Office of Public Relations — Newsroom
News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Caitlin Jenney, 303.724.1520, pager: 303.266.0680, Caitlin.Jenney@uchsc.edu
New Name for Nursing School Spotlights New Direction in Education
University of Colorado Denver School of Nursing Becomes College of Nursing
AURORA, Colo. (March 31, 2008) – The University of Colorado Denver School of Nursing is changing its name after 110 years. Patricia Moritz, RN, PhD, FAAN, dean of nursing proposed the name change to the University of Colorado Board of Regents earlier this year. The new name, the University of Colorado Denver College of Nursing, becomes official April 1 after approval by the Regents at their March meeting. The name change better connects the UC Denver program with other nursing programs across the country that commonly refer to themselves as "colleges" instead of "schools." The "college" designation also signifies that UC Denver College of Nursing has undergraduate and graduate programs through the doctoral degree.
UC Denver College of Nursing is the birthplace of the nurse practitioner program in the United States. The program started in 1965 and continues to expand globally today. In addition to the BS and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Programs, the College of Nursing is known for its pioneering and ongoing efforts in outreach, particularly in the MS and PhD Programs, enabling nurses to meet rural, regional and national health care needs.
"The name change is another step in moving the UC Denver College of Nursing forward as one of the leading schools in this state and the nation in the 21st Century,” said Dean Moritz. “Our faculty and students will partner with those in the UC Denver Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy and Dental Medicine as well as those in the community in creating insightful educational innovations, uses of technology and creative interprofessional curricula to address health care needs. We are creating an environment that facilitates the shift from the traditional faculty-student relationship to one in which the student is a partner-colleague in the teaching/learning process.”
The UC Denver College of Nursing offers some of the highest ranked programs in the country -- from bachelor's through doctoral degrees and post-graduate certificate programs. The college offers several specialties through its Master’s program and the only PhD doctorate in clinical research in Colorado. As the birthplace of nurse practitioner education and the caring movement, UC Denver College of Nursing is also one of the first schools in the country to offer a Doctor of Nursing Practice program. This year, U.S News & World Report ranked UC Denver College of Nursing’s nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist programs among the top ten in the country. For more information, visit the University of Colorado Denver College of Nursing web site at http://hschealth.uchsc.edu/son or the UC Denver Newsroom at http://www.uchsc.edu/news.