History of the College of Nursing
 Janice Nelson, EdD, RN
Our First Dean
1986-1996
First Registered Nurses
Graduate in 1959
To meet the shortage of nurses, the State University of New York Upstate Medical
University initiated an Associate's Degree Program in 1959. More than 500 registered nurses
were graduated from the program between 1959 and 1976.
Nurse Practitioner Program Implemented, 1974
In 1974, as a response to the need for primary care nurses, a Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program was implemented. This program was supported primarily by federal grant monies.
Over 300 Nurse Practitioners were graduated; many of them remained at Upstate
Medical University upon graduation and are still here today.
1984 Brings Degree program Expansion
In the fall of 1984, a combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Program
(BS/MS) was offered by the Department of Nursing of University Hopital at Upstate.
Seventeen full-time students were enrolled in the first class. Enrollment grew,
and the College of Nursing was initially established in 1986, with Dr. M. Janice
Nelson appointed as the first dean. Her mission was to expand the services offered
by the new College of Nursing and in 1988 a separate Bachelor of Science in
Nursing program was established.
Full Accreditation
In 1991, the National League for Nursing granted full initial accreditation to both the Bachelor of Science and the combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Programs, which furthered the prestige of nursing educational excellence provided by the College of Nursing.
Implementation of a Clinical Nurse Specialists and Master of Science Programs
1992 saw the implementation of a separate Master of Science Nursing Program
to prepare Clinical Nurse Specialists. The programs continued unchanged until
1994 when the College of Nursing received a $500,000 grant from the State of
New York to create and implement a Master of Science Program. This program was
designed to prepare Advanced Practice Nurses for the role of Clinical Nurse
Specialist or Nurse Practitioner. Successful completion of this project has
given the College of Nursing the ability to offer the Bachelor of Science, Master
of Science, and Post Master's Advanced Certificate nursing programs.  Elvira Szigeti, RN
Our Current Dean
1996—
Continued Accreditation
In 1996, educational excellence was reaffirmed with the continuing award of accreditation
by the National League for Nursing for a period of eight years. In 2004, the college was accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) for the maximum period of ten years. Application for reaccreditation will be in 2014.
2007 and Beyond...
In 2007, the college re-opened the RN to MS option. This option enables qualified students to complete the BS and MS degrees in three years of full-time study.
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