What happened @ Syracuse University

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Aug 12, 2005

from alumni news mag fall 2002:

closing nursing

under a proposal announced by vice chancellor and provost deborah a. freund, syracuse university would phase out the school of nursing by the end of the 2005-06 academic year. freund cited declining enrollment figures and the strategic reinvestment of resources to areas of institutional strength--called for in the university's academic plan--as primary reasons for her recommendation. "this was not an easy decision," freund says. "nursing at syracuse university has a proud history dating back to world war ii. the school has offered a solid program of instruction and has graduated thousands of well-trained nursing professionals."

considering the current economic climate, freund says it's difficult for a private university like su to compete with other universities, including many public institutions, that offer similar nursing programs at a lower cost to students. su is one of more than 40 institutions in new york state offering a four-year bachelor's degree-granting nursing program; nearly half are state universities or colleges. "unfortunately, su lacks the financial resources to support all of our academic endeavors at the level we would like," the vice chancellor says, "so we have to make tough choices and reallocate our resources to those areas where we believe excellence can truly be achieved."

the university senate will review the proposal in september and will then be asked to make a recommendation to chancellor kenneth a. shaw and the board of trustees. if the senate recommends closure and the board approves, the university will begin the process of phasing out the school.

http://sumagazine.syr.edu/fall02/quadangles/index.html