South University Celebrates Tampa Grand Opening, Launches Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
South University officially celebrated the Grand Opening of its new Tampa campus today with a reception for community, business and healthcare leaders.
The reception featured Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, who discussed local healthcare and higher education needs. Other speakers included South University Chancellor John T. South III and Patricia Dittman, chairman of the Florida Board of Nursing.
The Grand Opening event follows the start of the fall quarter on Oct. 2 and South University-Tampa's first class in the bachelor of science in Health Science and bachelor of science in Nursing program.
"South University chose Tampa as the site of its second Florida campus to serve the growing local demand for well educated healthcare professionals," said South. "We expect this campus to match the success of our nursing program in West Palm Beach that produces qualified and skilled nurses to meet the healthcare demands in the future."
South University has a long history of providing high-demand degree programs in the state of Florida. The University's campus in West Palm Beach continues to grow offering a wide range of programs ranging from health professions to business degree programs.
This shortage of nurses continues to be an issue locally as well as throughout the state. According to the Florida Board of Nursing's 2004-2005 Annual Report, 1,143 students were admitted for the five-county area of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk and Manatee counties, but another 2,606 qualified applicants were turned away.
"The current nursing shortage has put nursing positions in such high demand," said Dan Coble, RN, Ph.D., Tampa campus president and former executive director of the Florida Board of Nursing. "South University Tampa offers a great option for qualified students who want smaller classes and more personalized attention."
Coble adds that the nursing shortage also reflects the lack of qualified nursing educators. Recognizing that need, South University Tampa has announced an online Master of Science degree in nursing, designed for registered nurses who already have a BSN degree and are interested in nursing education.
South University opened its Tampa campus on June 26, 2006, with a Bachelor of Science in health science program. The first two years of this program provide students with the required prerequisite courses to apply for the university's Bachelor of Science in nursing program.
However, students continuing with the four-year bachelor's degree in health science will be prepared for other entry-level positions in health care, including pharmaceutical or DME sales, health care analysts for insurance companies or government agencies, public health positions, quality assurance technicians and office managers or program directors with physician offices, hospitals, home health care agencies, nursing care facilities, health insurance companies and government health care programs.
Students interested in applying to South University Tampa should contact the admissions office at (813) 393-3800.
South University is a private academic institution dedicated to providing educational opportunities for the intellectual, social and professional development of a diverse student population. South University offers educational programs at the associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels with campuses located in Savannah, Ga., Columbia, S.C., West Palm Beach, Fla., Tampa, Fla., and Montgomery, Ala. Visit South University online at www.southuniversity.edu.. For more information about South University's online programs, call 888-444-3404 or visit http://online.southuniversity.edu.