Baylor University and Dallas Baptist University Announce Nursing School Enrollment Agreement

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Media Contact: Frank Raczkiewicz, (254) 710-1964
DALLAS, Texas (June 7, 2012) - Officials from Baylor University and Dallas Baptist University (DBU) announced the creation of a program that will expand nursing education opportunities at Baylor for DBU students.
The agreement, signed by Elizabeth Davis, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Provost at Baylor, and Gail Linam, Ph.D., DBU Provost, will allow DBU students to pursue a nursing career at Baylor by transferring their undergraduate course credits to Baylor's Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) in order to complete their nursing degrees.
"This agreement will help to ensure that qualified DBU students can take advantage of Baylor's excellent nursing program," said Dr. Davis. "The Louise Herrington School of Nursing is focused on providing a high quality nursing education to equip students to meet the growing need for skilled nurses in our state and across the nation. Baylor and DBU share a strong Baptist heritage, and so we appreciate especially the opportunity this agreement gives us to partner with the pre-nursing program at DBU."
Baylor University offers the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Successful completion of the BSN degree qualifies students to apply to the Texas Board of Nursing to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses.
All DBU students who seek admittance to the LHSON must apply to Baylor, qualify for admission and meet LHSON prerequisites, including the required competitive grade point average. The "articulation agreement" sets forth a program that will permit DBU students to transfer credit for courses taken at DBU to meet Baylor requirements. DBU students also will receive assistance with the LHSON application process. It is expected that approximately 30 percent of students admitted to the LHSON for each spring class will be transfers from DBU.
"This agreement provides DBU pre-nursing students with a clear path to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing," stated Dr. Linam. "These students have the opportunity to complete their education from two respected institutions who both educate within a Christian environment while training for God's call on their lives."
The fact that the student body in the LHSON is comprised of students who desire a high quality nursing education within a Christian context helps fulfill the missions of both Universities, according to Shelley F. Conroy, Ph.D., dean and professor at Louise Herrington School of Nursing at Baylor.
"I'm delighted that we will now be able to provide DBU students with the opportunity to complete their nursing education at Baylor," she said. "With this agreement, we enable DBU pre-nursing students to pursue their goal of becoming nurses, while remaining connected to the DBU community. DBU and Baylor share common core values and desires for the development of our students into well-rounded Christian servant-leaders. This is a good fit for both Universities."
About Baylor University
Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, classified as such with "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions.
About Louise Herrington School of Nursing
The Baylor Louise Herrington School of Nursing was established in 1909 as a diploma program within Baylor Hospital in Dallas, which is now Baylor University Medical Center, and in 1950 became one of the six degree-granting schools of Baylor University. The School of Nursing offers a bachelor of science in nursing degree and master of science in nursing degrees in advanced neonatal nursing, nursing administration and management, and family nurse practitioner programs, which are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The School also offers a nurse midwifery doctorate in nursing practice.
About Dallas Baptist University
Dallas Baptist University is a comprehensive Christ-centered university dedicated to producing servant leaders through the integration of faith and learning. With an enrollment of 5,545 students, its main campus is located in the foothills of southwest Dallas, and academic centers are located in Plano, the Hurst-Colleyville area, and Mansfield. DBU offers 68 undergraduate majors, 22 graduate degrees in a variety of fields, 40 dual-degree programs, and two doctoral programs--a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership.