Beth Vaughan Cole
Position(s): Dean
Office: 500A SWKT, Provo, UT 84602, USA
Phone:
Email: Beth-Cole@byu.edu
View Personal Profile
Message from the Dean
Hello,
I thought you might like an update on BYU College of Nursing and some our accomplishments
this past year. Our faculty, students, and staff create a dynamic learning environment
where education is central to all that we do. The College of Nursing offers two
programs: the baccalaureate nursing program leading to the Bachelor of Science degree,
and the Family Nurse Practitioner program leading to a Master of Science degree.
These are outstanding programs.
We recently received notice of our students’ pass rate on the NCLEX exam test which
is required by all states to be licensed as a registered nurse. The pass rate was
98% for all BYU students who took the test for the first time in this last cycle.
We were ranked number 1 in Utah and 38th of all similar schools (341) across the
nation. That is tremendous. Our family nurse practitioner program was ranked 72nd
in the U. S. of all 700 FNP programs. Our graduate students’ pass rate for the FNP
Certification Exam is almost always 100%, and it was again this year. Our curricula
are packed with the arts and science of nursing along with a strong commitment to
the Healer’s Art.
Our course in global health and human diversity is receiving a lot of recognition
as the faculty present at conferences and meetings about their work in this course.
Our in-state student learning opportunities include Wendover, Utah, The Navajo Nation,
rural/veterans, pediatrics, infectious diseases, Utah State Correctional Facility,
complementary therapies, and low income health care services. Our international
sites include, Guayaquil, Ecuador; Huddersfield, England; Geelong, Australia; Tianin,
Taiwan; and Amman, Jordan. The students blog and the faculty send emails. The experiences
are often arduous but very rewarding. The students report such great learning experiences
on so many different levels. We are grateful for the partnerships with many groups
to make these culturally abundant experiences for our students.
In addition to our educational efforts, our faculty are committed to contributing
to the profession. Some of their efforts are research and scholarship oriented.
Others contribute through leadership and service to their professional organizations
or health care community. Our faculty had many papers, book chapters, and abstracts
published this year, along with many poster and podium presentations. Dr. Glenda
Christiaens was voted President-elect for the American Holistic Nursing Association.
I was invited to become a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. Other honors
for our faculty include Kent Blad was invited to be a Fellow in the American Nurse
Practitioner Association. Dr. Lynn Callister serves on the International Advisory
Council of the Fulbright Academy of science and technology. Associate Dean Patty
Ravert received the BYU Muriel Thole Award and Dr. Beth Luthy received the BYU John
A. Widstoe Award. Renea Beckstrand became the first BYU College of Nursing faculty
to receive the NLN Nurse Educator Certification.
This past year the College of Nursing received many wonderful gifts for scholarships,
projects, and research. These contributions enrich our efforts here at the College
well beyond what we could do without them. All of our gifts focus on enhancing and
improving our learning experiences for our students.
This past March BYU College of Nursing received its largest donation pledge. The
Fritz B. Burns Foundation pledged $4 million to renovate the Nursing Learning Center
(NLC) over 5 years. These funds will allow the College to engage in the task of
redesigning and renovating the NLC with the goal of improving our educational offerings
for undergraduate and graduate nursing students. Through innovative, carefully studied
educational pedagogy, this Learning Center will be a national model.
As you can see, we are fully engaged in the missions of the College and University.
Our faculty, students and staff are terrific! We couldn’t accomplish as much as
we do without the great support of our University Administration under the leadership
of President Samuelson. As noted above, our many partnerships with health care institutions
and agencies enrich our student learning opportunities. And, our donors provide
the extra opportunities to enhance and enrich our nursing education programs and
the students who will become the nurses of the future.
Beth Cole, PhD, APRN
Dean and Professor
BYU College of Nursing
