Article published November 11, 2009
Owens to start nursing school
Goal of stand-alone program is regaining of accreditation
By MEGHAN
GILBERT-CUNNINGHAM
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Owens Community College is creating a separate school of nursing to help it regain national accreditation for its registered nursing program.
Changing the format from the current nursing department within the school of health sciences to its own stand-alone school will help pull resources together and address issues, Owens Vice Provost Renay Scott said.
"This would be a chance to put them all together into one school [and] focus the energy that could further improve communication within and amongst themselves," she said.
Owens lost its accreditation this summer from the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.
The college applied for candidacy for accreditation from the commission, submitting the required paperwork dated Oct. 28. If awarded candidacy status, the process moves to a written self-study and a site visit from the commission.
Ms. Scott said nursing faculty have taken a lead role in the reapplication. She said the idea of a nursing school came from them several years ago and was revisited now.Dawn Wetmore, who retired from Owens in 2007 as dean of academic services, has been appointed to lead this stand-alone nursing school. During her years at Owens, 1996 to 2007, she was chairman of the nursing department for five years.
Ms. Wetmore, dean of health sciences and director of nursing at Monroe County Community College, is to begin her duties at Owens Dec. 23 and is to be paid $110,000 a year.
The Owens board of trustees approved the appointment yesterday.
Board Chairman John Moore opened the meeting saying that "nobody is more outraged, embarrassed, or saddened by the loss of the nursing school's accreditation."
Owens let down its students by losing the accreditation, he said, but creating the stand-alone school is a positive step to reinstate it. "I admit our program is not as good as it needs to be and our pledge today is this: We will do everything we can to get this right for our students," Mr. Moore said.
The trustees scheduled a meeting for 1 p.m. Nov. 18 in the board room of Administration Hall devoted to the nursing accreditation issue. The session will be an opportunity to listen to students, faculty, and the community, Mr. Moore said.
Owens was notified in a July 27 letter that the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission denied its accreditation for the registered nursing program.
The college was put on a two-year "accreditation with conditions" in 2007 when it was notified of weaknesses and failed to correct the issues: not enough faculty with graduate degrees and not using data to show educational effectiveness.
Some question if putting more resources into administration is the answer to regaining accreditation.
Dave Matheny, president of the Owens Faculty Association, said the college should put its resources into hiring more full-time faculty with master's degrees.
"I'm not sure how establishing this school is going to fix the accreditation problem when the citing by the NLNAC was not for not having a dean of nursing, but for full-time faculty," he said.
He questioned how many nursing faculty could be hired for the salary of the dean and her support staff.
But Ms. Scott said the college needs to put more resources into the nursing program in general, and the dean will help determine faculty needs. "One of the important things a dean does is advocate for their program," she said.
Owens plans to put more resources into nursing faculty, Ms. Scott said.
Owens lost accreditation only for its registered nursing, or RN, program.
The school of nursing will include that academic area as well as licensed practical nursing (LPN), state tested nurse assistant (STNA), and the LPN to RN program.
The school will have 783 students, 2 administrators, 21 full-time faculty, 133 adjunct faculty members, and 62 clinical/lab staff. The RN program, which was established at Owens in 1969, currently has more than 460 students.
Contact Meghan Gilbert-Cunningham
at: mcunningham@theblade.com
or 419-724-6134.
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