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Meeting Educational Needs for Over 30 Years
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The UT Tyler College of Nursing and
Health Sciences had its humble beginnings
in 1975. It was established on the campus of
what was then Texas Eastern University in
response to a local and regional need for
baccalaureate prepared nurses in East Texas.
“The original program was designed to help
nurses complete the bachelor of science in
nursing degree,” said Dr. Linda Klotz, dean of
the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
By 1979, Texas Eastern University had
become The University of Texas at Tyler and
the UT Board of Regents approved a basic
program leading to a bachelor of science in
nursing. The program offered its first classes
in the fall of 1982.
The goal, then and now, was to prepare nursing
students by focusing on core knowledge
and clinical competency, as well as critical
thinking and interpersonal caring. Through
these principles, the UT Tyler nursing
program has exploded in size, impact and
influence, especially in recent years.
“When I came to UT Tyler in 1989, we had
maybe 15 to 20 students per class with one
instructor per course,” said Dr. Pam Martin,
associate dean for undergraduate programs.
“Now, we have 60 full-time faculty and 120
to 140 students per class.”
She said the program annually has nearly
500 generic nursing students working
toward their BSN, with an additional 50-
plus registered nurses on track to obtain the
BSN. “We have a very large program for this
size campus,” Dr. Martin said.
Currently, the College of Nursing ranks
No. 2 in size throughout the state of Texas.
As enrollment increased over the years, the
nursing program facility was soon bursting
at the seams. Located upstairs in the science
and math building, conditions were crowded.
“I don’t know how we survived,” Dr.
Susan Yarbrough, associate dean for graduate
programs, said.
Then, in 2003, the nursing program on the
Tyler campus moved into the new two-story
David G. and Jacqueline M. Braithwaite
building – housing three large lecture halls,
study labs, computer labs, clinical labs, a
research workroom, faculty offices and more.
High-Tech Facility
The new facility expanded the program’s
ability to reach students – both physically
and through technology. Two nursing
skills labs and two health assessment labs,
along with nurse practitioner rooms, give
students an environment to put their skills
into action.
“In these labs, students learn how to take
blood pressure readings … learn what to
look and listen for in patients,” said
Dr. Yarbrough.
The labs are equipped with mechanical
mannequins that talk, breathe, cough and
make heart sounds. Dr. Martin said, “They
are very lifelike. We have pregnant ones,
babies and children. We can make the
mannequin have a heart attack as part of
critical thinking training. We teach students
what to do in an emergency situation.
The mannequins help them learn to think
on their feet when they encounter multiple
situations and everything is going wrong.
We give them a variety of experiences.”
Satellite Campuses
 High-tech classrooms on campus are also
equipped for interactive television broadcasting
to and from other sites. This state-of-
the-art equipment allowed the College
of Nursing to open satellite campuses in
Palestine in 1995 and Longview in 1997.
“We have about 90 to 100 nursing students
at each satellite campus,” Dr. Martin said.
“Every baccalaureate class we teach for unlicensed
students is live, interactive video
with full-time faculty at each site. Each site
is a fully self-contained campus with clinical
experiences and instructors. For some
students, the first time they come to the
UT Tyler campus is when they graduate.”
At the Palestine and Longview campuses,
students have access to faculty members
that represent every course taught. Faculty
members from each campus team-teach or
support each other in the lectures.
“There is one instructor on each campus
for every course taught,” said Rebecca
Cheek, clinical instructor for the Palestine
campus. “There is a resource person for
each course if a student needs to talk about
a particular topic. They don’t have to wait
to get the instructor in Tyler on the phone,
drive to Tyler or wait for email. They can
come to us with questions. We are very
open to that.”
Cheek said the satellite campuses serve a
critical need in the outlying regions of East
Texas. “We have students from Houston,
the Corsicana area, the Centerville area and
others that drive to this campus rather than
all the way to Tyler,” she said. “Our campus
better fits in with their schedules. And our
students do really well. We’ve graduated
quite a few in the past 12 years.’’
Tara Patton, a 2005 BSN graduate, said the
Palestine campus gave her the option to
pursue a career change as a wife and mother
of three. “Being established where I am, this
campus was the only accessible choice for
me. Without it, there would have been no
way for me to be able to pursue my dream
of finishing college and becoming a nurse.”
Patton, a registered nurse with The
University of Texas Medical Branch in
Tennessee Colony, said attending the
Palestine campus was economical, convenient
and very rewarding. “Nursing is a challenge,
but I always felt very supported and
like I had help where I needed it. That is
what helped me to be successful as a student.
We also had a great group of students. We
supported each other.”
The satellite campuses offer both undergraduate
and graduate level courses. Tammi
Short of Longview graduated in 2002 with
a master of science in nursing as a family
nurse practitioner.
“The family nurse practitioner program is
very strong,” said Short, who completed
her core courses at the UT Tyler Longview
University Center. “They have worked hard
to develop a system that provides
students the highest quality of education
possible.”
Online Access
Through modern technology, Dr. Martin said
higher education is attainable for busy nurses.
“We have one of the most advanced programs
when it comes to technology,” she said.
Nurses have the option to receive baccalaureate
or master’s degrees totally online.
“RNs cannot take off work to go to
school,” Dr. Martin said. “They have families
and job commitments. They need a
program that is very flexible. They do not
have time to come here. We offer everything
online so they can work full-time
jobs, go to school and earn their degrees.”
Dr. Yarbrough said the goal is to provide
options that will enable UT Tyler to
continue growing and graduating quality
nursing students for the next 30 years and
more.
COLLEGE OF NURSING OVER 30 YEARS
| 1975 |
Division of Nursing established on
campus of Texas Eastern University |
| 1979 |
Texas Eastern University becomes
The University of Texas at Tyler |
| 1982 |
First BSN classes offered
1989 First MSN courses offered |
| 1992 |
Initial accreditation received |
| 1995 |
Palestine Distance Education
Initiative approved |
| 1997 |
Division of Nursing received status
as School of Nursing |
| 1997 |
Longview Distance Education
Initiative approved by the BNE |
| 1999 |
School of Nursing becomes
College of Nursing |
| 2001 |
College of Nursing designated as
College of Nursing and Health Sciences |
| 2003 |
New Braithwaite building opened |
| 2003 |
Undergraduate program received full
accreditation status from the Texas
board of Nurse Examiners |
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| A look at growing enrollment: |
| 1998 |
237 total students |
| 2003 |
363 total students |
| 2005 |
563 total students |
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