Mennonite Begins Accelerated Nursing Degree Sequence

Date: 12/8/06
Contact: Eric Jome

Central Illinois will have ten new registered nurses by early 2008, thanks to an accelerated degree sequence offered by Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University. The first class of 10 students will begin their studies in the one-year program starting in January 2007.

The accelerated degree sequence allows students to complete the final two years of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree in one year. The sequence provides underemployed workers, or those workers looking for a meaningful career change, the opportunity to receive nursing education and enter a critical need employment area in Central Illinois.

The accelerated sequence uses the same curriculum as the traditional two-year degree, but schedules are compressed and students will attend classes throughout the entire year.

The 10 students in the first accelerated class, most of whom are from Central Illinois, already hold bachelor's degrees in other academic areas and have completed all the prerequisite courses. The students were chosen earlier this year from a pool of qualified applicants who were either underemployed, or looking to change careers.

In the spring of 2006, Illinois State received a $496,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to retrain dislocated and underemployed workers. With the assistance of Illinois State University's Extended University, Mennonite College of Nursing received a large portion of that two-year grant to increase its enrollment and fund the accelerated nursing degree sequence. Plans are already in place for the accelerated nursing sequence to double in size in 2008, with 20 students enrolled. The 2008 sequence will be a collaborative partnership between Mennonite, Extended University and the McLean County Chamber of Commerce.

"The accelerated sequence brings new talent to the field of nursing," said Nancy Ridenour, dean of Mennonite College of Nursing. "Specially designed to provide the BSN curriculum in twelve months, the accelerated sequence increases the number of highly qualified nurses who plan to stay in our local community."