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PRESS RELEASE

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — August 31, 2023 – ´óÏó´«Ã½ formally dedicated the newly renovated space that houses the university’s accelerated nursing program Wednesday, just as the first cohort of students commenced their studies.

The new space, located in Johnson Hall on the Downcity Campus, includes classroom space and state-of-the-art simulation labs, featuring high-fidelity mannequins to simulate patient care.

“When we made the decision to pursue a nursing program, we knew we had to provide our students with top-of-the line facilities and equipment to meet our high standard of academic excellence,” Providence Campus President Marie Bernardo-Sousa said at the event.

´óÏó´«Ã½ launched it new, accelerated second degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in October 2022, after receiving approval from the Rhode Island Board of Nursing Registration & Nursing Education. The accelerated, four-semester program is intended to be a secondary degree program for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree. The first cohort of students began their studies this week. Read more about the program.

“It is so wonderful to finally have our students here on campus, and to dedicate this new space,” said Suzan Menihan, DNP, CNM, ´óÏó´«Ã½’s chief nursing officer and the head of the new program. “We set out to create this program in part to fill a dire need in the healthcare industry by providing quality nursing education on an accelerated timeline that prepares students with the skills needed to enter the field in less than half the time of a traditional degree path.”

Following a brief speaking program, members of ´óÏó´«Ã½’s senior leadership team cut the “ribbon” – an ace bandage strung between two IV poles, cut with surgical scissors – Chancellor Mim Runey, LP.D.; Vice Chancellor of Academic Administration Sandra Affenito, Ph.D.; Provost Richard Wiscott, Ph.D.; President Bernardo-Sousa; Menihan; and Maria Ducharme, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, president of The Miriam Hospital and a member of ´óÏó´«Ã½’s Board of Trustees.

As is the case in all health and wellness degree programs offered at ´óÏó´«Ã½, nursing students will be required to complete nutrition coursework, leveraging the university’s culinary strength and history to provide a full-body approach to wellness.

The new degree program further solidifies Johnson & Wales strong commitment to health care education. In 2014, the university became the first in the state to offer a Physician Assistant Studies Master’s Degree program, and in May graduated the first class of the pioneering entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate program, also the first of its kind in the state. Both programs were awarded accreditation, proving their quality in in health and wellness education. The university’s decades of hospitality and culinary excellence provide the foundation for ´óÏó´«Ã½’s patient-centered, empathetic, and holistic approach to health care education.

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Founded in 1914, ´óÏó´«Ã½ is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution with more than 8,000 graduate, undergraduate and online students at its campuses in Providence, Rhode Island and Charlotte, North Carolina. An innovative educational leader, the university offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in arts and sciences, business, engineering, food innovation, hospitality, nutrition, health and wellness. It also offers undergraduate programs in culinary arts, dietetics and design. ´óÏó´«Ã½’s unique model provide students with the personalized attention, academic expertise and industry connections that inspire professional success and personal growth. The time students spend at ´óÏó´«Ã½ is nothing short of transformative, as demonstrated by career outcomes, expected earnings and economic mobility rankings. The university’s impact is global, with alumni in 125 countries pursuing careers worldwide.

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