Regis North - Regis Today 2016

SATELLITE CAMPU S I N LAWRENC E B O OSTS HEA LT HCARE ED UCATION, CAREERS , AND D ELIVERY

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B Y M A U R A K I N G S C U L LY / P H O T O S B Y K AT H L E E N D O O H E R

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Left to right: Professor Vanessa Boulanger with students Christopher Guard and Yanina Vasquez.

24 REGIS TODAY

hen Christopher Guard was laid off from his job in banking, he decided it was time for a career change. In his 40s, the Methuen, Massachusetts, resident enrolled in the nursing program at Northern Essex Community College (NECC) with hopes of working in a hospital. To do that, however, he knew he’d need to continue on for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree.

“Most hospitals are only hiring nurses with BSNs,” says Guard. There was only one problem. “Most nursing bachelor’s completion programs are online, and I like learning with someone in front of me rather than on a computer screen.”

Yanina Vasquez is a single mother with her eye on a full-time position in community health at Lowell General Hospital, where she currently holds two part-time jobs.

“I had my associate’s degree from NECC and started courses elsewhere for my bachelor’s,” she explains. The switch was anything but smooth. “They didn’t take all of my credits, the classes weren’t at convenient times, and even the parking was difficult.”

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Both Guard and Vasquez found exactly what they needed at a new Regis North satellite on NECC’s Lawrence, Massachusetts, campus: flexible and convenient bachelor’s degree completion programs that bring them one step closer to their career goals.

The partnership advances the Regis mission to serve the “dear neighbor,” explains Penny Glynn, dean of the School of Nursing. “This allows us to bring opportunities to a

whole new group of students—easy access to well-respected, accredited bachelor degree programs.”

Beyond answering a need in the Greater Lawrence area for educational and economic opportunities, the program aims to improve the quality of healthcare delivery in the area.

EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES

Regis North is an initiative of Regis’s Institute for Advancing Studies in partnership with Northern Essex Community College. Launched in September 2015, the new campus currently offers bachelor’s degree completion programs in nursing and public health with more planned.

According to David Gilmore, associate dean of partnerships and strategic initiatives, planning for Regis North began two years ago, the result of what he calls “the perfect storm.”

“I had been working on articulation agreements with community colleges and got a call out of the blue from a consultant who was working with Lane Glenn, PhD, president of NECC, who was looking for a four-year institution to partner with them to offer four-year degrees on the Lawrence campus.”

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MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL

Kaitlynn Arvidson, manager of the Institute for Advancing Studies, says that students appreciate the seamless transfer from NECC to the Regis bachelor’s completion program as classes are onsite in Lawrence. “Faculty members have a wealth of experience in the industry and understand the needs

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Taking Root Regis’s commitment to Lawrence reaches beyond Regis North to pre-K to grade 8 students at Lawrence Catholic Academy (LCA). Through Regis, a nurse practitioner is onsite at LCA five days a week throughout the year providing health services, including triage and treatment of daily ailments as well as ongoing screening services.

The partnership is a product of luck and timing. In the process of launching Regis North, staff learned that the six-year-old parochial elementary school had lost funding for its school nurse. More than 80 percent of LCA families are from Lawrence and over 60 percent qualify for the free and reduced-fee lunch program.

Collaborating with LCA Principal Jorge Hernandez, husband of Kate Lennon Hernandez ’98, Regis stepped in to fill the gap, thanks to support from a local foundation.

Similar to Regis North, the arrangement benefits both partners, says Penny Glynn, dean of the School of Nursing. “In addition to delivering healthcare services for children in school, LCA also provides an experiential learning opportunity for Regis students studying in the nursing and nurse practitioner degree programs.”

of adult students—appreciating that they’re juggling work and family life.”

And, true to Regis’s culture, “The professors care,” says Guard.

“They’re available to us at any time and they make sure we feel part of the Regis community.”

It’s this kind of cooperative spirit that adds to the program’s dynamic.

“We have a vibrant mix of students from a variety of backgrounds,” says Associate Professor of Public Health Tim Ciesielski, who teaches in both Weston and Lawrence. “There is also a wide distribution of student ages, which provides a nice combination of maturity, real-world experience, and perseverance that truly adds value to the classroom setting. All of this helps the students—and the faculty—to see that preparation and grit are often the most important determinants of success.”

Vanessa Boulanger, who teaches public health at Regis North, appreciates the lively classroom discussions. “Students are so engaged.

They have incredible first-hand practical experience and knowledge that they bring to the classroom.

Most students are working part time, if not full time. They come prepared with pointed questions because they want to understand the broader context of the care they provide each day.”

There’s also something exciting about being part of a new venture.

“IT GIVES LAWRENCE THE TRUE PRESENCE OF A FOURYEAR COLLEGE AND ALLOWS REGIS TO SPREAD ITS WINGS AND REACH STUDENTS.” “It’s such a wonderful experience, being able to teach this first cohort of students,” says Boulanger. “The administration has been so supportive. The faculty and students are both so dedicated. Regis North is filling an important gap in the education and training opportunities available to students in the area.”

“I’m glad to be part of this first group,” adds Vasquez. “They make us feel special, inviting us to talk about our experiences at different events to encourage other people.

I’m excited to finish my degree as the first class at Regis North.”

Vasquez also has big plans. “I’m going right on for my master’s at Regis. That will put me in a very good position.”

Ciesielski sees Regis’s new satellite campus as yet another innovative example of how academic institutions and cities can help each other. “There is great potential for synergy. Regis is helping Lawrence, but Lawrence is helping Regis as well.”

25 SPRING 2016

That call came at the same time Regis President Antoinette M. Hays, PhD, RN, was meeting with Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera about expanding educational opportunities in the Gateway City.

“Strategically, the partnership made sense,” Gilmore explains.

“It gives Lawrence the true presence of a four-year college and allows Regis to spread its wings and reach students in northeastern Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire, and southern Maine.”

The Regis North satellite is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), and the Regis nursing program is designated a “Center of Excellence in Nursing Education” by the National League of Nursing.

(Read more on page 7.) Additionally, all graduates receiving a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Regis North will have an option for a minor in public health, reflecting Regis’s strong commitment to education in healthcare not just for the individual, but for the entire community.

In staking a claim in Lawrence, Gilmore says that Regis is excited about the city’s future. “We’re planning to expand degree offerings beyond nursing and public health to include a variety of health professions degrees and to grow as student demand increases.”

Glynn notes that Regis North’s baccalaureate degree completion programs come as leading nursing professional organizations are calling for more diversity.

“The American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services point to the need for the nursing workforce to better reflect the changing demographics of the country.”

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