Dear Alumni,

The wonderful fall weather is upon us, and the start of a very busy academic year for 2007-2008!  We are pleased to announce that the College of Health Professions is now the largest college in the University, with 1,352 students throughout our various programs! McAuley School of Nursing has experienced the largest enrollment growth with over 1,065 students (933 undergraduate and 132 graduate).

We now have a capped enrollment in the undergraduate nursing program, with over 100 students beginning the first clinical course in the prelicensure program in Detroit and 50 students in Grand Rapids, along with 75 students in the accelerated second degree option program. Other student numbers in the College include: 106 Physician Assistant graduate students, 79 Nurse Anesthesia students, and 102 Health Services Administration undergraduate and graduate students.

Additionally, the success of the five-year accelerated PA program continues to attract attention with the second year of the program showing strong enrollment. With the significant nursing and other health professions shortage, we are pleased that we are making a significant contribution to the community's need for well-educated, compassionate health care providers who remain in our region and provide high quality care.

We also started one new BSN completion cohort with Henry Ford Hospital with plans to start several more cohorts with other health systems in winter term. We are also in the final planning phases of launching a new master's specialty option in the graduate nursing program in clinical nurse leadership. We plan to start this in January with the Trinity Health System as a first partnership and are in discussion with several other health systems.

This role will address the critical need in the current health care system to provide clinical leadership at the point of service with patients in a variety of settings. Also on the drawing board in the College are plans for a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree that will involve Nurse Anesthesia and the Family Nurse Practitioner programs.

Our faculty continue to make significant contributions in scholarship. Faculty productivity in scholarship has risen over 400 percent over the past four years with important work that is making a difference in the health of our communities. Additionally, several faculty have completed their doctoral degrees in the past year, and several faculty were promoted to associate professor and granted tenure. (See Faculty News.)

We were also pleased to receive a competing continuation grant of over $800,000 from the Division of Nursing for our McAuley Nurse Managed Center. Dr. Joyce Conley was the author of this grant and the project director. The Center continues to make important contributions to the health of the underserved on the near eastside of Detroit, with plans to expand into provision of care to children with this continuation grant.

With the tremendous changes occurring in health care, we are focusing more attention on simulation teaching and learning. Although we are delighted with our new laboratory space, we find that we are in need of further simulation learning laboratory space. We are actively planning to extend learning space and create a "Technology Learning Center" for the College and have received our first significant gift toward creation of the "TLC" Center.

We continue to be grateful for all the support and investment we have received from you as our alumni. We recently received an endowed scholarship for the Grand Rapids nursing program. As alumni, we encourage your continued participation in activities in the College and support for initiatives in scholarships, faculty research, and technology integration that will continue to prepare excellent practitioners, administrators and leaders that truly make a difference in our community and follow the excellent tradition established by all of you.

Suzanne Mellon
Dean, College of Health Professions
McAuley School of Nursing