School of Nursing, 1960-1968
Letter sent to Leo Jenkins from Eva W. Warren announcing retirement and relating progress of the School of Nursing. This and other documents may be found in the University Archives.
Citation for this article is: "Letter To Jenkins from Eva Warren," UW0000, Series 1, Box 4, Folder 25, Eva Warren Personnel File, October 7, 1968.
Dr. Leo W. Jenkins, President
East Carolina University
Greenville, North Carolina 27834
Dear Doctor Jenkins:
Please accept my retirement effective June 30, 1969.
I am grateful to you, the administrative officials, the faculty and staff, and the community as a whole for the support and assistance given to me, and to the School of Nursing as it has developed and grown in size and excellence. My work in the School of Nursing has been stimulating and most rewarding. It is with pride and a sense of personal fulfillment that I look back on these past nine years -- pride in having been a part of East Carolina University and its School of Nursing and personal fulfillment through my involvement in the development of the first school on the East Carolina University campus.
Some of the milestones for the School of Nursing since my appointment effective June 1, 1960 up to the present are:
The enrollment for 1964 was 185. This was the first year in which all four classes were represented. The enrollment for 1968 is 238.
The beginning class of September 1960 consisted of 47 freshmen. Of these 17 graduated in 1964. From 1964 through 1967 a total of 113 students have been graduated with a B.S.N. degree. It is anticipated that 38 will be graduated at the end of the 1968-69 academic year making a total of 151 to graduate. Of the above students, four have already earned a master's degree and are teaching in baccalaureate schools of nursing. Nine additional students are enrolled into programs leading to a master's degree in nursing. We consider this to be an excellent record in so young a school. The majority of the other graduates are working in nursing and are working in a variety of fields.
The School of Nursing has been moved on five different occasions.The Dean was first assigned to a suite of offices in the Administration Building and in September of that same year was moved to a suite in the offices in Rawl Building. A faculty food preparation area was later added for use as an office for three faculty members.
From September 1961 through June 1963 the School of Nursing was located in three adjoining rooms in the third floor of Graham Building. One small office was shared by the secretary and the Dean. One small classroom was used for faculty desks (before another move as made there were nine faculty members crowded in that small area). The third room was a moderate size classroom which was used as an eight bed laboratory and a one stove diet laboratory.
In June 1963 the offices were moved to a University owned eight room house on Eighth Street (505 East Eighth Street). The kitchen was used as a multipurpose room. The dining room became a conference and seminar room. The living room was occupied by the two secretaries and the den by the Dean. The four upstairs bedrooms each housed three or four faculty members. We still used the converted laboratory in Graham Building and were assigned classrooms elsewhere on the campus - primarily in the basement of Austin (Old).
On September 5, 1967 we moved into a new and modern building designed and built to house the activities associated with a School of Nursing. This building was financed by a Federal grant of $506,252 through the U.S. Public Health Service (Health Professionals Educational Assistance Act Public Law 88-129) and $300,000 funds matching from the State.
The School of Nursing was accredited by the North Carolina Board of Nursing (North Carolina Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education) in 1960 and by the Collegiate Board of Review of the National League for Nursing in 1964. From the beginning, there were plans to apply for National League for Nursing accreditation as soon as we became eligible. With the graduation of our first class we prepared our self evaluation, had an official visit, and received the coveted accreditation in December 1964. We were the third school preparing generic students on a baccalaureate level in North Carolina to receive National League for Nursing accreditation. In 1966 our B.S.N. program for the registered nurse also received National League for Nursing accreditation.
Faculty: The faculty has grown in numbers and in academic qualifications. The figures below do not include the Dean.
During the 1960-61 calander year four faculty members were appointed. Two of these resigned. Only one of the appointees had a master's degree. She was one of the resignations.
During the 1961-62 calender year there were five appointments one of whom was a reappointment making a total of seven faculty members. The highest and lowest degree held was a baccalaureate degree.
In the 1962-63 calender year two additional faculty members were appointed. One of these held a Ph.D. and had earned a master's in nursing. The other held a baccalaureate degree and one of the employed faculty members earned a master's degree.
In 1963-64 the appointments for the faculty of the School of Nursing were changed from the calender year to the academic year to correspond with other academic schools and departments on campus.
During this year three of the faculty members completed the requirements and were awarded masters' degrees. One of these then resigned as did the faculty member with a Ph.D. Three additional faculty members were appointed. Two of these held master's degrees and one a baccalaureate degree. From this slow beginning the picture has changed. There are now a total of twenty-two faculty members. Seventeen hold master's degrees. One has completed course work for a Ph.D. and two others have substantial credits beyond the master's. Three of the five with baccalaureate degrees have credits toward a master's degree and the other two have plans for working toward a master's degree.
Curriculum Plan:There have been many and continuous changes made in the curriculum plan and in the course content. The changes have been refinements rather than major changes. The plan has been shortened by one 6-weeks' summer term and is now four academic years and two 6-weeks' summer terms in length. Contracts have been signed with one general hospital, one county health department, and one nursing home in addition to the ones originally signed with one general hospital, one county health department, one mental health clinic, one state supported psychiatric hospital, and one Veterans Administration Hospital.
The quarter hours of credit in the curriculum plan continue to be about evenly divided between general education and professional education. Our graduates have been accepted into five different masters' programs in nursing and have not been required to make up any deficits.
A former student has this to say about nursing and it can be applied to the East Carolina University School of Nursing - "We've come far -- but have a long way to go; how lucky we are that the future is not here."
My wishes for the University and for the School of Nursing are for continued development as they provide an education for "service".
