NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

8/04/2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES ­Northwestern State University honored 17 nursing students Wednesday as the first graduating class in the College of Nursing to complete the Bachelor of Science in Nursing in Alexandria. The summer graduates were recognized in a ceremony at Rapides Women's and Children's Hospital.

The students were able to take classes at the Learning Center for Rapides Parish and complete clinicals at Rapides Regional Medical Center.

"This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by the students, faculty, staff, the university and our partners," said Carolyn Hartt, coordinator of nursing program in Alexandria. "Now there is another health care provider for this area."

The graduates were Te Shawn Ash of Kenner, Carlisa Carpenter of Natchez, Nipa Chagan of Bossier City, Cheryl Cooley of Simpson, Heather Cotto of Derry, N.H.; Katie Dollar and Susan Owen of Pineville, Leanndra Faircloth, Laci LaBorde and Katie Womack of Alexandria, Allison Landry of Lafayette, Misty Milsap of Elizabeth, Jill Osborn of Baton Rouge, Angela Pritchard and Christina Riggs of Jonesville, Jeffery Richardson of Moss Point, Miss., and Jennifer Stringer of Sandusky, Ohio.

At least six of the graduates will go to work at Rapides Regional and two others will work in the area. All of the graduates have accepted or are considering job offers.

"Its wonderful to be finished. At times, it was stressful, but we got through it together," said Cooley, who has accepted a job to work in the surgical unit at Methodist Hospital in Dallas. "Because I lived close to Alexandria, it was a benefit to have this program available to me. I'm happy to be part of the first class that got this program going."

Hartt pointed out that NSU's nursing program has had a presence in Alexandria for more than 20 years. It began with the master's and specialty program and expanded to the R.N. to B.S.N. program and the bachelor's program.

By working with Rapides Regional, NSU's College of Nursing will be able to accept a class of 30 Bachelor's of Science in Nursing students into clinicals in Alexandria this fall, an increase of 10 over the past year. Rapides Regional has given Northwestern space for three classrooms, a lab and faculty offices in the Medical Arts Building, in addition to funding for three faculty positions. The assistance has also extended to Northwestern's program in radiologic technology, which has received two $100,000 endowed professorships and funding for two faculty positions from Rapides Regional. CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini Hospital of Alexandria is also funding a faculty position at NSU.

Northwestern will have six full-time faculty in Alexandria this fall. The university also hires experienced health care professionals as adjunct faculty.

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