LU PARTNERS WITH UCSO TO OFFER NURSING PROGRAM IN ARDMORE
By Christina Gray
The University Center of Southern Oklahoma (UCSO) was recently approved to offer a bachelor’s program for nursing students from Langston University. Recruiting for its staff will begin in the fall, and classes will start in spring 2019.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) offered in Ardmore will be the same program as the one on the Langston campuses in Langston and Tulsa. The course offerings will also include an RN-BSN and an LPN-BSN track.
The new program offering provides the community an affordable and local option.
“We plan to admit at least 24 qualified students spring 2019 with an increase in the number of admissions each spring,” said Dr. Teressa Hunter, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions.
“ The increase in the number of admissions will depend on the hiring of additional qualified faculty and clinical sites availability.”
Before the approval of the program, Langston University administrators met with the Ardmore Chamber of Commerce to discuss the community’s needs and requested a Community Needs Assessment for Ardmore, something the University Center hasn’t done since 2007.
A recent news article in the Daily Ardmoreite quoted that ”Langston University has been wonderful to work with,” UCSO Interim CEO Peggy Maher said.
“I especially like their commitment to working with the Ardmore community. They’ve met with the Chamber of Commerce, and they went to superintendents, they want to find out what Ardmore’s needs are.“
“Our goal was to survey the local patrons to find out what the community wanted from the program,” said Mautra Jones, Langston University Vice President of Institutional Advancement and External Affairs.
“We wanted to make sure that our program would ultimately to fit the needs of the surrounding community.”
In addition to the nursing program, Langston University’s administrators submitted a list of other possible degree programs to bring to UCSO in the future. The list included agriculture programs, criminal justice, cybersecurity, natural resources, conservation, and animal science.
