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Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing
The Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing at the Pennsylvania State University is an undergraduate and graduate college dedicated to the study, research, and practice of nursing. Originally established in 1964 as a department in the College of Health and Human Development, the School of Nursing became an official college in 2013 joining Penn State’s other academic colleges. With students across 13 campuses, students enrolled in the college are able to earn degrees through the general B.S.N. degree program, an RN to B.S.N. degree program, and second-degree programs. The college also offers three different master’s programs, multiple graduate certificates, and an array of doctoral and postdoctoral programs.

History
Nursing officially became a program offering at Penn State in 1964 as a department under the College of Health and Physical Education which later became the College of Human Development, now Health and Human Development.

Throughout the 1970s, the department experienced changes led by Laurie Martin Gunter the department head at the time. Some of these changes included the department’s movement  from Allegheny General Hospital to a shared partnership with University Park Campus and the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Gunter also developed a new graduate and extended-degree program.

In 1996, the doctoral program was introduced as an interdisciplinary curriculum to add to the college’s research division producing a new level of degree programming. By 2007, the college had founded the John A. Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence to promote the education of high-quality geriatric nursing leaders. One year later in 2008, nursing became a solo academic program under the College of Health and Human Development.

In 2013, the Penn State Board of Trustees recommended that the School of Nursing be granted college status, and it was then that the college was named The College of Nursing. Paula Milone-Nuzzo served as the first dean of the college and assisted in phasing in various baccalaureate degree programs as well as expanding options for graduate programs.

In 2015, the College of Nursing building was renamed the Nursing Sciences Building.

Following Dean Milone-Nuzzo, Janice Penrod was appointed interim dean of the college for the 2017-2018 year before the current dean Laurie Bazdek began serving.

In 2019, an anonymous donor donated $10 million to the college.

In addition, Sheldon D. Fields was brought on by the college in 2020 as the inaugural associate dean for equity and inclusion.

In 2021, Ross and Carol Nese gifted $27.125 million to the college, and the Board of Trustees renamed the college the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing as such.

As part of this gift by the Nese family, the Center of Geriatric Excellence was named as the Tressa Nese and Helen Diskevich Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence.

The College was also named a National League for Nursing Center of Excellence in 2022.

Academics
The Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing offers degrees through several academic programs.

Undergraduate Programs


 * General BSN Degree Program
 * RN to BSN Degree Program
 * Second Degree Program
 * Undergraduate Certificates

Graduate Programs


 * Nurse Administrator Program
 * Nurse Educator Program
 * Graduate Certificates

Doctoral and Post Doctoral Programs


 * Doctor of Nursing Practice - Leadership
 * Doctor of Nursing Practice - Nurse Practitioner
 * PhD in Nursing Program

The Tressa Nese and Helen Diskevich Center of Geriatric Nursing
The Tressa Nese and Helen Diskevich Center of Geriatric Nursing was established in 2007 through a grant by the John A. Hartford Foundation. The center prepares future nurses to serve the country’s growing aging population of older adults. The center remains a member of the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence, and many of the faculty serve on the NHCGNE board of directors. CGNE collaborates with all Penn State nursing campuses including World Campus online education.

Dr. Ann Kolanowski served as the founding director of the center from 2008-2016 and was succeeded by Dr. Donna Fick who began her term in early 2016.

The Center of Nursing Research
The Center for Nursing Research works within the college with aid from numerous private and federal foundations in a number of different research areas. These research focus areas include gerontology, palliative and end-of-life care, physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying health and well-being, health and healthcare disparities, intervention and implementation science, telehealth, and nursing education.

The Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth Center (SAFE-T Center)
The Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth Center (SAFE-T Center) was established in 2017 with funding from the Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime with a goal to further support victims of sexual assault.

Age-Friendly Care
Age-Friendly Care, PA works alongside the Primary Health Network  and the Penn State College of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine with the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing to improve the care of older adults in rural Pennsylvania. The center works to improve the gerontological training of rural primary care healthcare professionals, students, families, and patients. In addition, the organization works to promote essential elements of an age-friendly health system and improve quality of life for those living with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD).

Alumni
There are over 18,500 Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing alumni amongst Penn State’s total 700,000 graduate alumni base.

Deans of the College

 * Paula Milone-Nuzzo (2008-2017, Founding Dean)
 * Janice Penrod (2017-2018, Interim Dean)
 * Laurie Bazdek (2018-Present)

Student Organizations

 * Alpha Epsilon Delta: Representing a myriad of students studying health professions, Alpha Epsilon Delta is Penn State’s national health preprofessional honor society.
 * Alumni Mentorship Program: Professional graduates from the college can mentor nursing students in a 1:1 mentoring situation.
 * Men in Nursing: This student organization works to assist those who identify as male and wish to work in the field of nursing as well as promoting men’s health and partnering with other student nurses to provide support for the underprivileged.
 * Multicultural Student Nursing Association: MSNA aims to unify students in the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing that identify with a different ethnic background than the majority of students with a goal to recruit, network and create a safe space for students of color in the University.
 * Nese College of Nursing Student Ambassadors: These Ambassadors participate in various recruitment events to advocate for the college and provide insight as a current student to prospective student visitors.
 * Schreyer Honors Program: Schreyer Honors Program serves as Penn State’s honors program recognizing students with superior academic achievement.
 * Sigma Theta Tau: Sigma Theta Tau is the international honor society for nursing. Penn State is the home of the Beta Sigma chapter.
 * Student Nurses Association of Pennsylvania (SNAPs): This student organization represents the national organization, National Student Nurses Association, and sponsors an informal advising system, speakers, social events, and other activities.

References