UT students petition to save program

[cougarnurse]

This is something: UT nursing students petition to save program : Local News : Knoxville News Sentinel

University of Tennessee nursing students, outraged at news that the Knoxville campus' College of Nursing might be forced to halve the number of students it admits next fall, have started an electronic petition to preserve the program.

"We want to ask (UT system president) John Petersen whether he thinks this is really the right decision," said Amy Byington, a senior in nursing.

Facing state budget cuts, the college announced in December it could only admit 48 students this fall, instead of 96, without $450,000 in external funding. A reduction would mean the loss of clinical instructors, which will affect the quality of a competitive nursing program, Byington said.

In addition, Byington said the reduction will have an economic and community impact "that doesn't make sense" given the statewide - and nationwide - nursing shortage. She said Tennessee's total shortage for registered nurses will increase to 9,000 by the year 2020.

"They're doing it to save money, but they're not looking at the big picture," Byington said. "Students who graduate from nursing school can find jobs right out of school, so they're making money, spending money and paying taxes - they're helping the economy."

The college is working on securing grants, donations and collaborative agreements, said Gary Ramsey, chairman of the undergraduate nursing program.

The college also is examining work load allocations for faculty, waiting to see if the federal stimulus package will provide relief to the state and "waiting to see what our new chancellor's take on nursing will be regarding the need for an outstanding undergraduate program which prepares graduates in great demand in the work force," Ramsey said.

The petition has more than 2,200 signatures from students, faculty and nurses, as well as "people in the community who don't want to see the nursing program cut," Byington said.

Byington said she will present the petition to Petersen prior to the UT board of trustees meeting this month.

"Cutting our program would create a much bigger problem than they think," Byington said.