This year, Kent State University College of Nursing will celebrate 50 years of nursing education, research and community outreach. To kick-off the year-long celebration, the college hosted a birthday party for students, faculty, staff, alumni and distinguished guests Monday afternoon in Henderson Hall on the Kent campus.
“You are a legacy of doers. You get things done. You have a legacy of let’s not wait for someone else to have the idea. Let’s have the idea ourselves,” said Kent State University President Beverly Warren, addressing the packed hallway. “I envision more wings on Henderson Hall so that even more students will be able to take part in what we know is the best of nursing education. I can’t wait to see where you take the nursing journey from here and what your next fifty years will be like.”
As guests donned temporary tattoos with the College of Nursing’s 50th anniversary logo and enjoyed light refreshments, musical entertainment was provided by the KSU Men’s Chorus under the direction of Director Bryon Black II, adjunct professor at Kent State University School of Music.
“We celebrate where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going,” said Dean Barbara Broome, Ph.D., RN, FAAN. “Congratulations to our faculty, staff, graduates and future graduates as we move forward into the next century.”
Originally named the Kent State School of Nursing at its founding in 1967, the college has built a great legacy of preparing some of the most highly-skilled professional nurses in northeast Ohio throughout the world.
For five decades, the college has encouraged its students to discover, create, and apply nursing knowledge and skills both locally and globally. Although fewer than 70 nursing students joined the program in 1967, today, Kent State is one of the largest nursing programs in the nation with more than 12,000 alumni worldwide. Qualities such as collaboration, discovery, and innovation continue to mold its students into tomorrow’s nurse leaders.
Would you like to be part of the celebration? The college is looking for stories from students, alumni, parents, faculty and staff, business owners, and community members - anyone who has been positively affected. Share your stories on Twitter and Instagram with #KentNursing50Strong.
For details about upcoming events or to learn more about the college’s rich history, visit http://www.kent.edu/nursing/50, or give now to the College of Nursing.
About Kent State University’s College of Nursing
In existence for 50 years, the College of Nursing at Kent State University is one of the largest and most comprehensive nursing programs in the nation with more than 12,000 alumni worldwide. As part of Kent State’s eight-campus system, the college provides more than 2,000 nursing students courses of study at the baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral levels. To learn more about nursing programs at Kent State, please visit www.kent.edu/nursing.
Photo Copy: Kent State University President Beverly Warren (right) and Dean Barbara Broome, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, blow out candles at the College of Nursing’s 50th birthday party Monday afternoon.