MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

During my first seven months as dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Nursing, I found myself reflecting on our mission and vision. I spent time listening to the dreams and hopes of our students, our faculty, and the citizens of Oklahoma. As I write to you, I am aware of the successes we have experienced, including some you see listed in this newsletter. We work in communities and institutions to teach and learn. We encourage grassroots initiatives, and foster the development of students with skills and knowledge required in this complex healthcare environment.

Our commitment to transform lives and change healthcare in Oklahoma continues. This noble mission is more important than ever before. The challenges we face are large - our students need our help with scholarship aid, and the need for highly-qualified RNs and faculty continues. 

 I will stay in touch with you via this newsletter and share how we are educating, leading, and inspiring.  None of this would be possible without the support of our donors and alumni. The funded endowed chair faculty positions, student scholarship aid, the enhancement of  our skills/learning labs, and support for innovative programs are a direct result of the gifts you have shared with the College.

Despite our 100 degree summer heat, excitement is in the air as we begin the fall semester. Over 1100 students will engage in the OU College of Nursing learning community.  As we commence the start of another year of OU Nursing, I look to the future for ask for your active engagement in the life of the College. I believe great things are expected of those who represent OU Nursing, and I celebrate the contributions you have made.  

Lazelle E Benefield, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dean and Parry Endowed Professor

Learn more about Dean Lazelle Benefield in the recent Oklahoma Nursing Times article.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION - VOTE NEEDED!

This summer the College of Nursing Alumni Association issued a call for alumni interested in serving on the Executive Board of the Association.  We were thrilled with the positive response and excited about the many alumni who were willing to make a commitment to the program.  Our leadership team has slated alumni to fill the five available positions and now asks you, our membership, to take a vote.  Once approved, these alumni will take office in January 2011.  Please click on the link below and submit your vote for our alumni officers by October 13th! 

Alumni Association Executive Board 2011 Ballot

If you have any questions regarding the Alumni Association or Executive Board, please contact us at nursing-alumni@ouhsc.edu.

SHARE YOUR STORY!

As we approach The University of Oklahoma Centennial in 2011, we want to reach out to our alumni and learn more about your time at OUCN and the importance of professional nursing education.  Our Centennial is all about you and the special memories you share with thousands of Sooner nurses around the world.  We want to know some of your personal memories of attending The University of Oklahoma College of Nursing.  Please take some time to complete this form at the link provided below, and help us learn more about the rich history that has made us the College we are today!

Share Your Story Survey

REUNION CLASSES - 2011

As we prepare for the College’s Centennial in 2011, we are also interested in honoring the classes who will be celebrating reunions.  The College is currently looking for members of the classes below who are interested in helping plan reunion events in fall of 2011.  Assistance is needed in coordinating class get-togethers and contacting classmates.  If you are interested in working with us, wish to learn more about the College reunion activities, or hope to attend the event, please contact us at Nursing-Alumni@ouhsc.edu or (405)271-2428 ext. 43258.

Reunion Classes: 1931, 1936, 1941, 1946, 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001

HAVE YOU HEARD? – OUCN NEWS AND UPDATES

• The College of Nursing one of seven colleges on The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center campus in Oklahoma City and represents the largest nursing program in the state of Oklahoma.  Established in 1911, The College of Nursing is a pioneer in nursing education for the state of Oklahoma. We began offering a BSN degree in 1955 and OU was the first to offer a graduate degree in nursing in 1973. In 1911, the School of Nursing was organized as a two‐year program under the direction of the College of Medicine at the Oklahoma City Health Sciences Center Campus. Two years later, it became a three‐year program leading to the Certificate of Graduate Nurse. In 1913, the School graduated its first class and to date has graduated over 8,500 students across all its programs. Degrees are awarded from the BSN to PhD level.
  
• Current enrollment at the College of Nursing is 1068 students across all programs and campuses!
• The NCLEX pass rate for OUCN students is 89.6%! 
• OUCN was the first in Oklahoma to offer a PhD in Nursing and Clinical Nurse Leader programs.
• The OU College of Nursing offers the only nurse practitioner programs in the state.
• The University Of Oklahoma College Of Nursing was one of three nursing programs designated a 2006-2009 Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing and was recently designated again for 2009-2012.
• We are a strong leader in collaborations which help utilize resources and produce more bachelors prepared nurses! OU College of Nursing is a leader in distance education program offering degree programs at thirteen sites in Oklahoma
• OU College of Nursing has 5 endowed faculty positions.
• OU College of Nursing Case Management program provides state of the art case management services for elderly and/or disabled individuals in 74 of the 77 Oklahoma counties including approximately 2,300 patients.
• In 2006, OUCN began a unique partnership with Duncan Regional Hospital aimed at increasing the number of bachelor’s prepared nurses serving rural Oklahoma.
• Approximately 23% of the OU faculty are Certified Nurse Educators.
• We are the first nursing program to be funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation to support a Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence.
• The OU College of Nursing and the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center have been funded by the VA Nursing Academy to promote service/education collaboration and increase the numbers of BSNs.
• We are leading the way for healthcare technology instruction in Oklahoma with a HRSA grant  provide students with a new patient data system that allows them to look at hypothetical patient scenarios, just as if they were in a hospital.
• OUCN has the only endowed faculty chair in Palliative Care Nursing in the United States…and the only undergraduate certificate program in palliative care nursing.
• OUCN is committed to improving healthcare in our local communities. Dr. Su An Ann Phipps is the lead on our Healthy Women Healthy Futures program, a multicultural, interconceptional  women’s health project targeting non‐pregnant women of poverty with children enrolled in two Tulsa Head Start programs. The project aims to show that comprehensive preventive health services and health education between births can improve the outcomes of future births.  Read more about the Health Women Healthy Futures initiative in the recent article from the Tulsa World.