Mercy College announced it will officially launch its new School of Nursing on July 1.
The new School of Nursing will house Mercy”™s full suite of nursing programs, which were previously part of the School of Health and Natural Sciences. The school offers four-year undergraduate prelicensure programs and an accelerated second-degree program for those with existing bachelor”™s degrees in other fields, along with master”™s programs in Nursing Education, Nursing Administration and Family Nurse Practitioner studies.
Mercy has more than 1,100 students currently enrolled in its nursing programs, and awards over 400 nursing degrees annually.
“There is a great demand for highly trained nurses, and over the last 8 years, Mercy has been working to expand its nursing programs to help alleviate the nursing shortage,” said Tim Hall, president of Mercy College. “Today”™s announcement furthers Mercy”™s mission and commitment to continue investing in its programs to meet the demands of the region”™s workforce.”
The college named Dr. Kenya V. Beard as its first dean for the new School of Nursing. She was previously associate provost at Chamberlain University in Chicago and dean of nursing and health sciences at Nassau Community College.
“I am delighted to be joining Mercy College as it prepares to launch its new School of Nursing,” said Beard. “As an educator and a nurse, I recognize our critical role in preparing future nurses to meet the health care needs of our communities. I look forward to working with the nursing faculty at Mercy to provide nursing education tracks that address the needs of today”™s pluralistic society.”
