HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE OF NURSING
Establishing a College of Nursing at Kent State University was a result of a long standing interest in collegiate
nursing. As early as January of 1964, Dr. Laura Dustan visited the University as a consultant from the National
League for Nursing. Although the hope of establishing a baccalaureate nursing program in the fall of 1965 was not
realized, arrangements were made for students from two hospital nursing programs, St. Luke's and Mt. Sinai of
Cleveland, to spend their freshman year in residence on the central University campus beginning in September of
1965.
Impetus to developing a baccalaureate degree program at Kent State University was given by the Report to the Ohio
Board of Regents on Projected Needs for Nursing Education in Ohio. This report was the result of the work of a Joint
Committee of the Nursing Section of the Ohio College Association, of the Ohio Nurses' Association, and of the Ohio
League for Nursing. This report recommended that "new basic baccalaureate programs be established as soon as
possible" and cited northeastern Ohio as one section of the State which was "III provided with baccalaureate
programs."
The Ohio Board of Regents granted Kent State University approval to establish a baccalaureate degree program in
nursing in November of 1966. At their meeting November 15, 1967, the Ohio State Board of Nursing Education and
Nurse Registration gave the University approval to conduct this program, and In January of 1968 the National League
for Nursing offered reasonable assurance of accreditation. This "reasonable assurance" was changed to a full 8-year
accreditation in May of 1971, just prior to the graduation of the first class in June, 1971. The most recent
accreditation was in 1992.
The School of Nursing continued to grow and develop and in September, 1977, admitted the first graduate students
for study at the Master's level. Graduate students in the program specialize in areas of Nursing of the Adult, Parent-
Child Nursing or Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing. Role functions are available in Administration, Education,
Clinical Specialization and Nurse Practitioner. A program in Interdisciplinary Gerontology is available as well as dual
degree graduate programs in Nursing and Business Administration or Public Administration. Several Post-Master's
Certificate Programs are available and the PhD in Nursing Program admitted its first students in the Fall of 2000.
Dr. Linnea E. Henderson, the founding Dean of the College of Nursing provided leadership for the College until her
death in April of 1984.
Since its inception, the College, which began in one suite of offices in Bowman Hall, outgrew a variety of temporary
facilities. In September, 1978, the School of Nursing moved into its own new building near the science complex, the
library and the student center. In 1985 the building was named "Linnea E. Henderson Hall, School of Nursing." The
Board of Trustees of Kent State University approved the renaming of the School of Nursing to the College of Nursing
on September 9, 1999.
I Report to the Ohio Board of Regents. Projected Needs for Nursing Education in
Ohio. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State
Nurses Association, 1964, pp. 35-36.