Michigan Technological University’s Senate has approved a non-binding resolution supporting a new nursing program at Tech. The program will be in partnership with Finlandia University, which is closing after this semester. The nursing degree will be a four-year Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, similar to the one currently offered by Finlandia. The new program will start this fall and will begin at a modest scale. Michigan Tech has also hired a Finlandia staff member who had coordinated contracts with medical sites where the students undergo their training. The plan is for the Finlandia nursing faculty to transfer to Michigan Tech as instructional-track faculty, and the Department of Nursing will likely use space in the Dow building and will become part of the biological sciences department.
Michigan Tech Senate Approves Resolution in Support of New Nursing Program
Michigan Technological University’s Senate has unanimously passed a non-binding resolution showing support for a new nursing program at Tech. This comes as the university continues to finalize the proposal for the program, which is expected to start this fall. The nursing degree would be a four-year bachelor’s of science in nursing, just like the one currently offered by Finlandia University, which is closing after this semester. The program would start small, with about two dozen students from Finlandia and some from Michigan Tech.
Tech’s President, Rick Koubek, has put together a team to explore developing the program. The team has been meeting weekly and has made quick progress on the proposal. The Department of Nursing will likely use space in the Dow building and will become part of the biological sciences department.
The current nursing faculty at Finlandia University will transfer to Michigan Tech as instructional-track faculty. Tech’s interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, Andrew Storer, stated that the faculty would primarily be responsible for 17 nursing courses that don’t overlap with prerequisites already available at Tech. The specifics of the plan are still being worked out, but the curricular proposal is expected to come to the Senate Curricular Policy Committee soon.
Senate President Mike Mullins said that the resolution is meant to let Finlandia students know that Michigan Tech is taking action to replace the nursing program that would otherwise be lost when the university closes this summer. This resolution shows Michigan Tech’s commitment to expanding the nursing program and offering a degree to those interested in the field.
Michigan Tech to Launch New Nursing Program in Partnership with Finlandia University
Michigan Technological University is set to launch a new nursing program in partnership with Finlandia University, which is closing after this semester. The program will offer a four-year Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing and is expected to start this fall. Michigan Tech’s Senate has unanimously passed a non-binding resolution in support of the new program.
The nursing degree will be the same as the one currently offered by Finlandia, and the program will begin on a modest scale, with about two dozen students from Finlandia and some from Michigan Tech. The plan is for the Finlandia nursing faculty to transfer to Michigan Tech as instructional-track faculty. They will primarily be responsible for 17 nursing courses that don’t overlap with prerequisites already available at Michigan Tech.
Michigan Tech President Rick Koubek has formed a team to explore developing the program, and the specifics of the plan are still being worked out. The Department of Nursing will likely use space in the Dow building and will become part of the biological sciences department.
Michigan Tech previously offered a two-year associate’s degree in nursing from 1973 to 1982. The new program will serve an important purpose in the Western Upper Peninsula, boost enrollment, and help change the demographics of Michigan Tech’s student population. Currently, women make up just under 30% of the student population at Michigan Tech, and Senator Brett Hamlin said the nursing program would help balance things out.
“This is kind of a no-brainer to help change the face and the dynamics that we see on campus, help balance some things out,” he said.
Interest in nursing isn’t limited to Michigan Tech. Gogebic Community College and Northern Michigan University have also announced a partnership that will enable nurses with two-year associate’s degrees to get a four-year degree through NMU while attending the GCC campuses in Ironwood or Houghton.
The new program is being launched much more rapidly than anticipated, according to Paul Bergstrom, chair of the Senate Curricular Policy Committee. This is because Michigan Tech is starting from an existing program and is not starting from scratch.
Michigan Tech’s Senate will consider a proposal for the nursing program, which will be submitted to the Senate Executive Committee in time to be fully reviewed by the Curricular Policy and Finance committees before debate and approval by the full Senate. The Senate will schedule a special meeting if necessary to finalize its vote before the end of this year’s Senate calendar, tentatively scheduled for May 3.
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