To commemorate 75 years of nursing education excellence, the URI College of Nursing 75th Anniversary Committee takes a look back at some of the most significant accomplishments over the years. Below is a decade-by-decade excerpt of the full history, which will soon be available in a printed edition.
1940s: A meeting was held on July 9, 1943, involving the former URI president and a number of prominent women of the college community at that time like Louisa White, who would become the College’s first dean. This was the humble beginnings of what is today a prestigious, nationally recognized program of nursing at the University of Rhode Island.
1950s: The College graduates its first Bachelor of Science class, consisting of nine generic students and three registered nurses. The class also designed the URI nursing pin still utilized at today the Pinning Ceremony for graduating baccalaureate students.
1960s: The College of Nursing gets its own space in the Fogarty Life Science Building after having been housed in a variety of buildings throughout the campus.
1970s: The College receives its first accreditation from the National League of Nursing accreditation in 1971. The College graduated its first cohort from the MS program. White Hall is built to provide a new home for the College.
1980s: The URI College of Nursing Student Nurse Association was established in 1980, along with the local chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. The Ph.D. program is launched.
1990s: Nursing theory development conferences begin. The first Ph.D. student graduates from the program. They Weyker Chair is established.
2000s: The first program for nursing students to travel internationally is initiated. The College launches the on-site RN to BS Program. Multiple NIH funded grants were obtained during this time. The Routhier Chair for Practice is established.
2010s: The Pathways Program is established in 2010. The DNP Program is launched. The White Coat Ceremony is introduced as a rite of passage in the College. The Nursing Education Center opens in the fall of 2017.
2020s: The College continues to excel in its mission to prepare nurses to excel as outstanding clinicians, scholars and leaders who will enhance the health and health care of individuals, families, communities and populations — both locally and globally.