History

Linda Scott is appointed dean.

In 2012, the UW Board of Regents approved the naming of the new School of Nursing building as Signe Skott  Cooper Hall in recognition of Cooper’s lifelong commitment to the university, school, and profession.  Construction begins on May 24, 2012 at 701 Highland Avenue.

Signe Skott Cooper Hall officially opens in August, 2014.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is launched with post-BS and post-MS options.

MS/MPH Dual Degree Program is offered jointly with the School of Medicine and Public Health.

Nurse Educators for Tomorrow (NET) Option is introduced, offering nurses the opportunity to enroll in  a master’s program online or to gain post-master’s credits while remaining in their home communities.

Early Entry PhD Option in nursing is established.

Western Campus for Nursing in LaCrosse is created in partnership with the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation to offer BS program on site.

Katharyn May is appointed dean. She leads the school through the realization of the new building.

Signe Skott Cooper makes the first gift commitment to the School of Nursing’s new building. Cooper later donated her late sister’s estate to develop a historical suite in the new building.

The Collaborative Nursing Program, a partnership of five UW System nursing schools, uses distance learning technology to allow practicing nurses to complete a BS in nursing. The program was renamed BSN@Home in 2006.

Dean Littlefield establishes the Dean’s Club to recognize generous contributors and proposes the idea for a separate School of Nursing building, for which she actively seeks funds.

Vivian Littlefield is appointed dean; she leads the school through a time of substantial progress in academics and research.

The PhD program is established—a joint program in nursing and psychology. Secondary concentration areas are added in 1991.

The School of Nursing becomes first unit to occupy the new Clinical Science Center on the west end of campus, funded in part with a $4 million federal grant to construct new nursing education facilities.

The school initiates Wisconsin’s first nurse practitioner (NP) program in geriatrics.

Valencia Prock is appointed dean.

The school offers the first graduate nursing program in the UW System is introduced through an MS degree in pediatric nursing.

Male students are admitted to the program. The Nurses Dormitory closes as a student residence.

Helen Bunge is appointed director. During her tenure, the school becomes an autonomous unit within the university, and she is titled a dean.

Four-year nursing degree is instituted; school’s certificate program is discontinued.

UW Extension offers nursing courses jointly with the School of Nursing, providing opportunities for nurses throughout the state.

The nursing degree title is changed from BS (Hygiene) to BS (Nursing).

Margery MacLachlan is appointed director.

The school participates in the U.S. Cadet Corps program during World War II, providing students with tuition, books, and uniforms.

Christina Murray is appointed director.

The school awards nursing certificates to its first graduating class of eleven students.

Nurses’ Dormitory at 1402 University Avenue opens. Dormitory space limits class enrollment.

In Madison, the University of Wisconsin establishes the first collegiate nursing program in the state and one of the earliest in the country. The program was based on the belief that a rigorous education was essential for effective nursing practice. Helen Denne Schulte is appointed the program’s first director.