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September 2002

UNF joins in offering new nursing PhD program

Pam Chally

One of the reasons for the severe nursing shortage in the United States is related to the shrinking pool of qualified faculty members.

This summer, nursing leaders at UNF, Florida A&M University and Florida State University finalized arrangements with the University of Florida to form a cooperative doctoral degree program in nursing science designed to further the education of those who desire teaching careers. Beginning this semester students at UNF, FSU and FAMU will be able to access the UF College of Nursing doctoral program through sites in Tallahassee and Jacksonville via an interactive distance-delivery system.

"Nurses throughout North Florida are fortunate to have increased accessibility to a high quality doctoral program at the University of Florida through out this cooperative arrangement. Everyone serves to benefit when nurses are more highly educated," said Pam Chally, dean of the College of Health at UNF.

Using state-of-the-art technology, students on three campuses will attend classes simultaneously one day a week and engage in comprehensive research preparation. Students will have access to an array of expert faculty members at UF, as well as at UNF, FAMU and FSU, for nursing and related interdisciplinary study and research.

At many colleges, faculty cannot advance past a certain point without doctoral degrees. As a result, many faculty members in the nursing department at UNF have been stalled, desiring a doctoral degree but not having the time to attend classes in Gainesville because of career and family constraints, said Lucy Trice, chair of the School of Nursing at UNF.
Prior to the cooperative program, those wishing to work toward a doctoral degree in nursing at UF had to travel to and from Gainesville not only to attend core nursing classes but also to complete a necessary minor in another discipline. With the new program, students are able to attend the core classes at UF via distance delivery and may complete a necessary area of specialized study at their "home" university, significantly cutting down the amount of time and travel.

"Many people who have been interested in furthering their careers in teaching and research have had to give up that dream," Trice said. "Now they do not have to uproot their lives."