By Linda Waggener, assistant director of university communications
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – The School of Nursing at Campbellsville University held its first pinning ceremony on May 8 for 22 students who made up the first class in history to graduate from the new CU school. The traditional pinning ceremony was held on Thursday evening in Ransdell Chapel prior to awarding each of them the associate degree in nursing (ADN) at the Saturday, May 10, commencement.
Jo Ann M. Wever, dean of the School of Nursing, presented her graduates to a filled house at the Thursday evening event. She introduced speakers Dr. Michael V. Carter, president; and Dr. Frank Cheatham, vice president for academic affairs, as “two remarkable men to work with.”
Carter remembered each of the people who had inspired the dream for a School of Nursing at Campbellsville University along with those who had given of themselves to bring the dream into reality. He said, “It is with humble hearts that we come together on this historic day. Our prayers, love and support go with you. ”
He told them that part of that dream had been to graduate a “Campbellsville nurse,” one who had all the nurses training and development but one who also had the heart of Christ. He said, “It was a dream that no matter where we were, we’d always be able to tell if it is a Campbellsville nurse.”
Cheatham told the graduates to take the time to thank their family, friends and teachers who supported them through their academic career. He thanked Wever for her excellent leadership in bringing the first class of the School of Nursing to graduation.
After bestowing a pin on each uniformed nurse, Wever said to the graduates, “Take care of your patients, take care of each other. Take care of yourselves because as nurses, you will be constantly giving, constantly caring for others. Sometimes it can seem like a bottomless pit, so take care of yourselves.”
Remarks were given by Anita Franklin and a special song was shared by graduate Terri Miller, both Taylor County graduates.
School of Nursing instructors Beverly Rowland, Jenny Dobson, Miriam Mullins, Brandy Pierce and Angela Atwood took part in the service.
The pinning ceremony ended with prayers by the Rev. James Jones followed by a reception for graduates, their families and friends.
The 22 new “Campbellsville” nurses include: Courtney Carroll, Russell Springs, Ky.; Lindsey Driscoll and Dedra Kerr, Elizabethtown, Ky.; Denise Hughes, Natalie Shuffett, Janice Shuffett and Angela Stone from Greensburg, Ky.; Christina Ward, Lexington, Ky.; Heidi Bloomquist, Martinsburg, Pa.; and LaRee Bell, Megan Cox, Theresa Fagundes, Anita Franklin, Jamie Holt, Sarah Kerr, Terri Miller, Melissa Mings, Rita Reynolds, Ashley Thompson, Janet Weatherford, Jacquelyn Young and Allison Wise, all from Campbellsville, Ky.
The School of Nursing offers a two-year program leading to the associate degree in nursing. The degree prepares the graduate to function as a generalist and to practice in a variety of positions in a variety of clinical settings. The program’s goal is to graduate “competent, qualified, caring and compassionate nurses,” according to Wever.
Applications are being accepted until May 15 for the next class. The associate degree program has limited enrollment and therefore admission will be selective and competitive, Wever said.
For information, stop by the CU School of Nursing located on North Columbia Avenue in Campbellsville, phone (270) 789-5155 or e-mail nursing@campbellsville.edu
Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,405 students who represent 98 Kentucky counties, 25 states and 29 foreign nations. Listed in U.S.News & World Report’s 2008 “America’s Best Colleges,” CU is ranked 22nd in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the South and eighth in the South for “Great Schools, Great Prices.” CU has been ranked 15 consecutive years with U.S.News & World Report. The university has also been named to America’s Best Christian Colleges®. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his ninth year as president.