School of Nursing celebrates 25th anniversary

The Baker University School of Nursing is celebrating its 25th anniversary this fall. The school, which partners with Stormont Vail Health in Topeka, Kansas, was founded in 1991. It offers Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degrees.

Since its inception, Baker University School of Nursing has graduated 1,533 BSN students. Students take classes in the Pozez Education Center (1505 S.W. Eighth Ave.) in the Magnet®-designated hospital for nursing excellence. The master’s program, which was launched the fall of 2015, offers two tracks: nursing education and nursing administration. Both tracks are offered online.

In honor of the 25th anniversary milestone, the School of Nursing will host a celebration ceremony from 5:30-8 p.m. on October 28. All School of Nursing alumni are invited to the event, which will include remarks from Dr. Kathleen Harr, who served as the school’s dean from 1997 to 2014, and Dr. Bernadette Fetterolf, the school’s current dean. The event will serve as a great opportunity for alumni to connect and network with their former classmates, faculty and staff.

“It’s always inspiring for our current students to meet Baker’s successful nursing alumni,” Fetterolf said. “We’re excited to celebrate this milestone and connect multiple generations of outstanding health care professionals.”

The School of Nursing is among Baker University’s most successful academic areas of study. Baker’s nursing graduates consistently exceed national averages for first-time pass rates on the National Council for Licensure Exam (NCLEX), and the university is known for producing workforce-ready health care professionals. In May, 96.5 percent of Baker’s future nurses passed the NCLEX on their first attempt, and more than 90 percent of the graduating class had secured jobs before receiving their diplomas.

In July, several School of Nursing students and faculty traveled to Kenya for Baker’s annual outreach project, “Streams of Hope International.” Two Baker alumni, Ephantus Kimori Mwangi, ’08, and Hottensiah Kimori, ’08, founded the program with the mission to promote best-practice health care in their native Kenyan communities. Since that time, the program has blossomed into one of the School of Nursing’s most unique and meaningful experiences.