Missouri Western State University has established a new School of Nursing and Health Professions. The change was approved by Missouri Western’s Board of Governors in a telephone poll Feb. 9.
“Our health-related programs are extremely well respected and warrant a ‘school’ designation,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president. “The change recognizes the important role these programs have at Missouri Western, and will enhance the already strong external relationships our nursing and health professions programs have with Mosaic Life Care and other health industry organizations.”
The School of Nursing and Health Professions will be housed within the College of Professional Studies and will be led by an associate dean. The School will include Missouri Western’s master’s degree program in nursing and undergraduate programs for nursing, health information management, physical therapist assistant and the new population health management degree, established by a gift from Mosaic Life Care.
“The number of faculty, number of students, and number of graduates annually from programs in the existing Department of Nursing and Allied Health are similar to the numbers in the current Craig School of Business and the School of Fine Arts,” said Dr. Jeanne Daffron, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “School designation recognizes the excellence these programs have achieved and positions us well to reach new heights.”
Dr. Kathleen O’Connor, dean of professional studies, says the programs in the School of Nursing and Health Professions are complex and require extensive management.
“School designation will help us recruit an effective leader for the associate dean position who can provide strong oversight of the student admissions processes, regulatory expectations, clinical affiliations, and other factors that make these programs unique,” Dr. O’Connor said.
The search for the first associate dean of nursing and health professions is expected to begin immediately.
The roots of the School of Nursing and Health Professions date back to 1971, when 15 students were admitted to an associate degree program for nursing. In 1986, Missouri Western began offering a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Currently, 100 students per year are admitted to the BSN program, and several more are taking advantage of an RN to BSN program that allows licensed nurses to complete their four-year degree while working. A Master of Science in Nursing program was established in 2010, and includes two concentration options: health care leadership and nurse educator.
The health information management program began as an associate’s degree program in 1994, and transitioned to a bachelor’s degree program beginning in 2010. The physical therapy assistant program began in 1996, and was housed at Mosaic Life Care until the construction of Murphy Hall on Missouri Western’s campus in 2000.
In 2015, Mosaic Life Care pledged $1.5 million to establish an endowed professorship of population health, the first endowed professorship in Missouri Western’s history. The gift helped establish a bachelor’s degree program in population health management that will be the first of its kind in the nation. The search to fill the Mosaic Professorship for Population Health is expected to begin soon.
Of the five programs in the School of Nursing and Health Professions, four have achieved national program accreditation. Because the population health management program is unique, there is currently not an opportunity for accreditation.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.