A new agreement offers Clarendon College nursing students a direct path to a bachelor’s degree through Texas Tech University Health Science Center (TTUHSC), officials from both schools announced last week.
CC President Robert Riza, speaking before dozens of nursing students Thursday morning, March 24, said the agreement was the result of months of work by many people at both schools and was possible because of the cooperation of local communities.
“For these agreements to work you have to have support within your community, and we have that support in Clarendon as well as in Pampa and Childress,” Dr. Riza said.
The concurrent admission articulation agreement between the schools will allow students to plan the transition into the TTUHSC School of Nursing RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program upon successful completion of the CC Associate Degree in Nursing program (ADN).
CC Executive Vice President Tex Buckhaults said approximately 30 ADN students would be eligible to take advantage of the agreement when they graduate from Clarendon this May. Additionally, the classes through Texas Tech are online, which Riza says provides additional benefits to local students.
“It allows students in our area opportunities for education here without having to pack up and move,” Riza said. “They can keep their families here, keep working, and improve their education and payscale.”
Dr. Michael Evans, Dean of the TTUHSC School of Nursing, said students on track to graduate this May with an ADN from Clarendon will receive immediate benefits from the new partnership because they will be automatically accepted in Texas Tech’s program if they choose to pursue a BSN degree.
“Some hospitals will only hire nurses with a BSN degree or nurses who are enrolled in a BSN program, so this is a powerful advantage for these students,” Dr. Evans said.
Area members of the Legislature also praised the new partnership between Clarendon and Texas Tech with State Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian) saying it helps regional students get educational opportunities and find good employment close to home, and State Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) calling it an “ideal agreement that showcases how cooperation between community colleges and universities can produce positive results for students and the workforce in Texas.”
Riza expressed his appreciation to Rep. King for attending Thursday’s announcement and also to Sen. Seliger as well as State Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) and State Rep. Drew Springer (R-Muenster) for their statements of support for the program.
TTUHSC President Tedd Mitchell, MD, praised the agreement for its impact to the area, and said “This agreement is a testament to our common vision to bring health services to the region.”
This partnership will address the shortage of nursing professionals in Texas, serve unmet health care needs of the Texas Panhandle region, and assist in achieving the goals of completion and reducing student debt as outlined in the Texas Higher Education Strategic Plan 60x30TX.
To learn more about the agreement, contact Clarendon College at 1.800.687.9737 or go online to https://www.ttuhsc.edu/son/undergraduate/rnbsn/clarendon/
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