrilled to help bring this building to Norfolk and northeast Nebraska,” Eleanor said. “Norfolk could not get a better program.” J. Paul maintained an active interest in the College of Nursing and regularly attended community advisory committee meetings until his death in 2017.

Senator Flood’s vision was to ensure northeast Nebraska had enough nurses to care for its residents.

The College launched a feasibility study and in January 2007, the Regents approved the idea and signed a letter of intent with final approval by the Board of Regents in March 2008.

The Nebraska Legislature approved a proposal for a facility to be shared by the UNMC College of Nursing Northern Division and Northeast Community College in Norfolk in 2009. Funding was provided by the Legislature for operating expenses. A unique publicprivate effort kicked off in the community.

The Northeast community raised $12 million in 18 months for construction of the new facility.

Ruth (Pakieser) Macnamara, Ph.D., RN, who laid the groundwork for UNMC’s new division, was appointed assistant dean of the new division July 1, 2009, as founding and transitional dean.

Above from left, University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken, Beverly Maurer, UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., Governor Dave Heineman, College of Nursing Dean Virginia Tilden, Senator Mike Flood, Mandi Flood and Northeast Community College President Bill Path at the new J. Paul and Eleanor McIntosh College of Nursing.

As it had under Dr. Lindsey, discussions with the chancellor were ongoing for the Lincoln Division to move from Benton and Fairfield Halls on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln main campus.

The Lincoln Division moved to temporary space in Commerce Court in downtown Lincoln after remodeling in the summer of 2005.

In 1993, the West Nebraska Division in Scottsbluff moved from the Regional West Medical Center to the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center. These facilities were renovated in 2007-2008 with $600,000 raised by the Regional West Medical Center and local businesses. And after years without proper

TEACHING AWARD

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The College of Nursing received the University of Nebraska’s most prestigious honor – the University-Wide Departmental Teaching Award – in 2004.

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The award honors a department or unit that has made a unique and significant contribution to teaching.

“The faculty has an unwavering commitment to high standards,” said Harold M. Maurer, M.D., the UNMC Chancellor at the time. “The College has established a reputation across the state and beyond for its educational excellence, particularly in distance education.

“This, along with its partnerships with health care professionals and institutions across the state, and the community clinics that reach out to the underserved, all benefit our students and the state.”

signage, the division – with the support of a local business – proudly erected a new highway sign announcing the College’s presence.

The Center for Nursing Science opening in 2010 in Omaha was the culmination of an effort to address the shortage of nurses.

Dr. Tilden pointed out that the situation wasn’t driven by a lack of qualified students, but rather by a shortage of educational facilities and qualified faculty.

“A shortage of nurses definitely puts the public at risk,” she said.

“Rural Nebraska suffers the effects more profoundly than cities.”

“We’re grateful to Ruth and Bill Scott and other donors who made this amazing facility possible,” said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D. “With this new facility, we will be able to get to the heart of the nursing shortage, which is too few students and faculty and not enough space. This building will transform health care in Nebraska for generations to come.”

CNS OPENS IN OMAHA

WHITE COATS The capping and dedication ceremonies for baccalaureate students changed to an Induction Ceremony.

Students now have a White Coat Ceremony at the beginning of their first semester and read the Nightingale Pledge. They receive the name of the alumni who provided funds to purchase their white coat and are encouraged to thank them to build connections. Top right: Stephanie Scott, chair of the College of Nursing Campaign Committee; Bill and Ruth Scott; Dr. Tilden; Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D. Below: the Center for Nursing Science simulation lab. Below right, Kearney Division.

The College had to turn away more than 1,000 student applicants beginning in early 2000 and over the next five years, due to a lack of facility space and a shortage of nursing faculty. A lead gift to the college, presented

by Bill and Ruth Scott, allowed for planning of the Center for Nursing Science in Omaha. On October 13, 2010, a $14 million, 43,000-square-foot building opened adjacent to the college’s facility at 42nd Street and Dewey Avenue.

The project was funded entirely by private donations.

Dean Tilden presented a white coat to Ruth Scott to symbolize being named an honorary nurse. Ruth had said that she always wanted to be a nurse.

C EL EB R AT I NG 90 Y EARS

Dean Virginia Tilden took note of the school’s 90th anniversary in the UNMC Today newsletter on August 8, 2007: “The college has adapted nimbly over time to changing needs.

In the 1940s, the college did its part to meet the huge demand for nurses, stateside and overseas, prompted by World War II. In the 1990s and into the new century, it addressed the deep national nursing shortage and the looming crisis of a shortfall in nursing faculty.

“Our graduation numbers reflect these efforts. More than 11,000 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees have been granted since 1917, with 80 percent of them in just the past 55 years. That figure mirrors America’s postwar, Baby Boom growth. It also reflects the college’s velocity in nursing science and evidence-based practice and teaching.

“Throughout its history, the college has aggressively sought to improve

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nursing practice for health promotion and disease management. In the

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1950s, it prepared nurses for the polio epidemic that threatened children and struck fear in parents. In the 1960s, it addressed an unprecSpeakers at the 90th anniversary were (from left) Drs. Gladys Sorensen, Martha Foxall, Virginia Tilden, Rosalee Yeaworth and Marcelline Harris.

edented increase in communicable diseases, drug use and mental illness – all spurred by a changing social culture and the Vietnam War. “At the end of the 20th century and into the 21st, it targeted the chronic illnesses that shorten the life of Americans – obesity, heart disease and cancer – and it tackled the new problems of the era – pandemic infections and terrorism.”

HEROES The UNMC College of Nursing, in collaboration with the College of Medicine, College of Allied Health Professions and the Center for Preparedness Education, established the interdisciplinary program for emergency preparedness training.

The Healthcare and Emergency Responder Organization Education through Simulation (HEROES) project was developed through the University of Nebraska Programs of Excellence grant program in 2005. HEROES provides free information across the state to health professional students and health care providers through simulation online and through a mobile simulation laboratory.

The requesting agency is asked to pay the mobile simulation laboratory travel expenses.

Since 2005, the team has taught such concepts as triage, hospital decontamination procedures and emergency care to students at professional health care facilities, as well as health care providers throughout Nebraska.

EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH ACROSS THE STATE HEROES has been presented in Nebraska to health professional students from at least eight different universities or colleges and to health care providers at 20 hospitals, as well as rural emergency responders. Additionally, the mobile unit has been available to observe or experience simulation training at the Nebraska State Fair, Nebraska Student Nurses Association annual meeting, Nebraska Emergency Nurses Association meeting, Omaha Public Schools and Papillion High School and the annual Omaha Metropolitan Medical Response System/Nebraska Biocontainment Unit Training.

HEROES is on YouTube (www.youtube.com/user/ unmcheroes) with 35 public videos for information and education. The videos had 63,740 views for 152,309 minutes from North America and Western Europe, 2013 statistics showed, before the most recent Ebola health crisis. A video on doffing has garnered more than 112,000 views from all over the world since October 2014.

The lead educator for the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit at Nebraska Medicine and an instructional designer developed the educational materials for safe use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for many types of health care providers. The information includes procedures for putting on (donning) and removing (doffing) PPE. This information has been used worldwide and is linked to the Centers for Disease Control’s guidance on Ebola PPE. Videos, checklists and “just in time” training tools for safely preparing a team are available. A portable ISOPOD, which has been used in training since 2016, is available for practice. An ISOPOD is used to transport a potentially infectious patient.

NEW BUILDINGS, NEW PROGRAMS THE SECOND DECADE OF THE 21ST CENTURY brought growth and innovation that accelerated the College’s progress. Dr. Juliann Sebastian joined the College in 2011 as the College’s seventh dean. Her goals were to focus on integration of the College’s three mission areas and showcase the unique role that a college of nursing within a major academic health science center plays in creating new knowledge, using that new knowledge and sharing it broadly. She emphasized that a big part of this occurred through the college’s relationships with its clinical partners, such as Nebraska Medicine.

The College added leadership when Sue Nuss, Ph.D., RN, Nebraska Medicine Chief Nursing Officer, was appointed Associate Dean for Nebraska Medicine Nursing within the College of Nursing in 2017. Dr. Nuss works with the faculty to strengthen the academic-clinical partnership between Nebraska Medicine and

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the UNMC College of Nursing. This type of collaborative relationship is part of a

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national movement to strengthen academic-clinical partnerships to advance student education, promote nursing research and engage faculty and staff in joint activities.1 Three new associate deans also were appointed between 2014 and 2015: “We’re preparing nurses for the future, nurses who can help fill shortages that are projected now and in the future in Nebraska,” said Dr. Juliann Sebastian at the 2014 groundbreaking for the Health Science Education Complex in Kearney. University of Nebraska at Kearney Chancellor Doug Kristensen is on the left.

Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Associate Dean for Transformational Practice and Partnership and Associate Dean for Research. Additional leadership transitions included new Assistant Deans in 2011 for the Northern Division; in 2013 for the Lincoln Division; in 2014 for the Omaha Division; and in 2017 for the Kearney Division. The Omaha position was created in 2014 as a result of a College

reorganization designed to enhance collaboration by combining three departments.

In 2012, the first class from the concept-based curriculum graduated. A total of 397 men and women from all divisions achieved a 95 percent first-time pass rate on the NCLEX board examination. Faculty continue to review and use stu-

KEARNEY CAMPUS Growth occurred in Kearney with the construction of the Health Science Education Complex on the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus. The facility, which houses the College of Nursing Kearney Division and a set of programs from the College of Allied Health Professions, resulted from a University of Nebraska systemwide legislative initiative in 2012, known as “Building a Healthier Nebraska.”

This initiative was conceptualized and led by the system president at the time, James B. Milliken. The Legislature also approved funds for the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center at UNMC/Nebraska Medicine (2012), a new building for the College of Nursing Lincoln Division (2013) and a University of NebraskaLincoln Veterinary Technology Center (2012).

THE START OF SOMETHING BIG The 2015 ribbon cutting for the Health Science Education Complex in Kearney: From left, Andrew Shaw, UNMC Student Regent; Matt Schendt, Hausmann Construction; Kyle Meyer, Dean of UNMC College of Allied Health Professions; College of Nursing Dean Juliann Sebastian; UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold; University of Nebraska President Hank Bounds; University of Nebraska at Kearney Chancellor Doug Kristensen; Charles Bicak, UNK Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs; and Joe Lang, principal, RDG Planning and Design. Below, Kearney students practice skills in the learning center.

The building for the Lincoln Division of the College of Nursing was approved in 2013, with plans for a new building to be shared between the College of Nursing Lincoln Division and the UNL University Health Center.

Groundbreaking was held for the new nursing building in December 2016. The building will be ready for occupancy in summer 2018. “This will be an amazing facility that will provide the space to educate more students, attract more nursing faculty and raise the level of nursing education and research,” said Dr. Juliann Sebastian, dean of the UNMC College of Nursing.

dents’ suggestions to maximize this new curriculum, which prepares graduates to provide safe supportive care in complex health care delivery systems and community-based settings.

Six community colleges with associate degree programs collaborated with the College of Nursing in 2015 to provide early

JULIANN SEBASTIAN 2011-

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Dr. Juliann Sebastian, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, became the seventh dean of the College of Nursing in 2011. She had been dean and professor of the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Nursing since 2006. Dr. Sebastian served as assistant dean for advanced practice nursing and professor at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing.

She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the UK College of Nursing and a doctorate in business administration from UK’s College of Business and Economics.

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Dr. Sebastian has had many leadership roles at local, state, national and international levels.

She served on the executive committee of the board of directors for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and held other leadership roles, including her current role as chair of the board (2016-2018). She served as associate editor for leadership for the Journal of Professional Nursing from 2007 to 2009 and was a member of the editorial board from 2010 to 2012. She also served as chair of the board of directors for the Global Alliance for Leadership in Nursing Education and Science (2015-2017).

enrollment of high-achieving students in UNMC’s RN-BSN program. Eligible students must maintain a 3.25 grade point average, complete prerequisite courses and graduate with an Associate Degree. The guaranteed enrollment program helps students planning to pursue the baccalaureate degree. This collaboration also stimulates conversations and promotes teamwork between the College of Nursing and community colleges.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program initially admitted students with master’s degrees in nursing in 2011. By 2015, the admission expanded to include an accelerated option, BSN-DNP. In its first application for accreditation, the DNP program was accredited for a full five years in 2013 and will be reviewed for continuing accreditation for 10 years in 2018.

Kathryn Fiandt returned to the College of Nursing in the fall of 2014 to take the newly created role of Associate Dean for Transformational Practice and Partnerships. The Morehead Center for Nursing Practice, the Continuing Nursing Education program and the International Affairs program became part of that office. Each continued to grow, with the Morehead Center for Nursing Practice nearly doubling the number of faculty practice contracts from 2015 to 2017. By 2017, 25 faculty members were engaged in faculty

INCREASED ENROLLMENT Recent years have seen a major focus on eliminating the nursing shortage in Nebraska. The addition of the Northern Division in 2010 made it possible to add close to 100 undergraduate and graduate students.

The new Lincoln building is to have sufficient space for an additional 64 students. The Omaha Division expanded graduate programming through the addition of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program and expansion of the Accelerated BSN program.

PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATION The new Lincoln building (above), like the Kearney building, represents a spirit of partnership and collaboration across colleges and campuses within the NU system. West Nebraska Division student Ethan Behrends reviews information at a 2015 health fair (below).

Faculty heard hospitals wanted new registered nurses for employment in January of each year. In 2017, faculty adjusted the accelerated program to begin in January, allowing these December graduates to seek employment at hospitals and other clinical facilities.

The UNMC College of Nursing strives to provide premier nursing education programs and to be responsive to the needs of students and clinical partners.

The West Nebraska Division also changed its location, moving in 2013 from the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff to the Harms Center building on the Western Nebraska Community College campus (below). Faculty initially were housed at Regional West Medical Center, further strengthening the partnership with that clinical facility, but later in 2016 were moved to newly configured space in the Harms Center. It quickly became clear that this was an opportunity to build an even stronger relationship with the Western Nebraska Community College and reap some of the same benefits as the partnership in Norfolk.

practice with 19 different clinical agencies. Faculty continued to succeed in securing internal and external research grants, keeping the College of Nursing in the top half of schools of nursing with research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

A team of faculty scientists under the leadership of Principal Investigator Carol Pullen, Ed.D., RN, successfully implemented a P20 grant from the NIH’s National Institute of Nursing Research titled, “Interdisciplinary Healthy Heart Center: Linking Rural Populations by Technology” (2009-2014). This grant helped build the research capacity and led to a commitment to expand the Center

STELLAR SCHOOL AWARD TO WEST NEBRASKA DIVISION

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The UNMC West Nebraska Division in Scottsbluff received the National Student Nurses Association Stellar School Award at the association’s annual convention in Orlando, Florida, in 2016.

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“It’s a very prestigious award given only to the most active student nurse associations in the nation over a period of at least five years,” said Trina Aguirre, Ph.D., RN, faculty advisor and assistant professor. “I could not be more proud of our students.”

The West Nebraska Division celebrated 25 years with UNMC in 2014. The Kearney Division celebrated 40 years of nursing education, 25 of it with UNMC.

to include a focus on chronic care management using technology.

In spring 2016, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved the establishment of the Center for Patient, Family and Community Engagement in Chronic Care Management.

This interprofessional center, known as CENTRIC, is housed in the College of Nursing and led by Lani Zimmerman, Ph.D., RN, FAAN. The focus is on self-management to promote health, prevent illness and manage chronic conditions using technology.

The College restarted its post-doctoral fellowship program in 2015 and as of 2017 had three fellows, with a fourth fellow having completed the program. The post-doctoral fellowship program is affiliated with CENTRIC and led by a faculty committee chaired by Robin Lally, Ph.D., RN. International experiences, continuing nursing education and service-learning – including high school summer camps – evolved over more than a decade and also helped enrich the College’s history.

I E X C E L SM I N N O V A T I O N The Interprofessional Experiential Center for Enduring Learning (iEXCELSM) is a bold program envisioned by Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., and developed by Associate Vice Chancellor Pam Boyers, Ph.D., and her team. This initiative for UNMC and its clinical and academic partners is designed to transform health care education and improve patient safety. For years, College of Nursing divisions have used simulationlearning activities to promote students’ knowledge and skill development for care delivery.

Through the iEXCEL program, health professionals and students have the opportunity to experience individual or interprofessional hands-on training in safe, realistic simulated environments. In addition, faculty have a resource available as they integrate innovative technologies into their curricula.

VIRTUAL LEARNING The Interactive Digital Wall (iWall, above) is used in group settings to complete assignments or for individual studying. The HoloLens (right) allows students to observe 3D objects in the environment known as augmented reality. It encourages interactions with the holographic images through gestures or voice commands.

The College of Nursing will begin using the iWall and the HoloLens in 2017, two new transformative technologies available through iEXCEL. The iWall includes interactive touch-panels that spark students’ enthusiasm for learning by allowing them to share information, to collaboratively discuss variables and to explain how the interventions alter the responses of individuals with a particular disease process. Students and faculty within the College of Nursing divisions, and the other UNMC colleges, will be able to collaborate in real time and challenge each other’s understanding of the topic’s scientific underpinnings.

The Omaha and the West Nebraska divisions have access to the iWall. Omaha’s is located in the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education and made up of 12 panels. Scottsbluff’s is composed of nine panels. Other college divisions will add an iWall to their locations in the near future. The Kearney, Northern and Omaha divisions have access to HoloLens technology.

The iEXCEL program in Omaha also has other models of head-mounted displays, a computer-aided design (CAD) wall, desktop systems for augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), advanced clinical simulators, patient simulators and clinical task trainers. Through faculty collaboration, students will have access to these new technologies to increase their health care knowledge and delivery of excellent care.

C EL EB R AT I NG 100 Y EAR S

The centennial celebration actually began 100 years ago. Director Charlotte Burgess, staff nurses and students made history just with their involvement in the first year of classes and care of patients in the hospital.

As time passed, historical contributions from individuals varied in impact, but all can rejoice in the successes and marvel at the challenges faced in keeping the nursing program moving forward

LEADERSHIP

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Two College of Nursing faculty have been elected President of the UNMC Faculty Senate: Audrey Nelson (above left), 2012-2013, and Connie Miller (above right), 2013-2014. They were the first nursing faculty members to be elected to this office. One previous President from the College was a scientist from another discipline.

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Two nursing students were elected to offices of the UNMC Student Senate. Carissa Lueck (left), DNP student, serves as president (2017-2018); and Austin Clark, BSN student, serves as vice president (2017-2018). Carissa was installed as UNMC’s Student Regent in April. The College of Nursing had one previous UNMC Student Regent, in 1976.

and eventually achieving program accreditation in 1965.

From the beginning until today, nursing leaders have modeled how to plan a nursing program, celebrate successes, evaluate the program and make changes to positively impact health care delivery.

Everyone – whether a student, faculty member, director or dean – had a significant influence on the College’s history. Each change and improvement was based in part on the needs of the times and reflected the historical context, as well as the growth of the nursing profession.

Dean Ada Lindsey realized the importance of preserving the history of the College of Nursing. She appointed six alumni from five different decades to research how best to display historical exhibits and develop exhibits.

The publication of the College’s history over its first 70 years in 1987 was followed by a second significant development in the preservation and celebration of the College’s history. Alumni donated materials to the UNMC College of Nursing and Alumni History Museum with the knowledge that their memorabilia would be carefully preserved. The museum opened in 2005.

SUMMER CAMP A federal grant enabled underrepresented high school students interested in nursing careers to attend a twoday summer camp at the UNMC College of Nursing.

Students engaged in different nursing care interventions and witnessed new technology being used at the College. They also learned how to develop a rĂŠsumĂŠ to increase the likelihood of admission to the university of their choice and learned whom to contact for help with the admission process and financial aid. The underrepresented classification included first-generation students planning to attend college and those who attended high schools with federally designated low-income populations or who were non-Caucasian.

The first summer camps were held at the Northern and West Nebraska Divisions. The second year, summer camps were added for the Lincoln and Omaha Divisions.

In 2017, all divisions offered summer camps. College of Nursing students beginning their third semester assisted with the activities.

SUMMER CAMP PARTICIPANTS Students engaged in summer camp in 2017: Scottsbluff (top); Kearney (below left); Norfolk (below right).

Fast forward, past 80th and 90th anniversary events, and the College approached its 100th anniversary celebration. Alumni and Dean Sebastian saw the need to celebrate throughout the 2017-2018 academic year with events at each of the divisions.

The first development was the theme of “A Century of Academic Nursing Excellence: Transforming the Future.” Next came creation of the logo to announce the College’s plans to celebrate the centennial at each of the five divisions with a Centennial Gala on October 20, 2017. The budget was developed with no state dollars supporting the college celebration, recognizing the plans could be both efficient

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CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE

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Plans for the centennial celebration began with Dean Sebastian’s appointment of a committee that included faculty members Audrey Nelson, committee chair, and Rebecca Keating-Lefler; staff members LaDonna Tworek, Lisa Muschall and John Barrier; a UNMC Foundation representative, College of Nursing Development Officer Deidra Sheppard-Calloway; College of Nursing Alumni Engagement Council President Amy Thimm; UNMC Alumni Association staff members Katherine Hamilton and Catherine Mello (following Roxanna Jokela); Vicky Cerino, Dawn Nevarez and Tom Waples of UNMC Public Relations; librarian John Schleicher; and Dawn Nevarez and Tom Waples of UNMC marketing. Each of them shared expertise to help complete the many projects involved in celebrating the Centennial.

and illustrate excellence.

Then came the selection of the Hilton Omaha Downtown as the site of the Gala. Plans also included a skywalk banner for a 12-month display over 42nd Street, a pop-up banner for each division to use on recruiting trips, development of the invitation list and design of the invitations. Gala registration materials were placed online with information on how to buy the centennial history book. The committee was focused on presenting an outstanding historical commemoration.

Dean Sebastian requested that Hall of Fame awards be presented to alumni for their contributions to nursing and to the College.

A separate committee received the nominations and selected the alumni to be honored.

Finally, Dean Sebastian appointed members to the centennial book committee. Book editor Dan Sullivan and designer Christine Zueck-Watkins of the Omaha World-Herald were selected to edit, design and publish the centennial book. The original history book,

ANOTHER CELEBRATION

CONTINUING EDUCATION

The College of Nursing celebrates not only its centennial in 2017, but also 50 years of continuing education providing quality offerings to health care providers and educators. Irma Kyle Kramer returned from a sabbatical in 1967 to serve as the director of the newly created Continuing Education for Nursing Program. She knew that Lorraine Hedman (below on left) and her staff at the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute had successfully used two-way closed circuit television. She also knew that the College of Nursing could continue providing successful education through available technology.

The offerings in the first five years were limited to either one-day courses or two-way closed-circuit television, which were continued when Hedman became director in 1972. Other technologies appeared in the next 15 years to allow offerings such as two-days or multiple months; telephone conference “live” presentations; cassette recordings with scheduled discussion sessions; and satellite transmission to designated sites. The offerings increased from 10 to 56 all-day sessions and 42 telephone conferences.

Hedman surveyed nurses statewide for conference topics that eventually included updates on medications, recommended care for patients with specific diseases, updates or new critical care interventions and school nursing. Professional writing and dissemination of research findings were requested by educators.

Two federal grants supported Emergency Medical Services (EMS) (1977-79) personnel and care of elderly (1974-76) at multiple sites and multiple days. The program, later known as Continuing Nursing Education (CNE), co-sponsored offerings with the College of Pharmacy, Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training (NCAST) from the University of Washington and the Nebraska Department of Health Education and Welfare.

In the early years of CNE, continuing education units (CEUs) were provided by the Nebraska Nurses Association from 1974 to 1980. The Iowa Board of Nursing approved CNE as a provider in 1979 and again in 1982 and 1991.

NE OPIOD SUMMIT Three agencies collaborated to organize this statewide offering to reduce OPIOD Abuse.

CNE provided continuing education credits for attendees and evaluation of the offering.

In 1980, CNE was accredited as a national provider of continuing nursing education by the Central Regional Accrediting committee of the American Nurses Association, the precursor of the American Nurses Credentialing Committee (ANCC). The College's CNE was one of the first programs in the country to attain that status. Re-accreditation occurred in 1994, 1999, 2006, 2012 with distinction, and 2016 with distinction.

The ability to provide nursing ANCC contact hours increased the attractiveness of the unit, and new partnerships to expand nursing education grew.

Through the late 1970s and into the 1980s, the CNE office also established collaborative programming with the Center for Continuing Education Office.

Under the leadership of the next two directors, Bevely Hays and Mary Peterson, multiple joint and collaborative models were established and modified across campus and beyond. In addition, CNE achieved approved provider status from the California Board of Nursing, allowing full reach across the nation.

From 1997 to 2016, under the leadership of Director Catherine Bevil, the CNE program grew its independent infrastructure and created a model to become selfsupporting and viable. New technology was embraced to upgrade to paperless systems, program platforms and evaluation databases, and a distinct online presence was established. More new partnerships were established with new internal groups, such as Olsen Center for Women’s Health and Monroe Meyer Institute and external agencies such as National Hemophilia Foundation and American HealthCare Association. Evaluation capabilities expanded.

In 2016, new Director Heidi Keeler is continuing the legacy of the office, developing new partnerships and unit services, to include eLearning module development, new web-based systems, and expertise in emerging areas of dissemination and implementation research.

The University of Nebraska College of Nursing 1917-1987, written by Nancy Schneckloth, served as the framework for the beginning of the book. Former Deans contributed synopses of their years to help

FACULTY RECOGNITION Faculty regularly receive recognition for their teaching and leadership activities with internal and external awards.

A significant honor was received by 11 faculty members who were inducted as inaugural members of the UNMC Interprofessional Academy of Educators in 2016. The faculty represented four of the College’s divisions.

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The purpose of this UNMC academy is “to foster a vibrant interprofessional community of educators through faculty development programs, educational scholarship and the development of innovative curricula.”

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tell the story of the past 30 years.

Sections also were added for the two Nebraska nursing programs that joined the UNMC system – the former West Nebraska General Hospital School of Nursing and the Kearney State College Department of Nursing – to reflect their special roles in the College’s history. All agreed it was important to include their historical information before becoming part of the UNMC College.

The book, A Century of Academic Nursing Excellence: Transforming the Future, was made available for purchase to anyone interested in the unique contributions of the UNMC College of Nursing to nursing and health care in Nebraska and beyond.

This history began in 1917, and the second century begins during the 2017-2018 academic year. All alumni, faculty and students with their families are an important part of the College’s history and are owed sincere thanks for playing such significant roles in achieving the College’s mission and vision.

STUDENT SERVICE-LEARNING Students experience rich and diverse ways of applying their knowledge during their courses. One process is service-learning, a structured experience that combines service with educational objectives and reflection. Service-learning is centered on mutual benefit to the student and the community.

In Scottsbluff, students at the College of Nursing West Nebraska Division organize, advertise and plan a public health fair. The event includes interactive information on health topics, health screenings and an assessment of the health status of participants. At the Riverside Discovery Center’s annual Teddy Bear Clinic in Scottsbluff, students help make children comfortable with physical exams by helping them conduct a physical assessment on their stuffed animals.

Students from the Kearney Division participate in West Central MedFest, which provides free physicals to athletes from the Kearney, Grand Island and Hastings areas who want to compete in the Special Olympics.

The students also educate parents on what to do when their children are sick, and they participate in flu shot clinics and area health fairs.

In Omaha, students participate in a variety of health education and screenings that benefit children in foster care, refugee families, prisoners and victims of domestic violence.

SPECIAL WORK Through the Blanket Project, Omaha students assemble fleece blankets for children, adults, families in crisis and refugee populations in the Omaha area.

Each blanket is hugged so that the recipients know they are made with love.

Service programs for Lincoln Division students include volunteering at the free Clinic With a Heart and annual health fairs for the homeless and underserved. The College’s longstanding clinical learning activities at the Aging Partners’ Downtown Senior Health Promotion Center provide free foot care, screenings and health education.

From flu shot clinics, health fairs and other activities, students in Norfolk at the Northern Division also provide education and service activities. They have worked in collaboration with key leaders of the Santee Sioux Tribe in Santee, Nebraska, since the fall of 2010, when the new division opened its doors. Service now extends to the high school and grade school, the nutrition center, the women’s shelter and the daycare center.

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INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

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Sheila Ryan Ph.D., RN, director of the International Program.

In 1978, 20 years prior to the beginning of the current international exchanges, six students from Afghanistan enrolled in the College’s Associate Degree Program. The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Department of International Studies sponsored the students to become nurses and return to their country to provide health care.

From Nebraska to Europe, Central America, the Middle East and Asia, the College of Nursing provides international experiences in education, research and practice for its BSN students and hosts reciprocal experiences for visitors from around the world. The goal is to understand perspectives, traditions, politics and cultures, particularly as they affect health behavior and health systems. These experiences instill an appreciation for other cultures in order to understand and better serve populations at home and abroad.

In 1998, the college was invited to join a collaborative international faculty/student exchange program in partnership with The Johns

Hopkins University School of Nursing, Winston-Salem State University School of Nursing and three schools of nursing in Ireland, Sweden and England. Dr. Martha Foxall was the College’s project director.

In 1999, one College of Nursing faculty and two graduate nursing students traveled to Sweden and Northern Ireland, and those two countries sent three nursing exchange students to the Kearney Division. Dr. Polly Hulme traveled to Nicaragua with UNMC nursing students and medical students to provide clinical outreach services to an indigent community. For many years, she served as faculty for the Student Alliance for Global Health summer trip to Nicaragua, where faculty and students had experiences of providing primary health care to the residents in more rural sites.

With the growth of worldwide online services, Dr. Sheila Ryan developed opportunities and financing for graduate courses to junior level faculty in Yerevan, Armenia. Between 2001-2003, 10 junior faculty from Erebouni School of Nursing interested in pursuing their MSNs took five online graduate courses from their home school, studying either Advanced Practice Nursing or Emerging Health Care Systems.

It was the college’s first opportunity to pilot test a “global online classroom” for nurses. In 2002, five of the Armenians visited UNMC.

In 2002, the College of Nursing was one of five U.S. institutions invited to host executive Russian nurses with the Open World Program of the Center for Russian Leadership Development. The program’s aim was to build capacity within Russian communities to provide comprehensive accessible health care by visiting nursing outreach experiences in Omaha and Kearney. In 2004, Dr. Ryan was named Director of International Programs for the college.

During the past 15 years, several international universities became partners with the College so BSN students could experience nursing classroom and clinical experiences in each other’s schools. Longstanding partnerships from China include the Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tongji University of Shanghai and more recently, Capital Medical University of Beijing. Single experiences included a course in Chinese Traditional Medicine from Shanghai Institute of Health Sciences and an exchange in Xian Jiao Tong University. All five divisions have hosted visiting faculty and students for exchanges.

In the past five years, partnerships have been added from Sweden and Norway to better understand their primary health care systems and nursing culture. The College of Nursing hosted two separate faculty contingents from Kristianstad University, Sweden, and University of Agder, Norway, to share learning programs, teaching strategies and nursing faculty research initiatives.

Three UNMC nursing doctoral graduates from Amman, Jordan, helped develop a partnership that assisted in the creation of a simulation center at the Al-Zaytoonah Private University School of Nursing and helped their faculty learn to use this clinical center in the coursework. Four UNMC undergraduate nursing students visited the Al-Zaytoonah University School of Nursing, Amman, Jordan, in the spring of 2015. And in 2016, UNMC students visited the Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, Oman, and 15 Omani students visited UNMC. The exchange partnerships began with sending four nursing students from UNMC to Shanghai, China. This program has grown to send between 30-40 students and faculty annually to seven universities in six countries and to receive undergraduate and graduate students from six universities, an average of 15 to 20 per year.

Visiting faculty scholars began to visit the UNMC College of Nursing in 1997 with Dr. Won-Jung Cho, from Yonsei University College of Nursing in Seoul, South Korea. Xiao Jing Hou in 2007 and Dr. Hua Fang in 2015 attended classes in nursing and graduate research.

Three faculty will visit the College in 2017, two from Hainan University, China, each for a semester, and Dr. Muhamed Ayman from Amman, Jordan’s Zaytoonah Private University. He will spend one month sharing pediatric oncology research methods and ideas.

APPENDIX UNMC COLLEGE OF NURSING ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ENGAGEMENT COUNCIL PAST PRESIDENTS

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1923

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1952

Wilma Krogh Cochran

1984

Joyce Lambrecht Schilke

1922-23 Irene Jacobsen McKown

1953

Lauren Jacobsen Burke

1924-25 Effie Welsh Wegner

1954

Dorothy Patach

1985

Jane Hetherington Jensen and Meredith Brown Hachiya

1926

1955-56 Velma Sexsmith Mason

1986

Grace Gavit Miller

1927-29 Frieda Dieterichs

1957

Carol Wilson

1987

Carol Wilson

1930-31 Esther Daggert Schroeder

and Frieda Dieterichs

1958-59 Nelda Demmel Belknap

1988

Lila Moffat

1960-61 Donna Manchester Sack

1989

L. Colette Jones

1931-33 Catherine LaVerne

1962

1990-91 Sharon Redding

1934

Frieda Dieterichs

1963-64 Velma Sexsmith Mason

1992

1935

Nelda Demmel Belknap

1965-66 Sandra Brodie Elsea

1993-94 Mary Costello Petersen

1936

Anna Steffen and Theda Murphy

1967

1995

1937

Emily Brickley

1968-69 Gwen Macklem Finn

1996-97 Audrey Nelson

1938

Velma Sexsmith Mason

1970

Roberta Butler Quiring

1998

Melissa Oliver Fulton

1939-40 Helen E. Erikson

1971

Jackie Smith Severa

1999

Anna Gradowski Mackevicius

1941

Ellen Entenman

1972-73 Nancy Anderson Griffith

2000-01 Linda Sather

1942

Rose Gibbons McShane

1974-75 Elizabeth Peterson

2002-03 Karen Kresnik

1943

Elsie Andersen Talley

1976-77 Linda Miers

2004-06 Mianna Thornton

1944

Ruth Brodbeck Finlayson

1978

Gwen Macklem Finn

2006-08 Joyce Black

1945

Mary Farwell Tyrrell

1979

Barbara Winfield

2008-11 Rebecca Keating-Lefler

1946

Clare Fleming

1980

Nancy Warren Schneckloth

2011-13 Anita Greenmeyer Evers

1947-48 Velma Sexsmith Mason

1981

Carol Wilson

2013-14 Carrie Smith

1949-50 Sadie Schindler Peirce

1982

Sandra Brodie Elsea

2014-17 Amy Thimm

1951

1983

Josephine Pinckley

2017-19 Rita Schmitz

Arta Lewis

Agnes Etherington Stahly

Helen Danielson Onsgard

Carol Layher Moyer

Kathyrn Sealock Lewis

Sharon Bonham Holyoke Cindy Lindstrom Constanzo

HONORARY DEGREES The University awards honorary doctoral degrees to individuals who have attained achievements of extraordinary and lasting distinction. The following nurses have received the honorary degree from the University of Nebraska: 1975 Jessie M. Scott Doctor of Science 1981 Myrtle K. Aydelotte Doctor of Science 1985 Gladys E. Sorensen Doctor of Science 1987 Rena Boyle Doctor of Science 1990 Kathryn Elaine Barnard Doctor of Science 1992 Ada S. Hinshaw Doctor of Science 1995 Dorothy H. Olson Doctor of Science 2003 Marla E. Salmon Doctor of Science 2005 Linda Cronenwett Doctor of Science 2013 Kimberly Siniscalchi Doctor of Health Sciences

ALUMNI AWARDS 2016

2010

2005

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Teresa Lynne Krieger Anderson (ASN ’81, BSN ’83, MSN ’87)

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Maj. Gen. Linda Hemminger, (MSN ’85)

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Marcy J. Echternacht (BSN ’74, MS)

Nursing Excellence Award: Michelle Kowalczyk (BSN ’04, MSN ’10)

Excellence Award: Rebecca Keating-Lefler (ASN ’86, BSN ’87, MSN ’92, Ph.D. ’01)

Honorary Alumnus Award: Ruth Scott

Honorary: Ada Lindsey

2009

2004

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Kathleen E. Chavanu Gorman (MSN ’89)

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Sandra Borden (MSN ’87, PMC ’96)

Honorary Alumnus Award: Charles S. Wilson

Excellence Award: Angie Andersen (MSN ’94, PMC ’01)

Dorothy Patach Spirit of Service Award: Anita E. Brenneman (BSN ’61) 2015 Distinguished Alumnus Award: Barbara (Idt) Swenson (BSN ’65) Distinguished Alumnus Award: Nancy L. Waltman (BSN ’67, MSN ’78) 2013

2008

2012

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Maj. Gen. (ret.) Kimberly A. Siniscalchi (MSN ’88)

2003

2007

Excellence Award: Leann Stofferahn (MSN ’98)

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Mary D. Moller (MSN ’82)

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Inaugural Dorothy Patach Spirit of Service Award: Dorothy Patach (Nursing Diploma ’44)

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Honorary: Bill Lohr

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Cynthia M. Dougherty (ASN ’77, BSN ’79)

2011 Distinguished Alumnus Award: Liane Connelly (ASN ’81) Nursing Excellence Award: Suzanne Nuss (ASN ’82, Ph.D. ’07)

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Susan B. Hassmiller (MSN ’83)

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Audrey Nelson (BSN ’72)

2002

Honorary: Judith S. Billings

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Martha Foxall (MSN ’76)

2006

Excellence Award: Jo Marsh (MSN ’99, PMC ’03)

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Linda J. Miers (BSN ’71)

Honorary: Del Lienemann

2001

1995

1989

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Nancy Schneckloth (BSN ’60, MSN ’75)

Distinguished Alumnus Award: JoAnn Mulligan (BSN ’58)

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Marian Olson (GND ’44, BSN ’53, MSN ’61)

Young Alumnus Award: June Eilers (BSN ’71, MSN ’74, Ph.D. ’96)

Young Alumnus Award: Michele Cornay (BSN ’90)

Young Alumnus Award: Kristine Turner Norvell (ASN ’79, BSN ’85, MSN ’87)

2000 Distinguished Alumnus Award: Marilyn McCubbin (BSN ’60) 1999 Distinguished Alumnus Award: Peggy Hawkins (BSN ’74, MSN ’79) 1998 Distinguished Alumnus Award: Barbara A. Winfield (BSN ’56) 1997 Distinguished Alumnus Award: Patricia Lopez (MSN ’90) Young Alumnus Award: Barbara J. Sittner (BSN ’90, MSN ’94) 1996 Distinguished Alumnus Award: Gloria O’Dowd (BSN ’61) Young Alumnus Award: Carol Iverson (MSN ’94)

1994 Distinguished Alumnus Award: Rosalee Yeaworth, Ph.D. Young Alumnus Award: Dawn Duncan (ASN ’83, BSN ’84, MSN ’94) 1993 Distinguished Alumnus Award: L. Colette Jones (BSN ’58) 1992 Distinguished Alumnus Award: Carol M. Wilson (BSN ’51) Young Alumnus Award: Susan Daubman (ASN ’82, BSN ’91) 1991 Distinguished Alumnus Award: Gwen Macklem Finn (GND ’52, MSN ’74)

1988 Distinguished Alumnus Award: Emily Brickley (BSN ’30) Young Alumnus Award: Ann Berger (MSN ’84, Ph.D. ’96) 1987 Alumni Achievement Award: Marjorie Moore Cantor (GND ’47, BSN ’49) and Elizabeth Kentopp (BSN ’48) 1986 Distinguished Alumnus Award: Gladys Sorensen (BS ’45) 1985 Distinguished Alumnus Award: Beatrice Petersen Kalisch (BSN ’65, Ph.D.) 1984

Young Alumnus Award: Elizabeth Dorencamper Schneider (MSN ’89)

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Velma Sexsmith Mason (BSN ’31)

1990

1983

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Kay Barnard (BSN ’60)

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Theta Cole Bullington (GND ’38, BSN ’39)

ENDOWED CHAIRS AND PROFESSORSHIPS DOROTHY HODGES OLSON ENDOWED CHAIR IN NURSING

KENNETH E. MOREHEAD ENDOWED CHAIR IN NURSING

BERTHA PANKRATZ ENDOWED CHAIR IN NURSING

The Dorothy Hodges Olson Chair in Nursing, the first fully endowed chair in the UNMC College of Nursing, was established through a contribution from Dorothy and Leland Olson, M.D. Dorothy Hodges Olson graduated with a nursing degree in 1943 from the University of Nebraska School of Nursing. She received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1967. She died in 2010. A second chair was added in 2017.

The Kenneth E. Morehead Endowed Chair in Nursing honors a grateful patient whose gift to the UNMC College of Nursing is an enduring testament to the difference superlative nursing care makes in the lives of patients.

Morehead, a longtime Nebraska auto dealer, said it was the nurses who made the difference in his illness, and he wanted to make a difference with his gift to the College of Nursing. He died in 2000.

Born in Omaha, Bertha Pankratz spent most of her life in Grand Island and was a nurse who believed strongly in education. When she died in 2006 at age 93, she donated the largest gifts from her estate to educational institutions, one being the College of Nursing. She attended nursing school in Boston, returned to Grand Island and practiced as a nurse until 1953.

1999 Dyanne Affonso, Ph.D., RN, FAAN

2008 Marlene Cohen, Ph.D., RN, FAAN

2005 Susan Noble Walker, Ed.D., RN, FAAN 2007 Ann Berger, Ph.D., APRN, AOCNS, FAAN

/ APPENDIX

CAROL M. WILSON ENDOWED CHAIR IN NURSING

CHARLOTTE PECK LIENEMANN AND ALUMNI DISTINGUISHED CHAIR IN NURSING

Carol M. Wilson graduated with a nursing degree from UNMC in 1951. Wilson was a longtime director of nursing at the former University Hospital, now part of Nebraska Medicine. She served nearly 40 years in the role, then later in her career as assistant director for health services administration.

She retired in 1992 and died in 2007 at the age of 82.

The Charlotte Peck Lienemann and Alumni Distinguished Chair in Nursing was made in memory of Charlotte Peck Lienemann by her husband Del Lienemann Sr. and the Lienemann family, the Ethel S. Abbott Charitable Foundation, alumni and friends of the College. Charlotte Lienemann pursued her college education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and at UNMC in Omaha, where she received her nursing degree in 1945. She died in 1995 at the age of 72.

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2014 Kathleen Hanna, Ph.D., RN

2000 Sheila Ryan, Ph.D., RN, FAAN

To be named FLORENCE NIEDFELT ENDOWED PROFESSOR Although she was not a nurse, Florence A. Niedfelt of Grand Island had a lifetime interest in the nursing field. After graduating from high school in 1926, she married John Niedfelt and helped him manage farms and the Platte Valley Construction Company.

Florence Niedfelt, who died in 1984 at the age of 76, bequeathed funds to UNMC’s nursing program.

1986 Patricia Miller, Ph.D., RN 1990 Susan Noble Walker, Ed.D., RN, FAAN 1998 Bevely Hays, Ph.D., RN 2001 Jan Atwood, Ph.D., RN, FAAN 2005 Ann Berger, Ph.D., APRN, AOCNS, FAAN 2005 Lani Zimmerman, Ph.D., RN, FAAN 2008 Sarah Thompson, Ph.D., RN, FAAN 2014 Lani Zimmerman, Ph.D., RN, FAAN

/ F O OT N OT E S & C R E D I T S

FOOTNOTES

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FOREWORD i. American Nursing: An Introduction to the Past. University of Pennsylvania Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing. Accessed 7/10/17 https://www.nursing.upenn. edu/nhhc/american-nursing-anintroduction-to-the-past/ ii. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1998). Leading Causes of Death, 1900-98. Accessed 7/7/17 https://www.cdc. gov/nchs/data/dvs/lead1900_98. pdf iii. Office of the Director, Epidemiology Program Office. (12/24/99).

Achievements in public health, 1900-1999: Changes in the public health system. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 48, 1141-47. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. iv. American Chemical Society International Historic Chemical Landmarks. Discovery and Development of Penicillin. http://www. acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/ flemingpenicillin.html. Accessed 7/10/17 BUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP 1. The First Hundred Years of the University of Nebraska College of Medicine. Omaha: University of Nebraska Medical Center, 1980, pp. 18-19.

2. Ibid, pp. 22-23.

3. Ibid, p. 27.

4. Griffin, G.J. & Griffin, H.J.K. Jensen’s History and Trends of

Professional Nursing, 5th edition.

St. Louis: C.V. Mosby, 1965.

5. Bulletin of the University of Nebraska School for Nurses, 1919-1920. Lincoln, University of Nebraska. December 30, 1919, p. 9.

6. The First Hundred Years..., p. 34.

7. Kalisch, P.A. & Kalisch, B.J. The Advance of American Nursing.

Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1978, p. 337.

8. “First Letters from Red Cross Nurses,” American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 15, No. 1.(October 1914) p. 135.

9. The Nurse Reporter. Vol. XXIV, Vol. 4, October 1949, p. 1.

(The official publication of the University of Nebraska College of Nursing Alumni Association) 10. Nurse Training Schools, 1917-18.

Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Education, No. 73. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1920, pp. 36, 39.

11. The Nurse Reporter. Vol. VI, No. 3, September 1930, p. 1.

12. The Nurse Reporter. Vol. XVII, No. 3, July 1942, p. 7.

13. Ibid.

14. Ibid.

15. The Nurse Reporter. Vol. XVII, No. 3, July 1942, p. 7.

16. Kalisch & Kalisch, p. 337.

17. Ibid, p. 8.

18. Kalisch & Kalisch, p. 295.

19. The First Hundred Years..., p. 36.

20. The Nurse Reporter. Vol. XVII, No. 3, July 1942, p. 9.

21. Ibid.

22. Ibid.

23. Bulletin of the University of Nebraska School for Nurses, 1919-1920. Lincoln. University of Nebraska. December 30, 1919, p. 13.

24. Dolan, J. Nursing in Society: A Historical Perspective, 14th edition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders, 1978, p. 278.

25. Hurlburt, G.P. Personal Communication. May, 1982.

26. Bush, E.W. Personal Communication. October, 1981.

27. Dolan, J. Nursing in Society: A Historical Perspective, 14th edition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders, 1978, p. 291.

28. Committee for the Study of Nursing Education. Nursing and Nursing Education in the United States. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1923, p. 224.

29. Bulletin of the University of Nebraska School of Nursing, 19311932. Lincoln, University of Nebraska. May 11, 1931, pp.

13-14.

30. Committee on the Grading of Nursing Schools. Results of the First Grading of Nursing Schools.

New York City, 1930, 1931.

The Second Grading of Nursing Schools. New York City, 1932.

(Reports of the University of Nebraska School of Nursing.)

31. Kalisch and Kalisch, pp. 409-12.

32. Kalisch and Kalisch, p. 360.

33. Quereau, C. “The Purpose, Program, and Product of the School of Nursing.” American Journal

of Nursing, Vol. 39, No. 6 (June 1939) pp. 651-52.

34. NLNE. Report of the Survey of the University of Nebraska School of Nursing, 1939, p. 6.

35. “NLNE Accredited Schools of Nursing.” American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 41, No. 6 (June 1941) pp. 698-99.

36. The Nurse Reporter. Vol. XVIII, No. 3, July 1943, p. 7.

37. Kalisch and Kalisch, p. 473.

38. The Nurse Reporter, Vol. XIX, No. 1, January 1944, p. 9.

39. The Nurse Reporter. Volume XIX, No. 3, July 1944, p. 6.

RAISING THE BAR 1. The Nurse Reporter. May 1967, p. 2.

2. Bulletin of the University of Nebraska School of Nursing, 1946-1947. Lincoln, University of Nebraska. August 17, 1946, pp.

1518.

3. Ibid, pp. 1415.

4. Bulletin of the University of Nebraska School of Nursing, 1947-1948. Lincoln, University of Nebraska. July 10, 1947, p. 19.

5. Bulletin of the University of Nebraska School of Nursing, 1952-1953. Lincoln, University of Nebraska, pp. 9-10.

6. The Nurse Reporter. Vol. XXX, No. 4, December 1955, p. 1.

7. The Nurse Reporter, Vol. XXXIV,No. 1, March 1962, p. 3.

8. The Nurse Reporter, Vol. XXXIV, No. 4, November 1962, p.5

CREDITS 9. The Nurse Reporter. Vol. XXIII, No. 1, March 1948, pp. 3-4.

10. The Nurse Reporter, Vol. XXXIV, No. 4, November 1966, p. 5 11. The Nurse Reporter. Vol. XXIII, No. 1, March 1948, p. 3.

12. West, M. & Hawkins, C. Nursing Schools at the MidCentury. New York: National Committee for the Improvement of Nursing Services, 1950.

13. Petry, L. “We Hail An Important First.” American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 49, No. 10 (October 1949) p. 630.

14. Nahm, H. “Temporary Accreditation.” American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 52, No. 8 (August 1952) pp. 997-1001.

15. Elliott, F. & Smith, D. “National Accreditation.” American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 55, No. 4 (April 1955) pp. 456-58.

16. Barentson, R. Personal Communication. September, 1984.

17. Quarmby, M.F. Letter from NLN, Department of Baccalaureate & Higher Degree Programs. June 3, 1960.

18. Kyle, I.M. Letter to M.F. Quarmby.

June 23, 1960.

19. The Nurse Reporter. Vol. XXXV, No. 2, May 1963, p. 1.

20. Kyle, I.M. Letter to M.F. Quarmby.

June 23, 1960.

21. Self Evaluation Report to the National League for Nursing.

January, 1965.

22. McMahill, J.A. Personal Communication. November 15, 1981.

CHARTING A NEW COURSE 1. Boyle, R. E. Audiotaped interview

by Bernice Hetzner, July 6, 1979.

(Transcript available in Leon S. McGoogan Library of Medicine, UNMC, Omaha.)

2. “Rena Boyle ‘Knew She Was Right’.” Omaha World-Herald.

Sec. E, p. 1, July 8, 1979.

3. Boyle, Audiotaped interview.

4. Ibid.

5. The University of Nebraska School of Nursing: Maximum Enrollment and Quality Instruction. Unpublished Report, Feb. 12, 1969.

6. Comments and Suggestions Regarding Curriculum Offered by Senior Students in May, 1968.

University of Nebraska School of Nursing, Omaha. Unpublished Report, September 5, 1968.

7. “Training Could Ease Medical Personnel Shortage.” Omaha World Herald, Sec. B, p. 4, March 9, 1969.

8. Annual Report, July 1, 1977 to June 30, 1978. College of Nursing, UNMC, p. 3.

9. Boyle, R.E. Associate Degree Programs in Nursing. Report to the President, UNMC. Unpublished report, February 12, 1969, p. 1, 5.

10. Ibid, 11. Ibid, pp. 2-3.

12. Leichsenring, M. Articulated Career Programs, p. 22.

13. Leichsenring, M. Articulated Career Programs, p. 22.

14. Bulletin of the College of Nursing, 198082. Omaha, University of Nebraska Medical Center.

October, 1980, p. 9.

15. Leichsenring, M. Articulated Career Programs, p. 14.

16. Boyle, Audiotaped interview.

17. Bulletin of the UNMC, College of Nursing, 1973-74. Omaha, UNMC. February 20, 1973.

18. Leichsenring, M. Articulated Career Programs, p. 5.

19. Self Evaluation Report. February 1, 1972, pp. 214-215.

20. Annual Report, July 1, 1977, to June 30, 1978. College of Nursing, UNMC, pp. 28-29.

ADAPTING TO CHANGING TIMES 1. Moscato, S.R.; Miller, J.; Logsdon, K.; Weinberg, S.; and Chorpenning, L. (2007). Dedicated Education Unit: An Innovative Clinical Partner Education Model. Nursing Outlook, Vol. 55, pp. 31-37.

NEW BUILDINGS, NEW PROGRAMS 1. “Nursing Schools and Investment,” Omaha World-Herald.

Editorial, March 3, 1987.

NEW BUILDINGS, NEW PROGRAMS 1. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2016). Advancing health care transformation: A new era for academic nursing.

Washington, DC: Author. Accessible online at www.aacn.nche. edu/AACN‐Manatt‐Report.pdf.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS v. https://www.unmc.edu/nursing/ about/mission-vision.html.

Accessed 7/10/17

EDITORS Dan Sullivan Audrey Nelson Juliann Sebastian Vicky Cerino LaDonna Tworek Karen Burbach Elizabeth Kumru

WRITERS Audrey Nelson Nancy Schneckloth Juliann Sebastian Vicky Cerino Rosalee Yeaworth Ada Lindsey Virginia Tilden Judith Billings

DESIGNER Christine Zueck-Watkins

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank all of those who were instrumental in writing this history. First, I must acknowledge the late Nancy Schneckloth, MSN, RN, the faculty member who wrote the history of the first 70 years (left) that is incorporated into this book. Second, I thank Audrey Nelson, Ph.D., RN, who chaired the Centennial Committee and in her brilliant and dedicated way, curates the UNMC College of Nursing and Alumni History Museum and archives. Her editing and writing were essential in completing this book.

Special thanks to Dan Sullivan and Christine Zueck-Watkins, both of the Omaha World-Herald, who served as editor and designer respectively. Their work helped us think about the best ways to share a compact version of the College of Nursing history in a manner that captured the spirit and context of the times. Vicky Cerino, from the University of Nebraska Medical Center Public Relations office, did a wonderful job helping with editing and writing, and my assistant, LaDonna Tworek, superbly helped with the final editing.

We are indebted to three of our past deans for their contributions to writing sections of the book.

Rosalee Yeaworth, Ph.D., RN, FAAN; Ada Lindsey, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, and Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., RN, FAAN – along with Assistant Dean Judith Billings, Ph.D., RN – each spent time thinking through the major changes and accomplishments during their tenures and analyzing those accomplishments within the context of the times.

/ AC K N OW L E D G M E N T S

We thank each of you who are reading this book for your interest and dedication to the work we

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are privileged to do at the College of Nursing. Finally, we thank those who came before us and those who will follow for their commitment to a big dream. We look forward to the College of Nursing’s second century of working toward our mission of “transforming lives through premier nursing education, innovative research, the highest quality health care and promotion of health equity.” v Juliann G. Sebastian, Ph.D., RN, FAAN Dean and Professor October 2017

$32.00

Š 2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing, the state’s oldest publicly supported nursing college, celebrates its centennial in 2017. More than 15,000 students have graduated since its first class began with 13 women on October 16, 1917, and the program has grown to include campuses in Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney, Scottsbluff and Norfolk. With a mission of education, research and service, College of Nursing faculty, staff and students have been at the forefront of the evolution of the profession of nursing across Nebraska, the United States and the world.