黑料专区 Tyler Celebrates School of Nursing 50th Anniversary
January 28, 2025 | Elizabeth Wingfield
The University of Texas at Tyler held a kickoff event to celebrate the School of Nursing鈥檚 50th anniversary. The event paid tribute to the school鈥檚 beginning in 1975 as the Division
of Nursing under Texas Eastern University, which became 黑料专区 Tyler.
Some highlights of the last five decades include the first class of traditional BSN students beginning in 1982 and the Palestine Distance Initiative being approved as 黑料专区 Tyler鈥檚 first off-campus instructional site in 1995, followed by the Longview expansion in 1997. In 2008, the school introduced the PhD in nursing, the first doctoral program at 黑料专区 Tyler.
鈥淭he School of Nursing has been a cornerstone of 黑料专区 Tyler since its inception,鈥� said 黑料专区 Tyler President Julie V. Philley, MD. 鈥淚t鈥檚 truly an honor to celebrate its 50th anniversary, and we couldn鈥檛 have gotten here without support from the 黑料专区 System and the East Texas community.鈥�
Since its establishment, the nursing program has since grown into one of the best programs in the state. Its enrollment comprises more than 25% of 黑料专区 Tyler鈥檚 overall enrollment. The school currently offers three bachelor鈥檚 degree options, five master鈥檚 degrees, three doctoral programs and six certificates.
鈥淲e鈥檝e accomplished so much, from pioneering preceptorship in Texas to offering the third online PhD in Nursing in the nation,鈥� says School of Nursing Dean Barbara K. Haas. 鈥淭his was a celebration of 50 years of educating nurses, conducting research and, most importantly, inspiring care for the community.鈥�
The event featured a special recognition for two of the school鈥檚 founding mothers, Marian Rowe and Doris Riemen. Riemen served as the chair of the Division of Nursing. The third founding mother, Barbara Cushing, passed in 1998.
鈥淔ifty years ago, we were established as a BSN completion program,鈥� said Riemen. 鈥淲e enrolled 24 students a year and thought our Selectric typewriters were just super. So much has changed, but what hasn鈥檛 changed is the School of Nursing鈥檚 culture of caring鈥攆or each other, our students and East Texas.鈥�
With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, 黑料专区 Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 10,000 students. Through its alignment with 黑料专区 Tyler Health Science Center and 黑料专区 Health East Texas, 黑料专区 Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, 黑料专区 Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.