UHV School of Nursing receives approval
The proposal to create a nursing school was approved by the University of Houston System Board of Regents in May and the coordinating board in December.
“School status will help to clarify the difference between us and the nonhealthcare-related programs at UHV,” said Jeanette Hartshorn, UHV director of nursing.
David White, who graduated from UHV in December with his BSN, said he was excited to hear about the school’s approval because it will help with the nursing shortage.
“One of the big problems is the increasing shortage of nurses in the region,” he said. “The other problem is the lack of schools that educate people to become nurses. This will help facilitate nursing in our area. Hopefully, it also will attract more people into nursing.”
UHV has offered a Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program since the fall of 2006, but approval of the school will allow the faculty to offer additional programs, Hartshorn said.
“The nursing faculty is very anxious to expand offerings to students, including additional programs in nursing and allied health,” Hartshorn said.
With new programs will come more faculty members, including a School of Nursing dean, UHV Provost Suzanne LaBrecque said. She expects a national search for a dean to take place this semester.
“The creation of a fourth school at UHV is yet another indicator of our growth and maturity,” UHV President Tim Hudson said. “The faculty deserves a great deal of credit for supporting this new administrative entity which will no doubt raise the profile of the nursing program.”
The first class of UHV nursing students graduated in the summer. Fifty-two nursing students who completed their degrees during the summer or fall went through graduation ceremonies Dec. 9 in Katy. Nursing students also were honored during the school’s first Pinning Ceremony.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
