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Sen. Mike Flood |
In a report, the regents’ Academic Affairs Committee recommended UNMC address conditions before requesting approval to establish a new division.
The report follows a request by University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken for the regents to review and make recommendations from a feasibility study released in October of the proposed division. The study was conducted by the UNMC College of Nursing in Omaha and its two partners in the proposal, Northeast Community College and Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk.
The proposed Norfolk division was prompted by an inquiry last April from state Sen. Michael Flood of Norfolk to help address the growing demand for acute care in north/northeast Nebraska and the associated need to increase the number of nurses with bachelor’s and graduate degrees.
Flood commended the regents and university leaders for recognizing the need for nursing education in northeast Nebraska.
“Locating a division of the UNMC College of Nursing in Norfolk would save lives and help keep our smaller communities strong. Now the heavy lifting must be done back home,” Flood said. “We will be meeting soon to make plans on raising the money to build the facility without using state tax dollars. Given this project’s importance, I have every confidence that the money will be pledged to ensure the success of this project.”
A nursing division in Norfolk would be a great service to the residents of Nebraska and help meet important nursing staffing needs in a very populous part of the state, said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D.
“It also would contribute to the economic robustness of the region. We’re delighted to assist in this effort,” he said.
The new division would offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in nursing. A new facility would be constructed to house the division as well as Northeast Community College’s two-year nursing program and would be funded with public and private sources. Currently UNMC has nursing divisions in four Nebraska cities: Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney and Scottsbluff.
Initially, the division would need to recruit 10 faculty and an assistant dean. Once the program reached student capacity, an additional five faculty would be needed for a total of 15 full-time faculty. Projected costs of a 35,000-square-foot-facility are $10.8 million. By the seventh year, ongoing expenses are projected at $3 million and the annual revenues are projected at $3 million.
In order for UNMC to move forward in establishing a division, recommendations in the regents’ report require three binding agreements to address funding and academic program support:
- A written letter of intent approved and signed on or before May 1 by the Board of Regents, Northeast Community College, Faith Regional Health Services and the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce stating an intent by all parties to move forward toward establishment of a Northeast Division of the UNMC College of Nursing in Norfolk.
- A memorandum of understanding for financial commitment signed by March 1, 2008 by Faith Regional Health Services and other stakeholders to fund construction of a $10.7 million facility and annual operations expenses of $350,000 and associated costs.
- An academic affiliation agreement required by May 1, 2008 would specify enrollment, curricular and clinical arrangements with Northeast Community College and Faith Regional Health Services.
In addition, one or more of the following conditions could negate establishment of the division: planning of the division is not approved by the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education; the Board of Regents determines that adequate funding is not available to support the division
program; any partners to the agreements do not fulfill long-term commitments for operations budget, curriculum, enrollment and clinical agreements; and enrollment and staffing are insufficient any time after four years of operations to maintain the size or quality of the program.
Officials say a Norfolk division is warranted for several reasons, including a growing regional demand for health services — especially acute care; favorable population demographics showing growth and a strong economy; and a significant workforce shortage in the region. A local program also help retain students/community members upon graduation.
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Bill Path, Ph.D. |
Bob Driewer, chief executive officer, Faith Regional Health Services, thanked the Board of Regents for their vote of support. “This is a truly significant decision for all of the healthcare providers in the region, because it will have a lasting positive impact on healthcare delivery at the bedside for years to come in Northeast Nebraska. I know that every hospital and every patient will benefit from this decision because of this higher level of training that will be available to the nursing staff that practices in these institutions.”
A UNMC College of Nursing division in Norfolk would mark the first baccalaureate nursing and graduate degree program in northeast Nebraska. The division would be the only publicly-supported nursing college in the area offering the degrees, which would allow students to attain the degrees at an affordable cost.
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Bob Driewer |
Once fully operational, the nursing division could admit 48 students each year to its bachelor’s degree in nursing program, 10 to 20 in its master’s degree in nursing program and some doctoral students. UNMC officials say the first class of students graduating from the new division could boost the BSN workforce in the region by about 13 percent.
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Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc. |
“UNMC has gone over and above for the community of Norfolk and all of northeast Nebraska by taking this project seriously from day one,” he said. “Thanks to partnerships with Northeast Community College and Faith Regional Health Services, we can truly call this project a collaborative effort for the benefit of our corner of the state.”