A year after suspending admission for its three undergraduate nursing programs, officials at Dillard University today announced the reopening of applications for one of its signature schools.
Dillard Vice President of Academic Affairs Yolanda Page credited the university community for its efforts in revamping curriculum, personnel and student support elements for its pre-licensure, LPN-BSN nursing programs. Dillard suspended nursing enrollment in April 2016 after the Louisiana Board of Nursing expressed concerns about low passage rates of graduates on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX).
“Without a doubt, this announcement is a pivotal step in continuing the legacy of the state’s first accredited nursing program right here at Dillard,” said Dr. Yolanda W. Page, vice president of Academic Affairs. “As a University, we made the decision to suspend admissions so we could continue to attract some of the country’s brightest students and emerge as one of the preeminent nursing programs in the country.”
According to officials, Dillard’s accredited School of Nursing currently enrolls 36 students but has produced more than 1,200 BSN graduates since 1945.
“It was a difficult decision to inactivate admissions, but it was the only decision that made sense,” said Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough, Dillard University’s seventh president. “The entire Dillard community is proud of what we have accomplished, but we are even more encouraged about what our restructured nursing program offers to the next generation of nurses.”
