History

In June 1959, the General Assembly of North Carolina authorized the establishment of a School of Nursing at East Carolina College and appropriated funds for its support. Thus, the East Carolina College School of Nursing became the fourth state supported baccalaureate program in nursing in North Carolina and also the first academic school on this campus.

The curriculum was developed after the employment of Eva Warren as Dean in June 1960, and the first class was admitted in September of that year. In March 1961, the program was provisionally approved by the North Carolina Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education (now the North Carolina Board of Nursing) and at the same time the school became an agency member of the National League for Nursing, Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Programs. In March 1963, the program was granted full approval by the North Carolina Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education.

In June 1964, the first Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees were conferred on the seventeen graduating seniors. Three months later, the initial National League for Nursing accreditation site visitors reviewed the program; notice of accreditation by the National League for Nursing was received on December 10, 1964.

Prior to completion of the Nursing Building in 1967, the school was housed in four different buildings. During the summer of 1960, the Dean's office was located in the Administration Building. In September, she and the newly appointed faculty and the secretary moved into two adjoining offices in Rawl Building. One year later, the School was moved to Graham Building where the Dean and secretary shared a small office, one classroom was converted into unpartitioned office space for the ten faculty members, and another classroom was equipped with student desks, beds, and other equipment necessary for laboratory learning experiences. Additional classroom space was assigned in other buildings as needed. In 1963, to more adequately meet the needs of the growing school, it was moved into an eight-room residence on the western edge of campus. The four rooms on the first floor were converted into administrative offices and a small conference/classroom; faculty shared the four second-floor rooms. In September 1967, the school moved into its first permanent home--the newly constructed Nursing Building.

Authorization to plan a graduate program in nursing at East Carolina University was granted in 1975 by the General Administration, University of North Carolina System. The proposed master's program was developed and presented to the appropriate bodies for approval. Program authorization was granted in August 1977, and the first students were admitted one month later in September 1977. Today this program remains the only master's degree program in nursing in eastern North Carolina and offers major study concentrations in the following areas: Clinical Nurse Specialist, Adult Nurse Practitioner, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Nurse-Midwifery, Nurse Anesthesia, Nursing Education, and Nursing Leadership.

The Nurse-Midwifery program admitted its first post-master's students in December 1991 and became fully accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives in June 1993. The Family Nurse Practitioner option was initiated in Fall 1994 and was a Robert Woods Johnson funded collaborative distance learning project with Duke University to offer Family Nurse Practitioner, Nurse-Midwifery and Physician Assistant education to students in rural eastern North Carolina. In addition, the school had five post-doctoral faculty fellows study in the Family Nurse Practitioner program during 1996-1998 as part of a regional Kellogg funded project to increase Family Nurse Practitioner faculty in the southern region.

The School is known for innovative outreach efforts designed to increase access to nursing education for nurses in rural areas. Over the last 14 years, the School has offered both the RN/BSN and the Master's program in off-campus sites. These initiatives are partially funded through the Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) system and planned on a site rotation basis such that program quality is maintained and the School's resources are used in the most effective and efficient manner. During the period 1989-93, the Master's program was offered in the Fayetteville area. During the 1992 Southern Association of Colleges and Schools visit to ECU, the CON was praised for this innovative master's outreach effort. The RN/BSN off-campus option has been offered at a Morehead City site (Carteret County) since 1982, and at an Elizabeth City site since 1984. In addition, the RN/BSN option is also offered in Halifax County and on campus as a part of East Carolina University's weekend college.

There are three academic departments within the College: Department of Undergraduate Nursing Science Junior Division, Department of Undergraduate Nursing Scince Senior Division and the Department of Graduate Nursing Science. 

The School has over 5000 alumni from its academic programs, many of whom are in leadership positions, where they help shape the direction of the future of Nursing.