THE FLORIDA COLLEGE SYSTEM BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM APPROVAL PROPOSAL FORMAT

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1 THE FLORIDA COLLEGE SYSTEM BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM APPROVAL PROPOSAL FORMAT COVER SHEET INSTITUTION: St. Johns River State College BACCALAUREATE DEGREE CONTACTS: PRIMARY Name: Dr. Melanie Brown Title: Vice President for Academic Affairs Phone: (386) SECONDARY Name: Dr. Anna Lebesch Title: Vice President for Workforce Development Phone: (386) DEGREE TYPE (BS, BAS, other): Bachelor of Science DEGREE TITLE: Nursing TOTAL NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS: 123 PROPOSED DEGREE SIX-DIGIT CIP CODE (And track, if appropriate): (Track 2 of 2) PLANNED PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION DATE: Fall 2013 PROGRAM DESCRIPTION/EMPLOYMENT OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES: The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree will be designed for Associate in Science nursing graduates who hold a current valid unencumbered Florida Registered Nursing (RN) license. The program will allow them to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to progress their nursing careers. The curriculum of the program facilitates internalizing the values, ethics, cultural sensitivity, and obligations of the professional nurse as well as applying critical reasoning and evidence-based solutions to both clinical practice and management problems in a broad range of healthcare settings. Furthermore, the BSN program provides the educational foundation for graduates to transition to advanced studies in nursing. The proposed Nursing program will provide traditional and nontraditional students with access to a baccalaureate degree that is both affordable and available within the local service St. Johns River State College Nursing Program Approval Application 1

2 district of Clay, Putnam, and St. Johns Counties. The program has been crafted to accommodate the varying needs of both traditional full-time students and working adults whereby students can complete the proposed degree at campuses near their homes through a combination of online and hybrid classes. BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPRO TE: October 19, WJJH1j\TE: (Affirms compliance and accuracy) y f.j/ LIZ- 'Date St. Johns River State College - Nursing Program Approval Application 2

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Institution: St. Johns River State College Degree Type: Bachelor of Science Degree Title: Nursing The proposed nursing program will provide traditional and nontraditional students with access to a baccalaureate degree that is both affordable and available within the local service district. The program has been crafted to accommodate the varying needs of both traditional fulltime students and working adults whereby students can complete the proposed degree at campuses near their homes through a combination of online and hybrid classes. Associate in Science in nursing graduates who hold a valid unencumbered Florida Registered Nursing license will acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for them to progress their nursing careers. Program curriculum will facilitate internalizing the values, ethics, cultural sensitivity, and obligations of the professional nurse as well as applying critical reasoning and evidence-based solutions to both clinical practice and management problems in a broad range of healthcare settings. Furthermore, the BSN program provides the educational foundation for graduates to transition to advanced studies in nursing. A. Planning Process St. Johns River State College (SJR State) has a long-standing mission objective of enabling students to earn baccalaureate degrees while remaining in the service district through forming partnerships with four-year universities. With the appointment of a new President in November 2008, the College began to reassess how it fulfilled this objective. Particularly troubling to the College is data on Putnam County, where only 13.7% of residents age 25 and over hold a bachelor s degree or higher. This compares with a state average of 25.6% (Appendix N, page 54). In January 2009, President Pickens assembled a Bachelor s Degree Task Force. A Board of Trustees workshop was held in February 2009 which summarized the current baccalaureate degree offerings by local colleges in the Florida College System and gave an overview of the necessary steps for SJR State to become a bachelor degree-granting institution. The College surveyed various stakeholder groups in March and April 2009, conducted a review of regional labor markets, and after Board approval, began the formal process necessary for gaining approval from both the State Board of Education and the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to offer baccalaureate degrees. The College became a SACS Level II institution in June 2010 and implemented its first baccalaureate degrees in January Although the College s initial baccalaureate degrees were not nursing, the original 2009 baccalaureate degree surveys indicated a strong interest in the College developing such a degree (Appendix J, pages 44-48). Furthermore, comments from recent student surveys indicate that students are still interested in such a degree. In fall 2011, an administrative sub-group was charged with additional data gathering concerning a baccalaureate degree in nursing. The group produced a report (Appendix B, page 29) that was submitted to the District Board of Trustees and included curriculum information, program need data, collaboration information, as well as financial impact to both the students and the College. At the October 2011 District Board of

4 Trustees meeting, approval was given to submit a Letter of Intent to the Florida Department of Education for a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. Excerpts from District Board of Trustees meeting minutes are found in Appendix A, page 27. The President and his leadership team attended meetings with various groups and institutions regarding the College s baccalaureate nursing degree initiative. President Pickens met with President Delaney of the University of North Florida and President Abare of Flagler College prior to the District Board of Trustees granting approval for SJR State to submit its Letter of Intent. Flagler College is the only regionally accredited postsecondary institution headquartered in the service area and the University of North Florida, although not in the service area, is the public university where most of SJR State s students transfer to. Neither president indicated that they would have an opposition to SJR State developing a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. The College also communicated with St. Leo University whose Northeast Florida Center is located on the College s campuses. Minutes of these meetings are found in Appendix D, E and F (pages 31-33). Appendix G (page 34) is an excerpt from an advisory board meeting showing that the Nursing Advisory Board endorsed the proposed program. Appendix H (page 35) is a list of organizations and individuals College representatives met with while developing the proposal. Appendix P (pages 55-74) contains letters of support for the nursing program. B. Program Implementation Timeline In November 2011, the College notified the Division of Florida Colleges of its intent to offer a baccalaureate degree in Nursing. The College is planning to notify the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in August 2012 of its intention to offer an additional baccalaureate degree and will submit a prospectus during fall Upon approval by both the State Board of Education and SACS, the College will hire a 12 month full-time faculty member with a doctorate in-field to administer and teach in the program. The earliest date that upper division courses would begin is August C. Workforce Demand/Unmet Need Specific to Program Area An analysis of regional labor market information, economic data on regional business and industry, the number of graduates produced by area educational programs in field, and survey data from, and conversations with, stakeholder groups indicate that there is both a demand and unmet need for this program. The College s research using Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. (EMSI) datasets indicates that there will be an average of 104 annual openings in SJR State s service district in the next five years. In 2009, area colleges produced 77 graduates in Nursing. These graduates were all associate degree graduates from St. Johns River State College who were eligible to become registered nurses. The number of baccalaureate degree graduates in the region was zero. EMSI s Complete Employment dataset (4 th quarter 2011) indicates that the current median hourly earnings for registered nurses are $ Moreover, this occupation is expected to grow from at a rate that is higher than both the state and national average. The College considered additional factors in establishing need: national education trends in the registered nursing profession current trend is for health care providers to increase the number of nursing baccalaureate degree hires; local education trends although ASN graduates are currently hired by local health care facilities many require a BSN for career advancement;

5 and planned local expansions in healthcare facilities in Clay and St. Johns Counties. (Appendix K, page 49) D. Facilities and Equipment Specific to Program Area St. Johns River State College will not need any new facilities for this program. Existing administrative space and classroom and laboratory facilities will be sufficient. Hybrid and online courses will utilize the same learning management system and web conferencing system that existing courses use. E. Library/Media Specific to Program Area The results of a recent needs assessment for this program showed that the three fullservice SJR State Libraries currently own a collection of 2,780 print titles, 2,683 ebook titles, 13 print journals, 85 audiovisual materials as well as 14 online databases that provide access to approximately 13,228 resources. Planned acquisitions of books, ebooks, and media to augment and improve the existing Nursing Collection will specifically address curriculum at the 3000 and 4000 course level. No additional library staff will be needed for this program. F. Academic Resources Specific to Program Area The College will draw from its current pool of qualified instructors as it develops and implements this baccalaureate degree program. Upon program approval, to ensure compliance with SACS requirements, the College will hire one new full-time faculty member with a terminal degree in-field whose primary responsibility will be to teach upper level courses and provide overall program coordination. The College will add one full-time faculty member with terminal degree in-field in the second year. G. Cost to Students The anticipated cost (tuition and fees) for four years of study at SJR State is $12, based on figures. There are no state universities in the service district. Neither of the two nonpublic institutions in the service district Flagler College and St. Leo University offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. H. Academic Content The Nursing program is an open access program. Eligible students will have completed an Associate in Science in nursing degree with a minimum of a 2.0 GPA and hold a current valid unencumbered Florida Registered Nursing license. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing is a 123 credit hour program. The 51 credits of post associate-degree courses include 18 credit hours of lower-level general education/common prerequisites and 33 credit hours of upper-level coursework. Upper-level course work is comprised of 11 courses with an NUR prefix with students choosing either a 9 credit hour clinical or a 9 credit hour leadership and management concentration. I. Enrollment, Performance and Budget Plans The enrollment for the first year is estimated to be 30 students. In subsequent years this will increase leading to a projected enrollment of 60 students by the fourth year. The budget plan provides for start-up costs of $129,700 for the first year of operation and $179,600 for subsequent years. The percentage of budget allocated to instructional costs is

6 approximately 90%. Revenue will come from state funding and tuition and fees. In addition, SJR State has received commitments from two area hospitals to provide instructional support: Orange Park Medical Center is committing a three year grant for $32,000 per year; Flagler Hospital will provide Ph.D. qualified adjunct instructors as an in-kind contribution to the program. In the event state funding is not available, the College has more than adequate revenue to fund this program from auxiliary services such as ticket revenue from athletics, the Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts, and Florida School of the Arts; rentals at the Thrasher-Horne Conference Center, Thrasher- Horne Center for the Arts, and other facilities; food service revenue; and bookstore revenue. These funds are not budgeted for any recurring needs and would be available for the proposed degree program in the event state funds are not appropriated. J. Plans of Action if Program must be Terminated In the event the program must be terminated, the College will provide notice of the termination and the opportunity for currently-enrolled students to complete their program of study. Further admissions will be closed. Those on track to complete the program will have up to three years to complete the requirements for the degree.

7 Baccalaureate Degree Program Proposal Recommendations from the Division of Florida Colleges Baccalaureate Review Team for Consideration by the Commissioner of Education A collaborative review was conducted by the Baccalaureate Review Team members, including staff from the Division of Florida Colleges and the Florida Colleges Budget Office. Written recommendations were submitted to the college by the Review Team, college staff revised the proposal, and submitted the final proposal, which is now complete and ready for consideration by the Commissioner of Education. Questions or concerns should be directed to Patricia Frohe at (850) or College St. Johns River State College Degree Type BS Degree Program Nursing No alternative proposals were received for this program. Date Submitted to SBOE 05/10/12 Within 45 days following receipt of a completed proposal by the Division of Florida Colleges, the Commissioner of Education shall recommend approval or disapproval of the proposal to the State Board of Education. Section (5)(e), F.S. Comments Summary A Planning Process St. Johns River State College (SJRSC) engaged in a thorough planning process to develop the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program, which is designed for Associate in Science in Nursing (ASN) graduates to allow them to progress in their nursing careers. This process included surveying students, community members, employers, and college staff (page 44-48), as well as meeting with various stakeholders and local businesses to help plan and garner support for the program (pages 55-74). College representatives also met with colleagues at other institutions (page 35) when developing the curriculum and compiled a review document of other nursing programs (pages 36-43). Meetings were held with the University of North Florida (UNF) (not located in the service district, but the closest state university), Flagler College (FC), and St. Leo University (SLU) regarding the proposed degree. All three institutions were supportive of the BSN proposal (pages 31-33). A list of additional planning and supporting documents is located on page 26. B Program Implementation Timeline The projected implementation date of upper division enrollment is August The complete timeline of implementation activities is located in Section B of the proposal. C Workforce Demand/Unmet Need Specific to Program Area The college demonstrates a clear need for a BSN degree program in the region to provide local RNs the opportunity to advance in their careers. There were 2,156 related jobs in the service district in 2011, and that total is projected to increase to 2,489 by 2016 with 104 average annual job openings. There is no state university located within the service district, and neither FC nor SLU offer nursing programs in the region. Therefore, no baccalaureateprepared nurses are being produced in the region. SJRSC produced 77 ASN graduates in 2009, which leaves an employment gap of 27 jobs for Registered Nurses (RN) in the region. However, this does not take into account current RNs who will require a bachelor s degree for 1

8 D E F Facilities and Equipment Specific to Program Area Library/Media Specific to Program Area Academic Resources Specific to Program Area career advancement. The college cites data regarding the counties that comprise the service district from the Florida Center for Nursing, stating that 60.1% of RNs in Clay County, 71.4% in Putnam County, and 55.4% in St. Johns County do not have at least a bachelor s degree. The college also discusses local and national trends in the profession to increase the number of BSN-prepared hires (pages 49-50). Three new healthcare facilities that will generate additional jobs are also being developed in the region. Nursing classrooms and laboratories are available on all three campuses, and online courses will utilize the college s existing learning management system. No new facilities or equipment will be needed. The college has allocated funds for the next three fiscal years for the acquisition of books, ebooks, and media materials to augment the college s existing collection to support this program. SJRSC currently has eight full-time and 11 part-time faculty members who can teach in this program. The college plans to hire two full-time faculty members at the doctoral level, one of whom will serve as program director. Additional adjunct instructors with terminal degrees will also be hired. G Cost to Students H Academic Content The cost for four years of study at SJRSC and the other regional postsecondary institutions is as follows: SJRSC = $12, FC = $58,040 SLU = $30,360 This 123-credit hour program is composed of 36 General Education credits, 54 credits of lower level specialized courses, and 33 credits of upper level specialized courses. Students will choose a clinical or leadership and management concentration. Specialized accreditation will be sought from the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. Flagler Hospital has also committed to provide Ph.D.-qualified adjunct instructors as an in-kind contribution to the program. I J Enrollment, Performance and Budget Plan Plan of Action if Program Must be Terminated The college anticipates 30 enrolled students during year one, with enrollment doubling to 60 students in years two through five. Projected expenditures during the first year total $129,700 and will increase to $179,600 in years two through five. SJRSC plans to fund the program through Community College Program Funds and a grant from the Orange Park Medical Center, and auxiliary services revenues can be used if needed. The program is projected to become self-sustaining in year two. If the program is terminated, further admissions will be closed and faculty, staff, and students will be notified. Current students will have up to three years to complete the program and will receive information and advising regarding transfer options. 2

9 Comments: St. Johns River State College analyzed numerous existing BSN programs to inform their curriculum development (see Appendix I, starting on page 36, for a program comparison chart). The need for baccalaureate-trained nurses is clear and convincing. In addition, there is a growing demand in the industry for RNs with baccalaureate degree credentials. Recommendation: Approve Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, Division of Florida Colleges Date 4/19/12 Recommendation: Approve Chancellor, Division of Florida Colleges Date 4/20/12 3