News release from the University of Saint Francis:
University of Saint Francis announces academic partnership with St. Elizabeth School of Nursing
(March 23, 2017) — St. Elizabeth School of Nursing (Lafayette, Ind.) officials have signed an education partnership agreement with the University of Saint Francis. The partnership allows for the continuation of St. Elizabeth’s cooperative nursing program that currently serves 164 students. Graduates will seamlessly receive a diploma in nursing from the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing, and a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree from the University of Saint Francis. St. Elizabeth School of Nursing, a division of Franciscan Health Lafayette, and Saint Joseph’s College of Rensselaer, Ind., will end its comparable arrangement after the May 2017 graduation.
“We are pleased to announce that students will be able to continue their studies on schedule,” said Michelle L. Gerrety, Ed.D, MSN, R.N., administrative director of academic services and director of the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing. “USF was a natural choice because of their high academic quality, focus on healthcare programs and Catholic Franciscan tradition.” St. Elizabeth School of Nursing and USF are sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration of Mishawaka, Ind.
University President Sister M. Elise Kriss, OSF, shared another connection: “Our university was founded more than 125 years ago in Lafayette; this new partnership represents a journey home for us.” USF originated in 1890 when the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, who had been practicing as nurses and educators, opened a school. The school became known as St. Francis College and was located at the now St. Elizabeth School of Nursing building on the Franciscan Health Lafayette Central campus. St. Francis College moved to Fort Wayne in 1944. The college name changed to the University of Saint Francis in 1998. “Clearly the schools’ histories are very closely tied,” added Kriss.
Approximately half of the university’s students are pursuing healthcare-related degrees. The university announced in February that it is beginning a terminal degree program in nursing, a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), beginning in the fall of 2017. “We warmly welcome the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing students to our university and look forward to a long and productive partnership with St. Elizabeth,” said Dr. Andrew Prall, USF vice president for academic affairs. “The cooperative agreement is contingent upon approval by state, regional and national accrediting bodies. We are very confident that we will receive all of the necessary approvals.”
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About the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing and Franciscan Health
The St. Elizabeth School of Nursing, established in 1897, is the only hospital-based school of nursing in Indiana. The school is a department of Franciscan Health. The school’s website is steson.org.Franciscan Health is a member of Mishawaka, Ind.-based Franciscan Alliance, one of the largest Catholic healthcare systems in the Midwest with 14 growing hospitals, approximately 20,000 employees and a number of nationally recognized Centers of Healthcare Excellence. Franciscan Health includes Franciscan Health Lafayette East, Lafayette Central, Crawfordsville and Rensselaer, Franciscan Physician Network with offices in Lafayette, West Lafayette, Monticello, Crawfordsville and Rensselaer, and the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing.
Franciscan Health is accredited by Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, the Community Health Accreditation Program, the College of American Pathologists, the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care for Heart Failure and the Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology. The Franciscan Health Lafayette East Trauma Center has received its Level III verification from the Verification Review Committee and the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons. Franciscan Health is also a recipient of the American College of Cardiology Foundation Silver Performance Achievement Award, and its paramedic program has received programmatic accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). The St. Elizabeth School of Nursing is approved by the Indiana State Board of Nursing and nationally accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). For more information, please visit FranciscanHealth.org and FranciscanAlliance.org.
About the University of Saint Francis
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the School of Health Sciences, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership and School of Creative Arts. In addition to its traditional programs, USF designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. In 2016, the University of Saint Francis expanded its presence to downtown Fort Wayne. USF Downtown houses the university’s business and music technology programs while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis offers a robust campus experience including 16 athletic programs boasting two individual and three team NAIA national championships, and is recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution. Approximately 2,200 students from a broad geographic region attend USF.
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