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Zurik: Nursing School Director Says Board Member Pressured School ...

The health technology building at Louisiana State University-Eunice.(Cody Lillich/WVUE-TV)

EUNICE, La. (WVUE) - The head of a state nursing school says a board member pressured for a student's admission on multiple occasions, despite the student falling below the cut-off for the program.

Text messages, obtained by FOX 8, reveal the board member -- LSU Board of Supervisors At-Large member Lee Mallett -- might be using his power inappropriately to influence admission.

"I don't think any one person should exert additional power or control over something because of an appointed position," Dr. Lisa Hawthorne, LSUE Nursing Program Director, said. Hawthorne said she worries about speaking out about Mallett, fearing it could impact her job.

"We need to do things right, and ethically, especially when it comes to nursing," Hawthorne said.

The director of the nursing school in rural Louisiana said Mallett pressured her boss, LSU-Eunice Chancellor Dr. Nancee Sorenson to accept a student into the nursing school.

"I think we've had two attempts now to definitely ensure that that happens [to get the student enrolled]," she said. Hawthorne said the Chancellor took the brunt of the communication from Mallett, including multiple phone calls.

An e-mail from April 27 showed LSU-Eunice Chancellor Sorenson inquiring to Hawthorne about an applicant for the nursing school writing she "only needs information about her status in the process."

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On May 13, the student received a letter alerting her she was not selected for admission. The next day, Chancellor Sorenson sent Mallett a message writing, "working on the situation."

Mallett replied, "Ty [Thank you] very important need answer today."

Later that day the Chancellor sent Mallet a text stating she spoke with the student. "Meeting with her personally next week and we will get this done. I did not guarantee Fall admission but we should be able to guarantee Spring."

Lee Mallett, seen at a Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors meeting on March 20, 2019.(Jon Turnipseed, WVUE-TVJon Turnipseed, WVUE-TV)

On May 18, Mallett said via text message, "I need to see you Monday in Eunice." and "Need time." Later that day Chancellor Sorenson responded, "I absolutely appreciate your position and know you are fulfilling your responsibilities at every level as am I."

Dr. Robert Collins, a political scientist at Dillard University, has been a university administrator. He said board members may write letters of recommendation, but getting further involved in the process is wrong.

"It is really not the job of a board of supervisors member to take part in review of applications of any university. They are not part of the admissions process at all. And any attempt to influence would be considered unethical," Collins said.

Mallett, who was reappointed by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards in 2018, is an at-large member of the Board of Supervisors with a term that runs until June 2024.

He declined our request for an interview, but said in an e-mail, "your allegations appear to be from a disgruntled employee and those allegations are incorrect."

Mallett said the reason for his involvement was to attempt to correct what "I think was a potential error regarding admission. The student received a letter confirming she met minimum admission requirements."

Mallett a copy of the letter with the student's name on it. FOX 8 has chosen to redact the student's name. The letter said she "met the minimum admission requirements" but added, "you were not selected for admission at this time."

"Every university has a minimum number of seats in each incoming class that they can admit because of their resources," Collins said. "So just because you meet the minimum requirements doesn't mean that you will be admitted."

At LSU-Eunice, 132 applicants met the minimum requirements, but the school only had space to accept sixty students. But Mallett interpreted the letter differently, telling us, "in this instance, the letter was very troubling. The letter stated that the applicant met all minimum entrance requirements but then was not accepted."

Hawthorne said after she wouldn't accept the student, Mallett then pushed LSU-Eunice to expand its nursing school. She said his request was to add twenty spots to the program.

Mallett does not dispute he is looking to expand the number of admissions and said the increased need of nurses is the reason why. Hawthorne said it takes years to add more students to the program because the school needs proper approval and staffing.

Mallett said he does not know or have any personal connection to the student. The student's father is in the electrical business and Mallett owns a construction company, though we have been unable to find a link between the two.

Regardless, the communications between the board member and the chancellor left a nursing school director uncomfortable and outraged.

LSU-Eunice Chancellor Dr. Nancee Sorenson did not respond to our request for comment on this story.

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44 Systems, Colleges That Launched Nursing Programs In 2021

Here are 44 systems and colleges that launched nursing programs in 2021: 

1. Durant, Okla.-based Southeastern Oklahoma State University announced Dec. 17 a partnership with Murray State College in Tishomingo, Okla., to establish a nursing program.

2. The University of Illinois Chicago and City Colleges of Chicago announced Dec. 17 the creation of a dual admissions pathway for nursing students. 

3. Beal University in Bangor, Maine, announced Dec. 1 the expansion of its nursing program to another campus to allow for more graduates beginning in January. 

4. Bryan College in Dayton, Tenn., announced the opening of the Ward School of Nursing on Nov. 30. 

5. Amarillo, Texas-based Northwest Texas Healthcare System announced a partnership Nov. 29 with West Texas A&M University to offer employees interested in developing their BSN through an online associate to bachelor degree program.

6. The University of Washington School of Nursing announced Nov. 29 a new state-funded program set to begin in January partnering with local long-term care facilities. 

7. University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., launched a nursing program Nov. 18 open to those without healthcare backgrounds or bachelor's degrees in any subject. 

8. Chaminade University in Honolulu announced an accelerated nursing program set to begin Jan. 10. 

9. The University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minn., announced Nov. 22 the launch of a nursing school focused on health equity. 

10. McMinnville, Ore.-based Linfield University announced Nov. 18 the condensing of its accelerated Bachelor's of Science in Nursing program to 12 months. It also established an accelerated master's degree program. 

11. Doña Ana Community College in Las Cruces, N.M., announced Nov. 18 its nursing program will accept students from the recently closed Vista College. 

12. East Mississippi Community College in Scooba announced Nov. 17 the return of its licensed practical nursing program after 19 years.

13. Galen College of Nursing, which is part of the HCA Healthcare network, plans to open a new nursing school in Richmond, Va., the organizations said Nov. 16.

14. Maryville University and Pearson announced Nov. 12 the renewal of their longstanding partnership to offer a suite of online nursing degrees.

15. The University of Jamestown (N.D.) and Dakota College at Bottineau (N.D.) announced a partnership Nov. 12 that allows students to earn their associate's degree at Dakota College and transfer to University of Jamestown's bachelor of science nursing program.  

16. University of Texas at El Paso announced Nov. 11 the only neonatal concentration and postgraduate certificate for nurse practitioners in West Texas and New Mexico starting in spring 2022.

17. Vermont Technical College announced Nov. 10 it will expand its nursing program on the Northern Vermont University-Lyndon campus. 

18. Jackson College announced an Applied Science in Nursing – Registered Nurse program on Nov. 1.

19. Indian River State College in Port St. Lucie, Fla., announced Nov. 3 it will double the size of its nursing program.

20. Nashville-based Fisk University and Galen College of Nursing announced Nov. 3 a new pathway in nursing for Fisk students. 

21. Wayne State College and the University of Nebraska Medical Center announced Nov. 1 a partnership to create an early admission pathway for students interested in nursing.

22. Alaska Pacific University in Bethel, Alaska, announced the state's only practical nursing certificate program on Oct. 29.

23. Mount Carmel Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, announced Oct. 28 a new psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner program.

24. University of Southern Florida College of Nursing and Sarasota (Fla.) Memorial announced a partnership Oct. 27 to create the "Excellence in Nursing During COVID-19 and Beyond" program, meant to improve the working environment for nurses facing burnout.

25. Texas A&M University's College of Nursing in Bryan, Texas, introduced the college's first doctoral program, a doctor of nursing practice degree, on Oct. 27.

26. Ballad Health announced Oct. 25 a $10 million commitment to creating the Appalachian Highlands Center for Nursing Advancement at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tenn.

27. Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville, Va., is set to expand its associate degree in nursing program beginning in spring 2022. 

28. Bellarmine will offer a one-year accelerated nursing program beginning in January, WDRB reported Oct. 21.

29. The University of Oklahoma announced Oct. 20 an expansion of its nursing program through a partnership with hospitals in Norman, Okla., and Ducan, Okla. 

30. Glenville State College announced a scholarship program with Mon Health on Oct. 20 for its nursing program, according to WVNews. 

31. A partnership between Collin College (McKinney, Texas) and Tarrant County College (Fort Worth, Texas) announced Oct. 18 streamlines the process for registered nurses pursuing bachelor of science degrees in nursing to transfer community college credits to Collin College. 

32. Chamberlain University announced a partnership with Emory Healthcare Oct. 21 encouraging registered nurses to continue their education through bachelor degrees. 

33. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is expanding its traditional bachelor of science in nursing program to its Amarillo campus, KFDA reported Oct. 20.

34. Rasmussen University announced Oct. 5 an accelerated nursing program with a hybrid schedule for students enrolling at North Dakota and Wisconsin campuses. 

35. University of Louisville (Ky.) began accepting applications in October for the school's relaunched accelerated nursing program that has the capacity to graduate 40 to 50 nurses in 15 months, reported NBC affiliate WAVE Sept. 1. 

36. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (Little Rock) announced a 15-month BSN program starting in May 2022, according to CBS affiliate KTHV Aug. 31. 

37. Carroll College in Helena, Mont.,  launched its first semester of an accelerated nursing program Aug. 18, according to the Independent Record. 

38. Marian University in Oklahoma City, Okla., announced the launch of a program designed to put nurses on the front lines of care in 16 months, reported News 9 Now Aug. 3.

39. Arizona State University at Lake Havasu City began offering a 12-month program with hopes of bringing more healthcare professionals to rural counties, The State Press reported May 19.

40. Nightingale College in Salt Lake City opened a practical nursing diploma program in May. 

41. Northeast Alabama Community College in Rainsville and the University of Alabama in Huntsville partnered April 7 to offer a dual nursing degree program in fall 2022. The program will allow students to earn both an associate and baccalaureate degree in nursing.

42. Emory & Henry College launched a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at its health sciences graduate school in Marion, Va., reported the Smyth County News & Messenger April 5.

43. Bowling Green (Ohio) State University announced March 17 they would begin offering a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in fall 2021.

44. Louisiana State University Health Shreveport launched a doctor of nursing practice nurse anesthesia program March 8 in partnership with its sister institution LSU Health New Orleans.

U.S. News & World Report Ranks Undergraduate Nursing Programs ... - Forbes

The University of Pennsylvania's undergraduate nursing program has been ranked the best BSN in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

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As part of its 2022 Best Colleges rankings released on September 13, U.S. News & World Report has - for the first time in the history of the rankings - included a special section on the Best Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs. The University of Pennsylvania claimed the top spot for the best BSN program in the nation.

To be eligible for a ranking, nursing programs had to have received bachelor's-level accreditation by either the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. In addition, they must be at regionally accredited universities that awarded at least 35 BSN degrees in 2018-2019.

The rankings themselves were determined by a single factor: the average of scores based on the opinions of top academics and officials at nursing schools or departments. According to U.S. News, "These officials rated the overall quality of undergraduate BSN programs they were familiar with on a 1-5 scale."

The surveys were conducted in the spring and summer of 2021, Deans and faculty members were asked to rate the academic quality of peer institutions' BSN programs on the following scale: outstanding (5), strong (4), good (3), adequate (2) or marginal (1).

U.S. News has been criticized for its use of a similar reputational survey as one of the 17 indicators it employs to rank colleges and universities. Basing a ranking methodology solely on this one measure - as was done with the nursing programs - is sure to spark additional objections. On the one hand, it will be viewed as being too subjective. And it will also be questioned for excluding objective measures like licensure exam results, job placements, and career achievements.

U.S. News ranked undergraduate nursing programs at 694 schools. The full list can be found here. The top five BSN programs were as follows:

1. University of Pennsylvania

2. Duke University and University of Washington (tied)

4. Emory University, University of Michigan, and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Of the 18 universities with a top 10 nursing program (there were several ties in the rankings), 13 were housed at public institutions. That stands in marked contrast to U.S. News' Best National Universities rankings, where only one public university - UCLA - was able to crack the top 20. In part, the difference is to be found in the fact that public universities are more likely to also be the homes of major academic health centers compared to private institutions.

The decision to include a unique ranking of nursing program for the first time reflected both the prevalence of nursing programs across the nation as well as concerns about nursing staff shortages that have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

"Nursing is a very popular and important health field and it's one of the largest undergraduate majors," Robert Morse, chief data strategist at U.S. News is quoted as having told MedPage Today in an email. "Nurses play many key roles in the health care system and have been indispensable during the coronavirus pandemic."

U.S. News also indicted that the new BSN list comes at a time when enrollment in nursing programs has been increasing. The list joins several other discipline-specific rankings at the undergraduate level, such as computer science, engineering, and business. Additional U.S. News' rankings of graduate nursing programs and nursing specialities can be found here.

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