King University Study Abroad - The Jacques Lefevre Institute

By Greg Jordan, King University

Introduction

Greg Jordan is an administrator with over three decades of experience in higher education. During his 16-year tenure as the president of King University, Greg Jordan was instrumental in guiding the school’s growth from a liberal arts college to a doctoral degree-granting regional university.

A Bachelor of Nursing Program was launched in 1998 in support of regional healthcare. Students acquired the BSN degree either by enrolling in the traditional four year program or matriculating into the RN to BSN program. The program was launched in partnership with Wellmont Health System to address the shortage of nursing professionals in East Tennessee and SW Virginia, the areas in which Wellmont offers health services.

Jacques Lefevre Institute

Classes were soon offered on the campus of Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, TN, a facility of Wellmont Health System. By offering classes and clinical training on site in Kingsport, students were able to learn and to participate in health services within Wellmont's team-based approach to healthcare delivery.

Nursing professionals who possessed the RN degree and worked in regional health systems, clinics and medical offices soon enrolled in King's BSN degree. RN programs are offered at regional community colleges including Northeast State Community College, a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents System, and the Tri-College Nursing Program in Southwest Virginia.

Conclusion

Following the completion of the RN degree, many of these students entered King's BSN program as a result of articulation agreements between King University and the regional community colleges.

King's School of Nursing grew to become the second largest in Tennessee among private and public institutions and its RN to BSN became the largest in the state. King University's School of Nursing now offers a Master of Science in Nursing degree and a Doctor of Nurse Practice degree.