The Oregon State Board of Nursing has approved Warner Pacific University’s proposal to offer the pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Warner Pacific Dean of Nursing Dr. Linda Campbell and Associate Dean of Nursing Dr. Gary Laustsen received the news at an OSBN board meeting earlier today in Portland. The approval comes after nearly a year of preparation and close correspondence with the nursing board by Warner Pacific administrators and faculty.
“Thanks to excellent work by our Dean of Nursing, Associate Dean of Nursing, and our highly collaborative faculty, the Oregon State Board of Nursing has approved Warner Pacific University’s proposal for the pre-licensure BSN,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty, Dr. Reginald T.W. Nichols. “Warner Pacific is immensely grateful to Dr. Campbell and Dr. Laustsen for their leadership during this process. The University also appreciates the dedicated support from the faculty and for their partnership in the development of curriculum.”
Warner Pacific President, Dr. Andrea Cook, believes that the nursing board approval provides a significant opportunity for the University to advance its mission to provide students from diverse backgrounds with an education that prepares them for a constantly changing world. “With 63% of our students identifying as persons of color, Warner Pacific is ready to help meet the vital need in our community for diverse, baccalaureate prepared nurses,” said Cook. “Our Christ-centered community and liberal arts curriculum will prepare the next generation of nurses with caring, faith, and intellectual inquiry.”
The BSN program is expected to be very popular among current and prospective students, said Dale Seipp, Jr., Warner Pacific University's vice president for enrollment and marketing. “We are so excited that students who want to follow their calling to become nurses can now pursue that at Warner Pacific,” said Seipp. “Celebrating diversity and a focus on serving the community is at the heart of the Warner Pacific experience. It makes our program the perfect fit for students who want to impact the world through the profession of nursing.”
The Warner Pacific University Nursing Program has been community focused from the beginning, with an advisory council providing critical insight into what future nurses will need to provide quality and compassionate care. “In addition to unwavering internal support to launch our pre-licensure BSN Degree Program, we received timely and expert contributions from the Warner Pacific Nursing Advisory Council,” said Dr. Linda Campbell, dean of nursing. “Since 2015, this 11-member council has been shaping a mission-driven vision of higher education for nursing. We are profoundly grateful to our advisory council members for their collaborative support, guidance, and encouragement during this necessarily rigorous process.”
What’s next? Here is a helpful guide to the Warner Pacific Nursing Program.
When will BSN classes begin?
Currently enrolled Warner Pacific students who have reached junior status and transfer students who have completed associate level studies toward their RN may enter the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in the spring 2019 semester, with classes beginning in January.
Incoming first-year students may declare a nursing major as early as fall 2019 semester. During the spring semester of their sophomore year, these students will complete a rigorous process to gain admission to the Warner Pacific Nursing Program. Once admitted to the program, students will start Bachelor of Science in Nursing coursework in the fall of 2021.
Who teaches in the program?
The primary faculty members in the Warner Pacific University Nursing Program are Dr. Linda Campbell and Dr. Gary Laustsen. Additional prospective faculty members have been identified and will be employed as the program grows.
Campbell, appointed to the Dean of Nursing role in November 2017, earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Arizona State University, and attended the University of Colorado-Denver, where she earned a Master of Science in Community Health Nursing with a focus in Nursing Administration and a Ph.D. in Nursing. Prior to coming to Warner Pacific, she spent thirteen years serving the Loretto Heights School of Nursing (LHSON) in the Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions at Regis University in Denver.
Laustsen, who joined the Warner Pacific faculty in 2018, received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Regis University, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Northern Colorado, and a Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of Colorado-Denver Health Sciences Center. He has worked as a registered nurse (RN), family nurse practitioner (FNP), and nurse educator at the baccalaureate, master, and doctoral levels. Most recently, he served as an associate professor in the School of Nursing at Oregon Health & Sciences University.
Does Warner Pacific offer any other pathways to the BSN degree?
In addition to the newly approved pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, Warner Pacific University offers the RN-to-BSN degree program. This program is designed for working RNs who want to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in a convenient, one night a week format.
For more information about the Warner Pacific University Nursing Program, visit www.warnerpacific.edu/nursing.
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About Warner Pacific University
Founded in 1937, Warner Pacific University is Oregon’s most diverse four-year institution. Offering associate, bachelor, and master degrees, Warner Pacific University empowers students through personalized attention, relational support, and career-focused liberal arts education. Degrees are available in the traditional undergraduate format, as well as one night a week, and online. Earlier this year, Warner Pacific announced tuition reductions for all undergraduate degrees as part of its mission to provide equitable access to higher education for every student. Warner Pacific was recently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 Most Ethnically Diverse Campus in the West, as a Best College in the West (10), and a Best Value School (8). Warner Pacific is the only university in Oregon to be named a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the Department of Education. Learn more about Warner Pacific University at www.warnerpacific.edu.