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S O U T H E R N
O F F I C E
President’s Message
Gree5ngs SU family,
As the 2009-2010 academic year nears the end, we are excited with the accomplishments and achievements that have been realized during the past months.
We are busy planning for the upcoming year and beyond with a renewed focus on improving student outcomes. The Southern University System is commi6ed to enhancing our learning environment to become an exemplary learning leader among the world’s finest universi5es. Our Board of Supervisors, System and campus leaders, faculty, staff, and alumni are united in a mission to support SU and lead this great university through the challenging 5mes we now face. These trying 5mes are opportuni5es for making bold moves and to be proac5ve in offering solu5ons to secure our future. We wish the best of luck to all our students who will be leaving us in May to begin the next phase of their lives in exci5ng careers and in further study. Southern University is grateful for the support from our stakeholders, students and their families, and alumni who partner with us to achieve universal prominence. Yours for Southern,
Kassie Freeman, Ph.D. Interim President
U N I V E R S I T Y
S Y S T E M
NEWS
Volume 1, Issue 7, April 2010
O F
T H E
P R E S I D E N T
SUSLA nursing grads achieve 100% pass rate on na5onal exam
Southern University at Shreveport’s School of Nursing Fall 2009 graduates achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the Na5onal Council Licensure – RN (NCLEX-RN) exam. SUSLA graduates have consistently achieved na5onal cer5fica5on with pass rates in the 90th percen5le.
The SUSLA Nursing Department is designed to support students who desire a career in nursing, but for whom the doors of the nursing profession have been tradi5onally closed, says Sandra Tucker, dean of the the SUSLA School of Nursing. “Our program considers and accepts persons in their en5rety while mentoring them to become successful registered nurses,” said Tucker. Selec5on to the professional component of the nursing program is based on NLN PreAdmission Exam-RN score, overall grade point average, and the sa5sfactory comple5on of all other pre-requisite requirements. In an ar5cle in the Shreveport Times, Tucker said stringent policies for the school made the passing rate possible. The program is rigorous with sessions las5ng seven and a half weeks. Students who miss two classes are taken out of the program, regardless of whether the absence was excused, she explained. “The program has a 69 percent comple5on rate. The na5onal rate is 60 percent to 65 percent,” Tucker said. “The ones who remain know what’s the secret to doing well.” “You have to be there,” Tucker told the Times. “In order to gain knowledge to pass the board, you have to be in class.” In the ar5cle, Tucker said most of the program’s students come from an at-risk popula5on with ACT scores averaging 12, 13, or 14. The average score in Caddo was 20.2 for the class of 2009. In order to overcome this challenge, they’ve had to become more flexible, despite the stringent rules. “It starts with the faculty’s involvement,” said Tucker. As part of their teaching load, faculty members mentor students and hold study groups twice a week. Books also are adjusted. Tucker said new books are o&en assigned based on the student’s reading levels. “We serve an at-risk popula5on and at the end, they rise to the level,” she said. “They do get there.”