History of the College of Nursing

Janice Nelson, EdD, RN
Our First Dean
1986-1996

First Registered Nurses
Graduate in 1959

To meet the shortage of nurses, the State University of New York Upstate Medical University initiated an Associate's Degree Program in 1959. More than 500 registered nurses were graduated from the program between 1959 and 1976.

Nurse Practitioner Program Implemented, 1974

In 1974, as a response to the need for primary care nurses, a Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program was implemented. This program was supported primarily by federal grant monies. Over 300 Nurse Practitioners were graduated; many of them remained at Upstate Medical University upon graduation and are still here today.

1984 Brings Degree program Expansion

In the fall of 1984, a combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Program (BS/MS) was offered by the Department of Nursing of University Hopital at Upstate. Seventeen full-time students were enrolled in the first class. Enrollment grew, and the College of Nursing was initially established in 1986, with Dr. M. Janice Nelson appointed as the first dean. Her mission was to expand the services offered by the new College of Nursing and in 1988 a separate Bachelor of Science in Nursing program was established.

Full Accreditation

In 1991, the National League for Nursing granted full initial accreditation to both the Bachelor of Science and the combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Programs, which furthered the prestige of nursing educational excellence provided by the College of Nursing.

Implementation of a Clinical Nurse Specialists and Master of Science Programs

1992 saw the implementation of a separate Master of Science Nursing Program to prepare Clinical Nurse Specialists. The programs continued unchanged until 1994 when the College of Nursing received a $500,000 grant from the State of New York to create and implement a Master of Science Program. This program was designed to prepare Advanced Practice Nurses for the role of Clinical Nurse Specialist or Nurse Practitioner. Successful completion of this project has given the College of Nursing the ability to offer the Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Post Master's Advanced Certificate nursing programs.

Elvira Szigeti, PhD, RN
Our Current Dean
1996—

Continued Accreditation

In 1996, educational excellence was reaffirmed with the continuing award of accreditation by the National League for Nursing for a period of eight years. In 2004, the college was accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) for the maximum period of ten years. Application for reaccreditation will be in 2014.

2007 and Beyond...

In 2007, the college re-opened the RN to MS option. This option enables qualified students to complete the BS and MS degrees in three years of full-time study.