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Nursing students receive a collegiate name change

Written by Johnathan Silver, The Shorthorn senior staff

Tuesday, 26 January 2010 07:20 PM

Nursing juniors Chelsea Carmody, left, and Christina Bily go through a patient history exam during their Holistic Health Assessment lab on Tuesday at Pickard Hall. The School of Nursing had its name changed to the College of Nursing after the University of Texas System and the Higher Education Coordinating Board approved it Jan. 13. (The Shorthorn: Rasy Ran)

One school on campus will have to modify its name as it appears in buildings, signs and on students’ patches after a state agency authorized the change.

The School of Nursing is now the College of Nursing.

The change became effective immediately on Jan. 13 when the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board responded to the request. An external relations officer from the coordinating board and the university’s provost referred questions to officials from the new college.

Schools can apply to the Coordinating Board when it has numerous departments and offers several degree programs.

The nursing programs that existed before the name change are now grouped under three departments. But all along, the programs were like departments, except in name, said Elizabeth Poster, the first dean of the College of Nursing.

Departments created under the College of Nursing

Undergraduate Department

Department of Advanced Practice Nursing

Department of Graduate Nursing Administration, Education and Research

“Why not just call them what they are?” she said.

Poster asked for the name change in a proposal and submitted it to the university in October 2009. The university then sent the proposal to the UT System and from there forwarded it to the THECB.

Nursing junior Glory Ehiogu said she did not hear about the university’s nursing school when she was in high school. She said the name change sounds more prestigious and will produce more visibility for the new college and the university.

The dean cited the success of nursing students, the college’s national prominence and high enrollment as factors, which prompted her to draft a proposal. It will also benefit the students, Poster said.

“We were all very excited because we felt that this recognized our success and excellence in all of our programs,” she said. “Something interesting to look forward to will be the seniors graduating in May from the ‘College of Nursing.’ ”

Nursing junior Angela J. Wright said the name change would look good on résumés.

“It’s going to put us at the top of the list since we’re not just a school anymore,” she said. “It can only be an improvement.”

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