Press Releases

«Return to Press Releases

Worcester Campus Holds Inaugural Nursing Commencement

On May 12 at Mechanics Hall, the Worcester campus graduated 38 students in the inaugural Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Senator Richard T. Moore (D-Uxbridge) delivered the commencement address, telling the students, “Nursing is a special calling. Society’s well-being depends on you.” First Honor Graduate Laura Walsh delivered the student address. In her remarks, Walsh recognized the support of the graduates’ families and acknowledged the responsibilities of nurses everywhere. “I hope by now that we have conveyed to our family and friends the joy we feel when we help someone get out of bed and walk for the first time in weeks or months,” Walsh said. Graduates hailed from six different countries, including, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Poland, South Africa, and Uganda; five graduates were from Worcester.

The accelerated 16-month nursing program, which was established in January 2006, is the only postbaccalaureate Bachelor of Science program of its kind in Central Massachusetts. It features a curriculum developed in partnership with Saint Vincent Hospital and other selected clinical agencies in the Worcester area. The program’s graduates are eligible to sit for the licensing exam to become a Registered Nurse (RN). The program recently received notice of the award of initial national accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), for the maximum period of five years allowed for new programs. The program also holds initial approval from the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing.

###