Pre-nursing living and learning community coming to UIS
UIS will implement a pre-nursing living-learning community for students in the fall of 2016 in Founders Residence Hall (FRH). The living-learning community will be in partnership with the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) nursing program.
Within the nursing program, students can study for two years at UIS and then can sign up with the UIC nursing program. If accepted, students will complete the program with the remaining two years within the UIC nursing program, while remaining at UIS.
The community will be placed in a specific location depending on the number of participants.
If there are around 30 students, they will most likely be placed in the first floor dorm of FRH. However, if 45 or more students apply, then the students will likely be placed in the upper floor of FRH.
UIS Director of Residence Life John Ringle stated, “What we’re trying to make is an academic, quiet learning environment. The focus of it is placing entering students with others with similar goals and aspirations to learn together but also have them learning with common core curriculum, and develop a great community.”
Additionally, the directors of the program plan to house an on-site tutor/advisor so that students in the program can have help when needed at any time.
Students are expected to maintain a solid GPA during the program, therefore having an advisor/tutor on site can be seen as helpful to keeping students in the program.
Senior Director for Advising and Learning Support Services Tarah Sweeting-Trotter stated, “The nursing program is tough; science is tough which having an advisor on site seems important.”
In order to sign up for the program, students can simply check off a box for the designated area on the fall 2016 housing application. After that, someone working within the pre-nursing living and learning community will contact the student with further information.
According to Ringle, “Not every student that applies will be accepted into the program. Even with that being said, that shouldn’t deter students from applying.”
Although students in the program will have to migrate to a different location after their freshman or sophomore year, they will remain in the program and receive the same amount of assistance if needed during their stay at UIS.
For now there isn’t a specific description of the pre-nursing program on the UIS website; however, officials indicated there will be in the future.