Important UPDATE- BSN program will NOT be cut
as a result of budget cuts
Dear students, alumni, supporters and friends of the College of Nursing,
Recently you received an email from the College of Nursing about the possible elimination of our undergraduate nursing program, and the inaccurate quote attributed to me in an article published on February 25th in the Gainesville Sun. At that time, we assured you that closure of the undergraduate program was only one of the many alternatives being discussed in this time of severe budget cuts and an uncertain economic climate.
I am happy to report that this alternative is no longer being considered. We will continue to offer our excellent BSN program at the University of Florida.
If we are forced to deal with additional substantial budget cuts, we may need to decrease our undergraduate enrollment over time. This, unfortunately, is the same situation faced by nursing education programs across Florida and the country. However, we remain committed to providing the highest quality BSN program for our students and for the nursing profession.
As communicated to our alumni and friends in the past, our College of Nursing has a strong and growing emphasis on graduate education and research which is appropriate given the mission of the University of Florida overall and the College’s nursing leadership role in Florida. However, this does not diminish our pride in the undergraduate program and the excellent alumni from it. Over 70 percent of our BSN graduates do, in fact, go onto graduate study, many of them here at UF.
Continuing budget cuts and our economic uncertainty have brought challenges that have required difficult decisions and the thoughtful engagement of our College of Nursing community. Following the tradition of our founding Dean, Dorothy Smith, our College alumni, faculty and students have not stepped away from these challenges. We are using them to find opportunities to become better and stronger. I am confident that we will emerge from this difficult economic period better than ever. We remain committed, first and foremost, to preparing nurses at all degree levels, who “Care, Lead, Inspire.”
Please feel free to contact me or Anna Harper, Development Officer (352-273-6360 or aemiller@ufl.edu ) with any additional questions or concerns you may have.
Thank you for your continued support.
Kathleen Ann Long, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dean, UF College of Nursing
College of Nursing Proposed Plan to Budget Cuts
Each unit on campus was asked to prepare a plan which would address up to a 10 percent cut. At this time, it is not known what the actual budget will be in the College of Nursing.