History

The school was founded as a four-year undergraduate program and admitted the first students in the Fall of 1970. In 1972, the Connecticut Commission for Higher Education and the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing both approved the program. The first class graduated in May 1974 and the program received initial accreditation by the National League for Nursing (NLN) later that same year.

Since initial State and NLN accreditation, the School of Nursing has enjoyed peer recognition of its excellence. The undergraduate program continues to be approved by the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing. The most recent review occurred in October 2001 at which time full approval was granted. The undergraduate program was reaccredited by the NLN in 1982, 1991, and again in 1997. Accreditation by the NLN continues until 2005.

With recognition of demographic changes, coupled with a rapidly evolving healthcare system, the School of Nursing began its first graduate program to prepare Psychiatric and Family Nurse Practitioners in the Spring of 1994. This program received approval by the Connecticut Department of Higher Education in December 1995 and the first class graduated in January 1996. The graduate program was reviewed for initial accreditation by the NLN in the Fall of 1997 and received full accreditation through Fall 2002. The School recently expanded offerings to include an advanced degree in Healthcare Systems. An Adult Nurse Practitioner Program was added to the Practitioner program in Fall of 2001. Post-masters certificate programs are also available for those pursuing the practitioner tracks.

The School of Nursing opened the Health Promotion Center (HPC) in 1994. Adjacent to the town of Fairfield is the large, urban city of Bridgeport, CT, a primarily poor, underserved community whose health problems are enormous and whose resources are limited. The Health Promotion Center provides a unique opportunity for students and faculty to work with a diverse and underserved population in an urban setting. The School of Nursing conducts this work through grant-funded projects.

On September 28, 2002, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) granted accreditation of the baccalaureate and master's degree programs for a term of five years, extending to December 31, 2007.