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2024 SESSION

24107747D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 230
Offered February 26, 2024
Commending the Radford University College of Nursing.
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Patrons-- Rasoul, Austin, McNamara, Obenshain and Zehr; Senators: Head and Suetterlein
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WHEREAS, the Radford University College of Nursing draws upon a long lineage of nursing programs at Radford University, which have provided outstanding education to students in Southwest Virginia and advanced the field of nursing throughout the Commonwealth for more than 50 years; and

WHEREAS, the Radford University College of Nursing traces its roots to the establishment of the first bachelor of science degree in nursing at what was then known as Radford College in 1966; 11 members of the program’s charter class graduated in 1973 and the program received accreditation from the National League for Nursing in 1976; and

WHEREAS, after Radford College became Radford University in 1979, the nursing program was expanded to become the Radford University School of Nursing in 1982; the school began to expand its degree programs, developed distance learning courses to better serve students throughout the region, and established a location at the Roanoke Higher Education Center through a partnership between Radford University and Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital; and

WHEREAS, the Radford University School of Nursing launched its first master’s degree program, which concentrated on home health nursing, in 1988 and subsequently added additional graduate-level programs in advanced adult care, family nurse practitioner, and gerontological nursing; and

WHEREAS, in 1997, the Radford University School of Nursing became part of the Waldron College of Health and Human Services as a result of institutional reorganization; and

WHEREAS, the Radford University School of Nursing continued to flourish and created a doctor of nursing practice program that was the first of its kind in the Commonwealth to be offered in a distance-learning format to both post-baccalaureate students and students with master’s degrees; the school also added psychiatric nurse practitioner programs through a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration; and

WHEREAS, to address shortages of nursing faculty and promote new opportunities for clinical education, the Radford University School of Nursing developed, created, and has maintained two Nursing Clinical Simulation Centers offering state-of-the-art, high-fidelity simulation programs available to nursing students at partner institutions throughout the region; and

WHEREAS, in 2018, the Carilion Clinic and Radford University merged the Jefferson College of Health Sciences into the Radford University system, further expanding the School of Nursing’s academic offerings and degree tracks; and

WHEREAS, the Radford University School of Nursing hired its first dean in 2020 and separated from the Waldron College of Health and Human Services to become an independent academic unit in 2021; and

WHEREAS, the Radford University College of Nursing officially adopted its current name on January 15, 2024; the college currently serves more than 1,100 students, with bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs, as well as post-graduate certification programs, all accredited to the highest standards of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Radford University College of Nursing on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Radford University’s first graduating class in a nursing program; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Radford University College of Nursing as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the long history of nursing education at Radford University.