BEMIDJI, Minn. — Beginning in the fall of 2009, registered nurses near Cambridge, Minn. will be able to complete their bachelor’s degrees in nursing thanks to a university portal program that will bring Bemidji State University’s baccalaureate nursing program to the Anoka-Ramsey Community College Cambridge Campus.
The program will offer registered nurses a combination of on-campus and online courses, allowing them to pursue their bachelor’s degrees. Featuring full- and part-time enrollment options with block scheduling on Fridays, students will study at the Cambridge campus during the first two weeks of classes, then return every three to four weeks while pursuing their coursework on-line during alternate weeks. Clinical experiences will be arranged at a variety of sites, with the goal of having these sites as close to a student’s home as possible.
“This is part of our continuing effort to support the ability of nurses to come back to school and complete their education,” said Dr. Jeanine Gangeness, chair of Bemidji State’s Department of Nursing.
Gangeness said the program has already admitted its first student; the program will require a minimum of 20 students and be capped at a maximum of 40.
Information sessions for students interested in enrolling in the program will be held Monday, July 20 on Anoka-Ramsey’s Cambridge campus. The sessions, which will be held at noon and 3 p.m., will be held in the college’s lecture and performance hall in room G202 of the Campus Center building, located at 300 Spirit River Dr. S. in Cambridge.
Bemidji State University President Dr. Jon E. Quistgaard and Anoka-Ramsey Community College President Dr. Patrick M. Johns signed the agreement to bring BSU’s nursing program to Anoka-Ramsey in late April.
“Bemidji State is proud to partner with Anoka-Ramsey by bringing this nationally-accredited nursing program to the Cambridge area,” Quistgaard said at the signing. “These new opportunities for access to four-year programs help strengthen the state’s talent pool while providing career advancement possibilities for individuals.”
The expansion to Anoka-Ramsey continues a flourish of notable activity by Bemidji State’s nursing program over the last two years. The four-year baccalaureate program was announced in December, 2006, and enrolled its first students during the fall of 2007. The program received a full 10-year national accreditation in May, 2008, and celebrated the opening of its state-of-the-art Clinical Resources Center in February of this year. The program then inducted its first group of students into the four-year program just days after the unveiling of the lab.
Bemidji State University and Anoka-Ramsey Community College are part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. The system comprises 32 institutions, including seven state universities and 25 two-year colleges and is the largest single provider of higher education in the state of Minnesota.
For more information about the university portal program, please contact the Department of Nursing at (218) 755-3860.
ON THE WEB
• BSU Department of Nursing: http://www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/nursing
• Anoka-Ramsey Community College: http://www.anokaramsey.edu