Norfolk, Neb. is the hometown of Johnny Carson, the former king of late night comedy. The city of 23,000 in northeast, Nebraska, and the surrounding region, also has 15 percent of the state’s population with favorable demographics that show growth and a strong economy.
But, a significant workforce shortage, a growing demand for health services, and the associated need to increase the number of nurses with bachelor’s and graduate degrees, threatens the health of the community and its economic vitality. It’s estimated in Nebraska there will be a shortfall of 1,216 full-time nurses by 2010 and by 2020 a shortfall of 3,838 full-time nurses.
Nebraska Sen. Mike Flood, the state senator representing the area, recognized something had to be done. So three years ago, Flood met with University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken to make a case to create a division of the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing located in Norfolk.
The feat would not be complete without overcoming other significant challenges, including raising private money to build the facility, securing ongoing costs for operations funded by the state, recruiting faculty and securing clinical sites to train students.
With a pioneering spirit the community raised $11.9 in private funds to build a facility to establish a nursing college. The fundraising goal exceeded expectations and is believed to be the largest campaign amount ever raised in northeast Nebraska. The land on which the facility now is being built was donated.
In May, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman sealed the deal when he signed a budget that provides annual operating costs for the new college, which is scheduled to open in August 2010.
"This public-private partnership is unique," said Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., dean of the UNMC College of Nursing headquartered in Omaha, with divisions currently in three other locations across Nebraska. "It started with a feasibility study, and in the end, forces made it happen."
Partners included Northeast Community College, Faith Regional Health Services, area hospitals, the city of Norfolk, the surrounding Madison County, and others. In tough budget times, University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken and the Board of Regents made it one of their funding priorities.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing Northern Division will be housed in a 43,747 gross square-foot, state-of-the art facility on the Northeast Community College campus. The facility, which is named J. Paul and Eleanor McIntosh College of Nursing after a Norfolk couple known for their philanthropy, also will house Northeast Community College’s licensed practical nursing and associate degree nursing programs.
"This is about nursing students being able to live and work in their communities while pursuing a bachelor’s or graduate degree," Dr. Tilden said. "Research shows students tend to stay in the area in which they are educated and practice. If they go away to school, they may not return.
"An extraordinarily strong show of support from all sectors of the Norfolk community and surrounding areas was critical for this initiative to be successful. Everyone put aside singular interests to focus on the well-being of northeast Nebraska," she said.
Dr. Tilden said leaders in northeast Nebraska recognized the collective potential of such a partnership.
"Traditionally, community colleges and undergraduate institutions have different models of education, different requirements and are typically isolated from each other," she said. "The model we have may be useful in other parts of the country, particularly in these difficult economic times. No longer can our public universities rely on support solely from the state."
The college, which will serve a 20-county region, will be the first and only publicly-supported college in northeast Nebraska to offer the first baccalaureate nursing and graduate degree program. It will admit 48 students each year in its bachelor’s degree program, and 10 to 20 in its master’s degree and doctoral programs.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $82 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,600 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.
-30-