Comprehensive Orientation Records for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Institutional Welcome and Organizational Changes

  • Administrative Oversight:
    • Paige Kristen serves as the Interim Associate of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
    • Kate Warner serves as the Interim Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, currently approximately on Day 40 of her tenure.
  • Campus Integration:
    • A significant milestone has been achieved regarding the location of student orientation. After several years of requests, students who have declared majors within the College of Nursing and Health Sciences are now permitted to visit and convene at North Campus.
    • Previous years resulted in consistent denials of this request; however, authorization was granted this year to allow students to become comfortable with the North Campus environment immediately upon arrival.
  • Major-Specific Breakout Sessions:
    • The orientation process involves segmenting students by their declared majors.
    • This approach ensures a specialized focus on the particular requirements and curricula of each discipline, such as Nursing and Exercise Physiology.
    • While there is mutual interest across disciplines, the specialized breakouts allow for concentrated discussion on the specific nuances of each field.

Student Engagement and Community Support

  • Therapeutic and Social Interaction:
    • Institutional support includes the presence of a dog owned by Dr. Goll Flowers.
    • The dog is integrated into the environment of the nursing faculty and students on the North Campus to facilitate positive interaction.
    • Students are encouraged to pet and interact with the animal, as its primary role is to engage with the student body to provide comfort and support.
  • Peer and Faculty Connectivity:
    • Students are encouraged to form new friendships and attend events even when they are uncertain of the outcome.
    • The faculty consists of professionals who have chosen identical career paths to those the students are currently entering, focused on making substantial differences in society.

Strategies for Academic and Professional Success

  • Self-Care and Presence:
    • A foundational requirement for preparing to care for others is the commitment to show up for oneself.
    • This includes consistent class attendance throughout the duration of the program at BSU.
  • Growth and Risk-Taking:
    • Navigating the program effectively involves taking risks and stepping out of established comfort zones.
    • Students should utilize the expertise of the faculty by asking critical questions regarding their professional journeys, such as:
      • The underlying motivations for choosing their specific career paths.
      • Strategies employed to face and surmount fears or academic struggles.
  • Interpersonal Health:
    • The college emphasizes a culture of taking care of oneself and one another while pursuing these careers.

Career Outcomes and Administrative Support

  • Mission and Objectives:
    • The college maintains a targeted, "laser beam" focus on guiding students toward the graduation stage.
    • The ultimate goal is to transition students into careers where they can meaningfully touch lives and fulfill their professional aspirations.
  • Administrative Accessibility:
    • Kate Warner maintains an "open door policy," encouraging students to visit and communicate at any time.
    • This philosophy of accessibility is generally shared by the broader faculty body, who aim to make a significant difference in the lives of the students.
  • Core Directive:
    • The guiding principles for students in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences are to have fun, work hard, and perform ethically sound, good deeds within the community.