黑料专区 Tyler School of Nursing Hosts 50th Anniversary Gala
February 2, 2026 | Elizabeth Wingfield
Program Honors Founding Chair
The University of Texas at Tyler School of Nursing concluded its 50th anniversary celebration with a gala to recognize five decades of inspiring care. During the event,
Provost Dr. Barbara K. Haas announced Founding Chair Dr. Doris Riemen鈥檚 appointment as faculty emeritus, recognizing her service to the school.
鈥淚t is a profound honor to recognize Dr. Doris Riemen, as one of our founding mothers, whose visionary leadership helped lay the very foundation upon which this School of Nursing stands,鈥� said Haas. 鈥淔ive decades ago, she saw the potential for a program that would redefine health care in East Texas. Today, we don't just celebrate a 50-year milestone; we celebrate the thousands of lives saved and improved by the nurses who began their journey under the high standards of excellence she established.鈥�
The School of Nursing first began as the Division of Nursing in 1975, with only 24 students compared to the school鈥檚 current enrollment of nearly 3,000 students. The division originally allowed registered nurses to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing after completing their prerequisites. In 1982, the first class of traditional BSN students began. The division became the School of Nursing in 1997. In 2008, the school introduced the PhD in nursing, 黑料专区 Tyler鈥檚 first doctoral program. The school began year-round admissions in 2019, accepting 600 pre-licensure students annually to help meet the student demand and address the state鈥檚 nursing shortage. In the last two years, the School of Nursing has introduced critical care nursing pathways, including the adult geriatric acute care nurse practitioner certificate, the nurse anesthetist program and the nation鈥檚 second flight nursing continuing education program to meet the needs of the East Texas region.
鈥淲hile the growth over the last 50 years has been staggering, our core mission remains
the same,鈥�
said Dr. Jenifer Chilton, School of Nursing interim dean. 鈥淲e are here to serve the students who will serve East Texas. Ultimately, we have
reached this 50-year milestone because we care deeply about our faculty, our students
and our community鈥攁nd just as importantly, because this community has shown that same
unwavering support for us. As we look to the next 50 years, we remain committed to
excellence in nursing education, equipping future generations to meet the evolving
health care needs of our region.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 11,500 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.