The Resurrection of the Bachelor’s Degree Program in Nursing at Grambling State University

The School of Nursing at Grambling State University in Louisiana had been offering a bachelor’s degree program for 30 years. But in 2010, the school failed to meet the state guidelines for the percentage of graduates who passed the state licensing examination. In 2015, the Louisiana State Board of Education effectively shut down the bachelor’s degree program in nursing. Graduate programs in nursing were not impacted.

Now the Louisiana State Board of Nursing has approved plans for a new undergraduate nursing program at Grambling State University. If approved by the Louisiana Board of Regents, as expected, the first nursing students would enroll in the bachelor’s degree program in the fall of 2018.

To increase the chances of success of nursing students, Grambling’s new undergraduate nursing program would require specific preliminary general education and other courses and a strong academic history before a student could be admitted as a nursing major.

Meg Brown, associate dean of nursing in the College of Professional Studies at Grambling, has led the effort to reinstate the bachelor’s degree program in nursing. “The work to get to this stage has been the process required by the state of Louisiana,” Dr. Brown said. “Now the work of building the program starts.”

Rick Gallot, president of Grambling State University, stated that “we didn’t come this far to stumble and fall. We’re going to work with Dr. Brown to make sure that her nursing vision leads not only to the implementation of this program but to developing scores of successful nurses practicing across northern Louisiana, this state and this nation.”

Related Articles

3 COMMENTS

  1. I received my BSN from Grambling State University in 2000. I have since earned a masters degree and I am currently pursuing a post masters FNP. Many of my classmates have gone on to do amazing things in the field of nursing and it all started in the nursing building at Grambling. I’m beyond excited that the undergraduate program is returning. Kudos to Dr. Brown and President Gallot for working so diligently to reinstate the program.

  2. I have hired RNs from my alma mater for years.

    It was disappointing that the Program was then terminated.

    I’m most pleased that the University is rebounding from this challenge.

    I’m hopeful the College of Nursing shall implement a prerequisite testing standard as part of its entrance standard. It is proven to be more successful having a selection process that is aligned with the basis of the State certification testing. Prairie View has shown to be a great model for such a program.

    I look forward to resuming my recruitment efforts with GSU once again.

    Kindly,
    Sherry Smith
    Class of 1990

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

California State University Sacramento Launches Black Honors College

Officially launching for the fall 2024 semester, the Black Honors College will support students from all backgrounds who study Black history, life, and culture by providing them with a specialized curriculum and mentoring opportunities.

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

In Memoriam: Norman B. Anderson, 1955-2024

Dr. Anderson was the assistant vice president for research and academic affairs at Florida State University at the time of his death. He had an extensive career in clinical psychology, which led him to become the first African American chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association.

Georgia State University Launches Program to Support Black Women in Tech

While Black women account for roughly 29 percent of the Georgia State University undergradaute student body, they represent only 10 percent of the university's computer science majors and 18 percent of the computer information systems majors.

Featured Jobs