Vision becomes reality — Norfolk nursing division ready for students

Northern exposures The slideshow above features images of UNMC and state officials at the new J. Paul and Eleanor McIntosh College of Nursing in Norfolk.

It started as a vision by Nebraska State Sen. Mike Flood. It’s now a multi-million dollar facility on the Northeast Community College campus in Norfolk and home to a unique partnership between Northeast and the UNMC College of Nursing.

The J. Paul and Eleanor McIntosh College of Nursing is now ready for UNMC nursing students, who start fall semester classes on Aug. 23.

With the addition of the new division, the UNMC College of Nursing now has locations in Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney, Scottsbluff and Norfolk.

“This is a great day in higher education in Nebraska,” Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman said Tuesday during a special visit to the new building. “This nursing education partnership between Northeast Community College and the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing Northern Division is a masterful plan to bring two- and four-year nursing education to northeast Nebraska at considerable savings to students and the taxpayer.”

Class information For more information about UNMC nursing classes in Norfolk, contact Jackie Smith at (402) 844-7890 or jsmithk@unmc.edu.

Here are some facts about the newest addition to UNMC’s 500-mile campus:

• The 43,747-square-foot facility houses all Northeast basic nurse aide, medication aide, practical nursing (PN), and associate degree nursing (ADN) programs and the UNMC College of Nursing’s undergraduate and graduate-level programs;
  
• The facility was built following a successful $11.9 million capital campaign that concluded in May 2009 following a capstone gift of more than $1 million by Norfolk philanthropists J. Paul and Eleanor McIntosh;
  
• The UNMC division will be led by Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., dean of the UNMC College of Nursing; and Ruth Macnamara, Ph.D., assistant dean of the UNMC College of Nursing Northern Division;
  
• Eight UNMC faculty members and three support staff will be on hand when classes start;
  
• Thirty-two students are enrolled for BSN classes;
  
• Faith Regional Health Services of Norfolk, along with other area hospitals and nursing homes, will be clinical training sites for both Northeast and UNMC nursing students.