The Board of Visitors’ Committee on the College at Wise heard a presentation on a proposed Family Nurse Practitioner master’s program, and approved the College at Wise to move ahead with the process of setting up the program. The Committee also received updates on fall enrollment and Wise programs aimed at local community outreach.
According to Nancy Haugen, Department of Nursing chair at Wise, the program will be specifically focused on training nurse practitioners, who are educated to diagnose patients and prescribe medications and are able to do work similar to that of a primary care doctor. It is a completely online and asynchronous program, with options to complete the degree in two years as a full-time student or three years as a part-time student.
Haugen said that the intent of the new program is to help address the healthcare access disparities in Wise County and Southwest Virginia compared with the rest of the Commonwealth and the country. She said that it can be challenging for local residents to find healthcare providers, with the areas around Wise being significantly poorer than the rest of Virginia. She said that the program was designed with the aim of increasing the number of local healthcare providers in the Wise and Southwest Virginia area, as the majority of Wise graduates remain in southwest Virginia after completing their degrees.
Haugen also said that U.Va. Wise has seen high levels of interest in the program, with around 85 percent of nursing students at Wise and alumni saying they were at least somewhat interested in participating when asked. She shared an anecdote from a course she instructs at Wise to demonstrate her confidence that there would be interest in the program once it officially launches.
“I teach a transition course for the [Registered Nurse] to [Bachelor of Science in Nursing] program, and one of their assignments is [to write about] their goals for their nursing careers,” said Haugen. “A third of our 31 students said they wanted to go on to advanced education and get a nurse practitioner degree. One even said, ‘I plan to enroll [in the new masters’ program] as soon as I finish this bachelors’ program.’”
The Committee voted to approve the program, as well as to support using the presentation they saw at the meeting as the official program announcement. The presentation and program details will be submitted to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia for review and approval, as is proper procedure for all new degree programs at a public institution.
U.Va. Wise Chancellor Donna Henry also presented on Fall 2024 enrollment at Wise to the Committee, noting that there has been a slight increase in enrollment since 2022. Henry also discussed the Year in Wise program, in which students waitlisted for the University’s main campus can choose to spend their first year at Wise before enrolling in Charlottesville. She said that this academic year, 103 students are participating in the program — which meets the College at Wise’s target of 100 for Year in Wise enrollment and marks a significant increase from the previous few years where approximately 70 students have participated in the program.
According to Henry, one of the College at Wise’s main focuses moving forward is to increase student retention, which is down slightly from last year.
Henry also shared updates on Wise’s Honor the Future Campaign — the University’s fundraising effort, which is part of President Jim Ryan’s 2030 Plan. The College at Wise has raised around $83 million of its $100 million goal as their part of the fundraising efforts. Henry said that one project that funds will support is the construction of more on-campus housing, which will have to be added in future years to accommodate the increasing levels of enrollment, as current on-campus housing is already full and Wise is aiming to continue increasing enrollment each fall semester.
Faculty Consulting Member Karen Carter also shared updates on experiential learning programs that the College at Wise conducts for local communities, including research partnerships with local community colleges and events with local schools. Carter said that the College at Wise is currently focusing on bringing high school students to the campus to participate in STEM classes and research, through collaborating with local dual enrollment programs.
The Committee on the College at Wise will meet again when the Board reconvenes on Dec. 5 and 6.
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