Dillard University Suspends Admissions to Its Bachelor’s Degree Nursing Programs

dillardHistorically Black Dillard University in New Orleans has announced that it will suspend admissions to its bachelor’s degree nursing programs for the 2017-18 academic year. During this period, the university will conduct a full internal assessment of the nursing program. Students currently enrolled in Dillard’s nursing programs will not be affected. However, students enrolling at Dillard this fall will not be able to choose a nursing track after their first year.

The primary focus of the assessment will be to determine why students have had a low passage rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses. Only half of Dillard’s nursing students pass the examination, while the state Board of Nursing requires nursing schools to have a 80 percent passage rate. The university stated that it will review all aspects of the program including curriculum, staffing, and support mechanisms.

Nursing_crop
Historical photograph of nursing students at Dillard University in New Orleans

Yolanda M. Page, vice president for academic affairs at Dillard, said that “we owe it to our alumni and current students to ensure that the Dillard Legacy of excellence in nursing remains intact.”

Sharon Hutchinson, chair of the School of Nursing, added that the university “will continue to work closely with the Louisiana State Board of Nursing in getting the program back to the lofty status it has had historically.”

Dillard University was the first educational institution in Louisiana to offer a bachelor of science degree in nursing and the nursing program has been a cornerstone of the academic offerings at the university. In 2015, nearly 17 percent of graduating students at Dillard earned degrees in nursing.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Concordia University in Canada Launches New Minor in Black and African Diaspora Studies

Christian Abraham, director of the new minor at Concordia University, says, "there is so much to do within this emerging field of Black Canadian studies. There are lots of grounded and creative sites to work with and from, including our extensive archives at Concordia. It is a very exciting field and a historic moment for Black studies in Canada.”

New Report Sets the Baseline for Future Studies on the Effect of Texas’ DEI Ban on College Campuses

"Ensuring all Texas students have the opportunity to succeed will directly strengthen our workforce and economy," write the report's authors. "While it’s too early to assess the impact of SB 17, continuous monitoring of student outcomes is critical to improving efficiency and maximizing the potential of our future workforce."

Robert Jones Named the First Black President of the University of Washington

Dr. Jones is slated to become the University of Washington's first Black president on August 1. He comes to his new role from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he has served as the institution's first Black chancellor for the past nine years.

Study Uncovers More Evidence That Black Students Are Overrepresented in School Discipline

In an examination of six different kinds of school discipline and punishment, three comparison groups, and 16 subpopulations, a new study has found that "no matter how you slice it, Black students are overrepresented among those punished and excluded."

Featured Jobs