Message from the Dean
Georgia L. Narsavage, PhD, CRNP, FAAN

The School of Nursing is a dynamic part of the Health Sciences Center at West Virginia University. We are excited to be involved with our colleagues in the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center in implementing a vision for health care in the 21st century, founded in WVU's history of excellence and service, with sincere social responsibility. Nursing faculty and students are bringing nurses, nursing education and research, and advanced practice health care to serve the public in both urban and rural areas throughout the state and the nation. We continue to benefit from your generosity in providing resources to our students, including the development of a state of the art learning resource center. But our students’ learning goes beyond the classroom and traditional clinical settings – last year in Morgantown, Charleston, and our regional campuses undergraduate students alone provided over 12,000 hours of community service throughout rural West Virginia, while they learned.

The WVU School of Nursing remains committed to providing the highest levels of undergraduate professional nursing education, while expanding opportunities for graduate education. We have continued to increase enrollment in the BSN program and provide increased access to programs preparing nurses for faculty roles - exponentially addressing the nursing shortage. Our MSN program continues to prepare nurse practitioners for West Virginia with faculty who are experts in using technology with "high touch" skills. This year we have launched two doctoral programs. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) educates clinicians at the highest level of nursing practice; the Doctor of Nursing Science transitioned to a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) for nurses desiring a research career. Faculty and student assistants engage in research and practice that directly affects health. Our practice and scholarship are increasingly focused on improving quality of life throughout the lifespan. This year education, practice and scholarship at the WVU School of Nursing will incorporate new initiatives in gerontology, quality and safety. Our programs are committed to building access with success and quality care.

Over many years with your support we have:

• Provided scholarships to talented students who could not have attended WVU without funding.
• Provided innovative opportunities for faculty practice, and research to improve quality of life.
• Begun the process of updating our Learning Resource Center to add high technology learning without losing our focus on high touch caring.

Additionally, last year thanks to the generosity of those who know the legacy of Dean E. Jane Martin, we began to endow a future professorship as a lasting legacy to a woman who cares deeply about nursing education at WVU.

We could not do this without you - Thank you!