Purdue University Calumet to Celebrate 50 Years of Nursing Education, October 2 – 3, 2015

Purdue-University-Calumet-to-celebrate-50-years-of-nursing-education-2015Purdue University Calumet will commemorate a half century of educating nurses and health care leaders, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2 and 3.

Alumni, faculty, students and others whose lives and institutions have been touched by Purdue Calumet’s nursing program are invited to partake in the weekend celebration, titled 50 Years of Nursing Leadership and Innovation.

“Purdue Calumet has taken great pride in offering nursing education that is high quality, affordable and accessible,” Professor, former Dean of Nursing and recent Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs / Provost Peggy Gerard said. “Being one of just 35 programs nationally to be recognized as a Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing speaks for itself.”

Headlining the two-day commemoration is an Oct. 2 professional development conference focusing on evidence based nursing practice. Sponsored by Purdue Calumet’s Indiana Center for Evidence Based Nursing Practice, the conference is from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza in Merrillville. Cost is $125, and pre-registration is required. Attendees can earn professional education units. For more information visit www.ebnp.org.

The conference features several internationally respected, evidence based healthcare speakers:

Dr. Alison Kitson, head of Discipline of Nursing, University of Adelaide, Australia – “Where Have We Been, Where Are We Going in Evidence Based Healthcare?”;

Dr. Ian Graham, senior scientist, Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute—“Undoing What Doesn’t Work: The Challenge of De-Implementation”;

Dr. Dawn Stacey, professor and scientist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute—“Patient Decision Aids: Enhancing the Quality of Health Decisions”;

Dr. Daphne Stannard, director and chief nurse researcher, Institute for Nursing Excellence, University of California San Francisco Medical Center—“Implementing and Generating Evidence for and from the Bedside”;

Other scheduled events Oct. 2-3:
6 p.m., Oct. 2 - 50th Anniversary Welcome Reception, Radisson Hotel Lobby Tiki Bar;
11:30 a.m., Oct. 3 – Back to Campus Brunch, Purdue Calumet’s White Lodging Center for Hospitality and Tourism Management ($25 pre-registration).
5 p.m., Oct. 3 – Gala; dinner and dancing at Radisson Hotel Star Plaza ($75 pre-registration).

To attend any of the events, pre-register at www.purduecal.edu/nursing by Sept. 19, or phone Purdue Calumet’s Office of Institutional Advancement at 219-989-2186.

Celebrating nursing excellence
Celebrating a half century of nursing excellence at Purdue Calumet begins with its more than 6,000 alumni and 1,700 students.

“Over the years, we have tried to advance nursing practice, promote professionalism and link outcomes,” Interim Dean of the university’s College of Nursing Lisa Hopp said.

In 1965, following a phasing-out of hospital diploma programs, Purdue Calumet introduced a nursing curriculum with an associate degree program. Subsequently, the university developed a baccalaureate degree and eventually an online RN to BSN program that enrolls 1,200 students.

Growing demand for nursing administrators and other health care leaders prompted Purdue Calumet to launch northern Indiana’s first master’s degree nursing program in 1983. This fall, in collaboration with other Purdue campuses, Purdue Calumet admitted eight students into an online Doctor of Nursing Practice—the university’s first doctoral program.

Nursing legacy
Asked to define Purdue Calumet’s nursing education legacy, retired Dean of Nursing Gloria Smokvina said, “We have done a remarkable job responding to needs.”

In response to a shortage of primary care physicians, for example, Purdue Calumet advanced a nurse practitioner program at the master’s level. Movement within the industry to embrace best practice based on evidence and research induced the university in recent years to establish the Indiana Center for Evidence Based Nursing Practice, an affiliate of the internationally respected Joanna Briggs Collaboration.