Fall 2003

Message from the Dean | First Faculty Fellowship Program | Former Dean Encourages Nurses to Speak Out | Fund-Raising Priorities | Meet Rosemary | College Inaugurates PhD Program

Welcome to our first Development newsletter. We will be sending you two issues a year to keep you informed of the college’s fund-raising priorities, the impact of private gifts on our students, faculty and academic programs and special opportunities for you.

It almost seems impossible that six years have passed since I returned to the College of Nursing to become dean in July of 1997. The UNM College of Nursing is where I started my career by earning my BSN. So much has happened over the years, the majority of which has been remarkable, challenging, exciting and even mind-boggling. There is no doubt that the nursing profession remains in tremendous demand worldwide, and that it’s ranked number one for respect among professions. One of the biggest issues for all of us is encouraging more students to choose a nursing career with a commitment to learn the skills needed to stay in the profession. Enlisting more private contributions to ensure student support with scholarships and faculty retention with professorships are key priorities.

The college faculty and staff are working diligently to recruit students; we certainly have a variety of study options to offer them depending on their circumstances. There is the basic four-year Bachelor of Science Degree (BSN) option, the RN-to-BSN option and the BSN option for the second degree program (fast track study of 15 months for students with one bachelor’s degree already). The RN-to-BSN program is on the internet so nurses can continue working while finishing course work to acquire their BSN. More graduate-level options are available for study on the Web, too. Additionally this fall, we officially begin the first Ph.D. program in nursing for New Mexico.

This newsletter goes to the printer as the fall semester gets underway, so we can talk only about anticipated student enrollment numbers which you will find on the back. We want you to understand how serious we are about sending more nursing graduates into the workforce.

We thank you for endorsing our pursuits with your important contributions. Look forward to our second issue of this newsletter in May 2004.

Sandra L. Ferketich, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dean and Professor