West Georgia School of Nursing a Winner

The University of West Georgia and the School of Nursing will celebrate its one-year anniversary in the upcoming 2009-2010 academic year.

Established in 1974, the Nursing Department excelled as a department in the College of Arts and Sciences. Now, it is one of the university’s most prestigious programs with classes on the Carrollton campus and at the Newnan Center.

Dr. Kathryn Grams, dean of the nursing program, said nursing made the leap from department to school because of the distinct characteristics that separate it from other programs in the College of Arts and Sciences.

It is the only traditional health discipline at UWG, one with an extremely complex curriculum.

“This change increases the visibility of our program within the university and the community,” she said. “It also enhances the status of nursing for our students and faculty, and it makes UWG comparable to other nursing units in Georgia’s robust tier of doctoral comprehensive universities.”

The change also allows the school to recruit future students more effectively.

“Nursing students are in high demand right now, with the best and brightest of those looking for a high quality facility,” Grams said. “They want an institution that holds nursing in high regard.”
Because the state is facing a shortage of nursing students and faculty, the discipline is a high priority in the university system. Grams said the change at UWG puts nursing in the public eye and helps people see how crucial it is.

The School of Nursing experienced a successful and exciting 2008. Not only did it receive a new designation, its BSN and MSN programs were also reaccredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education for the next 10 years. Plans are underway for the school to have its own building on UWG’s main campus within the next few years, also.

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