History
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is the nation’s eighth-oldest institution of higher learning and one of only nine colonial colleges established before the American Revolution. Today, Rutgers is a leading national research university and the state of New Jersey’s preeminent, comprehensive public institution of higher education. Rutgers boasts a diverse, multinational student body, with over 70,000 students from all 50 states and 135 countries and nearly 29,00 faculty, staff, and international scholars. For at least the last two decades, Rutgers-Newark has been selected as one of the most diverse national universities by U.S. News & World Report.
Rutgers University comprises four chancellor-led units: Rutgers–New Brunswick, Rutgers–Camden, Rutgers–Newark, and Rutgers Health. Rutgers Health, which is based at 7 locations throughout the state, serves as the umbrella organization for 8 schools of the health professions and biomedical sciences (including nursing, medicine, dentistry, advanced health-related sciences, pharmacy, public health, and the full spectrum of allied health careers), 5 research centers and institutes, and New Jersey's largest behavioral health care network, Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care.
Rutgers University School of Nursing (RSON) is one of the largest, most comprehensive nursing schools in the United States. With over 1,800 students and more than 15,000 alumni. RSON’s Bachelor of Science (BS) in Nursing program is rated by U.S. News & World Report as being in the top 10% of BSN programs in the U.S. and the highest-ranked undergraduate program in New Jersey. Our DNP program is ranked fourth in the nation, and our master’s program 17th, a continued reflection of RSON’s track record of excellence. The School of Nursing is as diverse as the cities in which it is based: students of color comprise 70% of the student body across our academic programs.
Rutgers School of Nursing, as we know it today, was formed from the 2014 integration of Rutgers University's College of Nursing and the former University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) School of Nursing.
Merger of the College of Nursing and the School of Nursing. On June 28, 2012, the New Jersey state legislature passed a bill that dissolved UMDNJ and merged most of its schools with Rutgers University, effective July 1, 2013. As a result of the merger, in 2013 there were three nursing programs within Rutgers University operating in four geographic locations (Newark, New Brunswick, Camden, and Stratford). University and nursing leadership evaluated nursing education and decided that the most effective way forward for current and future students, as well as nursing in the state of New Jersey, was the formation of two distinct and separate nursing schools: one of which is the Rutgers School of Nursing the other is the School of Nursing-Camden.
The new Rutgers School of Nursing, created on July 1, 2014, as a merger of the former Rutgers College of Nursing and the Newark campus of the former UMDNJ School of Nursing, started admitting students in the fall of 2014. The Dean and Distinguished Professor at the legacy Rutgers College of Nursing, William L. Holzemer, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, became the dean of the unified Rutgers School of Nursing.
While the Rutgers School of Nursing is considered a new school, the merger of the former Rutgers College of Nursing and the former UMDNJ School of Nursing brought together two programs that have over 100 years of collective experience and history in offering nursing education in the state of New Jersey.
Former Rutgers College of Nursing. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, has been involved in the education of nurses since the early 1940s, when its Newark and Camden campuses began offering courses in public health nursing. The nursing program at Rutgers University-Camden was established as an upper-division program in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The nursing program at Rutgers University-Newark was established in 1952 with funds allocated by Governor Alfred E. Driscoll. In 1955, the School of Nursing received accreditation by the National League for Nursing. On March 6, 1956, the School of Nursing became the College of Nursing. Ella V. Stonsby, first director of the School of Nursing, was appointed the first dean of the college.
Supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, in 1956, the clinical nurse specialist graduate program in psychiatric nursing was established by Hildegard Peplau, the first in the nation; in 1974, the College of Nursing established three graduate clinical programs in community health nursing, parent/child nursing, and medical/surgical nursing.
The College of Nursing established the Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in 1980 and offered the undergraduate program on the Rutgers University-New Brunswick campus in 1983. The school nurse certification program was offered in 2002, and the accelerated second-degree program was implemented in 2005.
The first doctor of philosophy program in nursing was approved by the New Jersey Board of Higher Education in 1989 and the doctorate of nursing practice was implemented in 2007.
Former University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) School of Nursing. The School of Nursing at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey originated as the Newark City Hospital School of Nursing, established in 1885. In 1968, the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (later to become the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, or UMDNJ) purchased Newark City Hospital, as well as its School of Nursing, from the City of Newark. The School of Nursing was closed in 1971 and replaced by two new nursing education programs: a two-year program affiliated with Essex County College and a four-year program affiliated with Rutgers University.
Until 1992, nursing was taught as an academic program in the Department of Nursing Education and Services within the UMDNJ School of Health-Related Professions. The School of Nursing wasn’t established until 1992. By 2012, the school had an enrollment of 1635 students and was the state's largest program of graduate nursing education. Its commitment to leadership resulted in many milestones, only a few of which are listed below:
- Establishment of one of the nation's first clinical nurse leader master's degree programs.
- Establishment of the Adult Psychiatric/Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing MSN in 1993 and the MSN in Nurse Anesthesia and Nursing Informatics in 1997.
- Establishment of the DNP program in 2006 at the Newark and Stratford campuses, offering tracks of study for direct care and indirect care (quality and leadership). This was New Jersey’s first DNP program.
- Establishment of the state's only nurse-managed, interdisciplinary mobile health program, which later grew into the federally funded Rutgers Community Health Center.
- The School of Nursing also housed, and brought to the 2014 merger, the François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center, a leader and innovator in the collaborative development of sustainable programs for vulnerable women, children, youth, and families, including those infected/affected by HIV/AIDS locally, nationally, and globally.
RSON Today. RSON provides the most comprehensive program of higher education in nursing in the State of New Jersey. RSON offers an array of clinical specialties throughout the lifespan, including adult, pediatric, and family primary care; women's health and midwifery; psychiatric/mental health; adult and pediatric acute care; and nurse anesthesia. RSON is committed to creating and cultivating a diverse and equitable environment by actively working against racism and bias in our institutional practices, classrooms, curriculum, and daily interactions.
Spanning three campuses — Newark, New Brunswick, and Blackwood — RSON offers three pre-licensure programs, 14 post-baccalaureate to DNP programs, a PhD program in nursing, 7 post-master’s certificates, 3 MSNs, non-degree courses, and continuing education opportunities for students and nurses at all levels of their career. RSON offers a wide variety of degree and certificate programs at the baccalaureate and graduate levels. RSON is a large school with nearly 100 staff and 100 faculty working across four campuses in three cities – Newark, New Brunswick, and Blackwood. The school comprises five divisions, all of which are overseen by an associate dean, senior vice dean, or vice dean who reports directly to the dean. The divisions are:
- Division of Nursing Science
- Division of Advanced Nursing Practice
- Division of Entry to Baccalaureate Practice
- Division of Simulation and Clinical Learning
- Administration and Student Affairs
In addition to the five divisions, RSON hosts five research-focused centers:
