By Jeff Hunter
As part of Utah State University Eastern Nursing’s ongoing 50th anniversary celebration, an exhibit chronicling the program’s history will be on display through Oct. 9 at Gallery East inside the Central Instruction Building on the USU Eastern campus in Price.
Entitled “Then and Now, a Celebration of Snapshots,” the exhibit features historical photographs of the nursing program, dating back to its founding in 1969 when the institution was known as the College of Eastern Utah. Every annual scrapbook of the program will also be on display at the exhibit, which is open to the public.
“The nursing program’s greatest impact has been in reaching underserved citizens with the opportunity to complete their nursing education and practice in the communities they grew up in and love,” said Laura Dotson, director of the USU Eastern Nursing program and a professional practice assistant professor. “CEU and USU Eastern Nursing graduates have been serving our communities for the past 50 years in various capacities and expertise. USU Eastern Nursing is proud to have been a part of their ongoing contributions to the nursing profession and nursing education.”
From the first class of 21 practical nursing students, the program has produced more than 1,700 graduates with the majority of students staying in Utah and their local communities. Following its establishment five decades ago, the program expanded from offering only a practical nursing certificate to an associate degree of nursing in the early 1980s.
The College of Eastern Utah entered into the Utah State University system in 2010, enabling expansion across the state of Utah, including USU statewide campuses in San Juan, Moab, Uintah Basin, Tooele and Cedar City.
In 2017, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program was launched at the main USU campus in Logan using the solid foundation and framework that the statewide programs had developed and polished. Earlier this fall, an RN to BSN program was added to the options of degrees offered.
For more information about the USU Eastern Nursing program, visit eastern.usu.edu.