Eduardo J. Padrón
President
Office of the President
300 N.E. Second Avenue
Miami, Florida 33132-2297
305-237-3316
epadron@mdc.edu
Message from the President
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
MDC’s New Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing Approved by the State
I am pleased to announce that the State Board of Education has unanimously approved MDC's request to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
MDC currently awards more associate degrees in Nursing than any other institution in the country and trains two-thirds of the county’s nurses. The College's new BSN program will offer students and practicing nurses a high-quality, accessible, cost-effective and seamless education, while meeting the critical workforce need for baccalaureate-prepared nurses in the State of Florida.
Accounting for more than two million positions, registered nurses represent the largest occupation in the healthcare industry, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that more than 1.2 million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2014.
The development of the BSN is another example of MDC responding to the workforce needs of the dynamic community we serve. In addition to more than 200 associate degrees and certificate programs, the BSN is MDC's third baccalaureate program, following the Bachelor of Science in Education – developed to address the critical shortage of teachers in the region and nationwide. The Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Safety Management, the only program of its kind in the state, offers a bachelor's degree and law enforcement and corrections certification within one program, at one institution.
Thank you to Dr. Norma Goonen, Provost for Academic and Student Affairs, and her staff; Dr. K.K Bentil, Medical Center Campus President; Interim Director Lessie Pryor of the School of Nursing; and to all those who contributed to the development of this exciting program, which will commence in the spring of 2008.
Thank you.
Eduardo