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Southern to Hold Grand Opening for Expanded Nursing Program
Southern WV Community & Technical College Nursing students take notes during class. A recent expansion will provide for even more students to become part of the program. A Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting ceremony will be held on its Logan campus on Monday, September 19th at 11 am to showcase the new upgrades to its facilities.
MOUNT GAY, WV – Southern WV Community & Technical College has reason to celebrate.
The local college will be holding a grand opening/ribbon cutting for its newly remodeled and upgraded Nursing Department on Monday, September 19th at 11 am.
Southern completed the application process for its new 16-month Accelerated Weekend option of its Nursing Program. It was the result of a $985,000 award from West Virginia Governor Jim Justice’s Nursing Workforce Expansion Program.
The award was part of $48 million to support new and expanded initiatives. They were administered by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and the Community and Technical College System.
The investment is expected to support 20 more new nursing students in the weekend option, 10 more traditional students started classes this fall with more to be added in January 2023.
This program is geared toward applicants that are experienced learners and have a minimum of an associate degree and current licenses from Allied Health programs such as Medical Assisting, Medical Laboratory Technology, Paramedic Science, Radiologic Technology, Respiratory Care Technology, Surgical Technologist, or LPN license. Applications were also accepted from those with an unrelated bachelor’s or master’s degree.
The grand opening is the culmination of much hard work during the summer months to upgrade facilities and equipment. It will not only benefit the new program but our existing nursing students as well.
Southern President Dr. Pamela L. Alderman said this will benefit our area in more ways than one. “This will provide a great opportunity for our students, but it will also fill a gap in the nursing shortage in our region. We are grateful to Governor Justice for making this possible for our college, our students, and our region.”
“We are tremendously grateful to Gov. Justice for providing this historic funding to support the expansion of nursing education programs across West Virginia,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education. “Through these new projects, our postsecondary education community will be better positioned to help shore up West Virginia’s nursing workforce – which, in turn, will help support our nurses working tirelessly on the front lines right now.”
The celebration will be held in the 2nd-floor lobby of Building C (campus entrance). Dignitaries, the media, medical professionals, and the public are invited to attend. There will be speeches, announcements, guided tours, and lunch will be provided. “We want to take this opportunity to showcase what Southern has to offer,” Alderman stated.
“It was important that our students be featured during this celebration. Those taking the tours will be able to see the students using our facilities in real-time. The tours will also include visits to other Allied Health Department classrooms and labs. “What we offer these students is second to none,” Alderman said.
Southern’s Nursing Program has long been touted as one of the best in the region, state, and country. “We are sincerely thankful for Governor Justice for the grant which has allowed us to build on our previous success,” Sheliah Elkins, Director of Southern’s Nursing Program said. “The expansion has updated all our labs, added a new practice lab, and offers new educational opportunities for the community., Everything is state of the art. We can now offer our students the best learning experience possible.”
