SIUE Dedicates New School of Nursing Facility In Springfield
written by SIUE Public Affairs
 SPRINGFIELD
-- With its reputation for community service, and for sending
well-educated, highly qualified graduates into nursing careers,
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's School of Nursing is now
able to offer classes from its new facility in Springfield. Southern
Illinois University President James E. Walker and SIUE Chancellor
David Werner officially dedicated the building at 409 W. Calhoun
Tuesday, May 4.
President Walker said the Springfield program again demonstrates
"SIU and SIUE's commitment to the education and quality of life
in central, southwestern and southern Illinois."
"With the addition of this site in Springfield, we are now
able to provide instruction across central, southwestern and
southern Illinois," said Felissa Lashley, dean of the School of
Nursing. "Our RN-to-bachelor of science classes are now taught
at five sites, including the recent addition of classes in our new
Springfield facility."
The SIUE School of Nursing began offering nursing instruction in
Springfield in 1999. In the fall of that year, the SIUE Board of
Trustees approved construction of the $400,000 nursing facility, and
the 5,000 square-foot building - designed by Renaissance Architects
and built by Vancil Contracting Inc., both of Springfield - opened
its doors to students this past fall. In addition to
"RN-to-BS" classes for students wishing to complete their
bachelor's degree once they are registered nurses, a master's
program, and some core and specialization courses are offered in
Springfield.
SIUE Chancellor David Werner cited the Springfield nursing
program's proximity to the SIU Medical School as a further example
of the spirit of cooperation within SIU. He also praised the
accomplishments of The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
School of Nursing. Werner said nursing "enjoys a strong
reputation…reinforced by the accomplishments of its graduates, by
the recognition received by the faculty, and by findings of
accrediting agencies."
Just four years ago, the nursing school secured the highest
accreditation possible from two accrediting associations.
The nursing school is also the first four-year public university
nursing program in the Midwest to employ the patient simulator, a
computerized mannequin that simulates human medical conditions, as a
teaching tool. The simulator is the focal point of the new
psychomotor skills lab that opened two years ago on the Edwardsville
campus.
Ninety-seven percent of School of Nursing graduates are employed
in the nursing profession within six months of graduation, and nurse
anesthesia students have achieved a 100 percent pass rate on their
board exams.
Individually, a number of nursing faculty have been recognized
nationally and internationally, including Gladys Mabunda, who was
honored by Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
Mary Ann Boyd received an award for excellence in education from the
American Psychiatric Nurses Association. Dean Felissa Lashley
received the Distinguished Nurse Researcher award from the
Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, an international group. She has
also received an American Journal of Nursing "Book of the
Year" award.
The School of Nursing has instructional sites across central,
southwestern and southern Illinois. RN-to-bachelor of science
classes are now taught at five sites, including the recent addition
of classes here in Springfield. Master's classes are taught in three
sites, as well as the Edwardsville campus.
The building dedication was held during the American Nurses
Association's Nurses Week, a week devoted to raising awareness of
the value of nursing and to help educate the public about the role
nurses play in meeting the health care needs of the American people.
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