Richland Community College students studying nursing now have another option for continuing to pursue a bachelor’s degree or go even higher.
Representatives of Illinois State University’s Mennonite College of Nursing and Richland signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday that will allow the community college’s students to seamlessly transfer to ISU. The agreement also allows students to take some of their courses from ISU while still enrolled at Richland.“I’m excited,” said student Catherine Davis, who attended the announcement. “I plan on using it. I wasn’t aware that this even existed, so now that I know, I’m going to go down that path.”
Davis hopes to work in the area of mental health when she graduates and is already working with people who have developmental disabilities.
“Articulation or transitioning agreements are huge for community colleges,” said Denise Crews, vice president of academic services at Richland. “They have certainly grown and changed over the years. They used to be the typical ‘2 plus 2’ agreements. We’re very excited that our students will have this opportunity to be dually enrolled.”
The agreement allows Richland students to apply for pre-admission to the university as early as their first semester at Richland, and to take three of the nine ISU bachelor of nursing courses during their second semester at Richland, saving time and money.
Ellen Colbeck, dean of health professions at Richland, said many of the graduates already have multiple job offers even before graduation. Many local facilities, she said, also have a need for graduates with advanced degrees.
It’s two pathways and two applications, Colbeck said: the dual enrollment and the pre-admission to ISU. Both lead to the same goal of a bachelor’s degree. The agreement is effective immediately.
“Both the dual enrollment and the pre-admission to ISU’s (bachelor of science in nursing) program provide our students with seamless pathway to a bachelor of science in nursing degree,” Colbeck said.
The pre-admission option provides Richland students time to develop relationships with ISU before transferring there, easing the transition.
Richland has a similar agreement with Millikin University, which is also still in place, Colbeck said.
The development of the agreement between the two institutions ensures that students have a clear idea of the coursework required from the beginning, she said.
“The signing of this memorandum of understanding is a sign of the commitment of both institutions to the profession of nursing and the progression of nursing education,” said Judy Neubrander, dean of the college of nursing at ISU.
That partnership included input from Dr. Catherine Miller, who is retired from ISU but was instrumental in creating the agreement, Neubrander said. Miller was also present at the announcement.
In 2010, the Institute of Medicine announced a goal to increase the percentage of nurses with bachelor’s degrees to 80% by the year 2020, Neubrander said, and the partnership between the two institutions supports that goal.
ISU President Larry Dietz said the university also has agreements with a number of community colleges, including Richland, in other areas of study. He called health care a “noble profession.”
As the four representatives of the institutions signed the paperwork to a round of applause, Dietz held up his copy and said, “Mission accomplished.”