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Husson Nursing Program Celebrating 40 Years of Educating Tomorrow’s Health Professionals

Published on: April 22, 2024

Women in white dresses and hat sit together in this undated photo. They are wearing vintage nursing uniforms common at the time.

Husson University’s School of Nursing is celebrating its 40th year of educating future healthcare professionals this year. 

In 1983, then-Husson College matriculated its first class of students in the bachelors of science in nursing program. Initially the program worked in conjunction with Eastern Maine Medical Center, a partnership that continued for 12 years. The university continues to maintain a close connection with Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center today.

Focusing on educating future nurses to provide excellent health care and human care, Husson’s accredited nursing program educates nurses in all phases of their career, awarding both undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as post-masters certificates. Using state of the art teaching technology including the new HAL S5301 interdisciplinary patient simulator, students are prepared for real life scenarios before leaving the safety of the teaching space. 

“The Husson School of Nursing program is designed to prepare future nurses for the demands, challenges and uncertainties of patient care through simulation, working with experienced nurses-turned-educators and a dynamic curriculum that’s continually evolving with the times,” said James D. Nash, PhD, PharmD, MPH, BCPS, dean of the College of Health and Pharmacy.

A celebratory 40th Anniversary Tea for the School of Nursing will be held on Wednesday, April 24 at 4pm in the Furman Student Center and on the Furman Patio to celebrate four decades of Husson nursing education in Maine and the United States. 

The event will feature remarks by Lynne Coy-Ogan, senior vice president for academic affairs, provost and president-elect of Husson University as well as Deborah Sanford, chief nursing officer of Northern Light Easter Maine Medical Center and Valerie C. Sauda, chief nurse administrator, undergraduate director and associate professor for Husson University's School of Nursing.

“We’re thrilled to welcome back Husson nursing students and to share the rich history of our program and nursing in Maine. We’re even using a vintage sterling silver tea set originally used by the Eastern Maine General Hospital nursing program in celebratory events,” Sauda said.

Nursing teas are a tradition in Maine for celebrating nursing students and the nursing profession.

In addition to tea and other refreshments, the celebratory tea will feature displays celebrating faculty scholarship, a timeline of the School of Nursing’s history, archival photos and historical artifacts. In attendance will be current and former students, faculty, alumni and clinical partners.

For more than 125 years, Husson University has prepared future leaders to handle the challenges of tomorrow through innovative undergraduate and graduate degrees. With a commitment to delivering affordable classroom, online and experiential learning opportunities, Husson University offers quality educational programs in business, technology, communications, health, education, pharmacy studies, science and humanities. For more information about educational opportunities that can lead to personal and professional success, visit Husson.edu.