USA College of Nursing Convocation Fall 2023

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA COLLEGE OF NURSING
A BRIEF HISTORY
Nursing has been an important part of the University of South Alabama since 1973. The first class included
23 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students who graduated in 1976. The nursing program was
originally established by four faculty and a director as a Division of Nursing and later became a School of
Nursing. In 1985, the school was designated as a College of Nursing. A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
program was added in 1981, and in 2007, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program was established.
Having maintained continuous accreditation since 1976, the College of Nursing is nationally-recognized
as a leader in the development and delivery of high quality programs.
The leadership of the College of Nursing has been steady since its inception. Between 1973 and the present,
the College of Nursing has had one Director of Nursing and four Deans, each of whom has contributed
significantly to the growth of the college.
Earline McRae, MSN, RN (Director, 1974-1997) initiated the program, graduated the first BSN class of the
college, and introduced the RN to BSN program. The program had four faculty members — Carol Henderson
Harrison, Joan Ralph, Frances Dunagan, and Mary Montgomery — and 60 students. Initially housed in the
Life Sciences Building on main campus, the program moved into the Medical Sciences building and then
into a former barrack at the Brookley campus.
Dora Eldridge Blackmon, EdD, RN (First Dean of the School of Nursing, 1977-1989) led the college in adding
a special pathway for RNs to earn a BSN degree in 1978. In 1981, a similar program for RNs to complete
an MSN degree was developed. Later in her tenure, the School of Nursing was designated the College of
Nursing. With more than 700 students, the College of Nursing represented the fourth largest academic
unit on campus. The College of Nursing subsequently moved from the Brookley campus back to the main
campus and then to the former Providence Hospital located on Springhill Avenue.
Amanda Baker, EdD, RN (Dean, 1989-1998) added the clinical nurse specialist and nurse practitioner
programs. In 1990, the college had an enrollment of 739 undergraduate students. Under Dr. Baker's
leadership, the college began its longstanding tradition of successful competition for federal funding through
the Division of Nursing at the U. S. Department of Health & Human Services, especially for professional
nurse traineeship grants. The college received its first advanced training grant through the Division of
Nursing in 1993 to fund the neonatal nurse practitioner program and was also one of the first in the nation
to receive funding for an acute care nurse practitioner track.
Debra Davis, DSN, RN (Dean, 1998-2017) introduced online teaching for nursing programs, supervised the
return of nursing programs to a new dedicated building on the main campus, expanded to an additional
campus in Baldwin County, and initiated accelerated programs for BSN students. During Dr. Davis' tenure
the college experienced tremendous growth from 964 students to more than 3,000.
Heather Hall, PhD, RN, NNP-BC (Dean, 2018-present) has led the college in advancing faculty research
and scholarship, increased external research funding, increased community engagement, and developed
new concentrations for the MSN, DNP and Post-Graduate Certificate programs.
Today, the College of Nursing enrolls approximately 4,000 students, working in classrooms and clinical
facilities along the Gulf Coast and through online programs across the United States. The College of Nursing
has graduated over 19,000 nursing professionals who provide quality healthcare across the United States
and around the world.
22
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA