This past week the University announced that it cleared the first hurdle to establishing a fully accredited nursing program. We at the Threefold are excited about this opportunity for our science department and future JBU students.
A nursing program fits in well with John Brown’s emphasis on developing practical skills and equipping students for service. It will help expand the science department and bring in new students. While the last innovation in the science department, the renewable energy major, hasn’t had as much of an impact as it was intended to, a nursing program will surely be effective.
It’s hard to find a good nursing program at a good university, so having one here will draw in a new demographic of prospectives and help to expand the university.
However, all the reasons that make a nursing program a perfect fit for JBU raise a question: why did we wait so long? The university has had the ability to start this process years ago, and we would already be reaping the benefits. Pre-med students would have enjoyed valuable hands-on experience that they are unable to get without a nursing program. A whole group of majors that went to other schools would have chosen to attend JBU.
This program is a great opportunity for the school, but it just makes too much sense to not have been done already. The next time the university has a chance to make an addition that makes this much sense for the campus community, it should do so sooner rather than later.