College of Nursing Celebrates 60 Years

The College of Nursing marks its 60th year during a pandemic—a true test of our profession and the preparation that will carry nurses through. The events over the past few months have reminded our students, faculty, staff and alumni why they do what they do—and why they are vitally important to people the world over. Our alumni are on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19, and our students are getting a first-hand view of the important role nursing plays around the world and right here at home.

We celebrate our past and the strong foundation for service and success that is also the leverage point for our future. We stand ready to serve in hospitals, clinics, classrooms, boardrooms and wherever nurses are needed most. Our academic programs have grown to accommodate nurses who are just beginning their careers to those who are preparing to be leaders and nurse scientists in their field.

Thanks to those who have come before us, Pirate Nurses have the resources to learn and grow in our profession, celebrating personal milestones that we also count as College of Nursing successes. As Florence Nightingale said, “Let us never consider ourselves finished nurses. We must be learning all of our lives.”

“What Would Florence Say?”

In honor of the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, and our 60th anniversary, the ECU College of Nursing presents this short film premiere created by faculty member Dr. Melissa Beck, “What Would Florence Say?”Beck, who has played Nightingale for nursing-based educational events for nearly 10 years, collaborated with ECU Nursing PhD alumna, UNC-Wilmington faculty member and Florence Nightingale historian Dr. April Matthias, as well as Beck’s daughter, Anna Howell and others to create this historically-informed short film envisioning how “The Lady With The Lamp” would counsel nurses practicing in 2020.

“I already knew from reading her letters (how she would have written to today’s nurses),” Beck said. “I used words that she used in her letters. I had to go back and re-read a lot of her letters to find the words that I was looking for because I wanted to stay true to Florence Nightingale. I had to rely on her expertise to sift through the things that a lot of people get wrong on the internet. I had to make sure it was true.