Goldfarb School of Nursing representatives visit GU campus
Published: December 20, 2024
Author: Dave Bell
Representatives of the Barnes-Jewish College’s Goldfarb School of Nursing recently toured the Greenville University campus to see the classrooms where future nurses will be trained.
The visit was the first since the two schools signed a dual enrollment agreement in late June. That agreement will allow Greenville University students to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from Goldfarb. Under a 2+2 agreement, students will complete two years of prerequisite coursework at GU, followed by two years of nursing study at the Goldfarb School of Nursing facility, which is located near the Barnes-Jewish Hospital complex in St. Louis. According to Goldfarb literature, the school has similar partnerships with Harris-Stowe State University, Fontbonne University, and Webster University.
Current plans call for GU junior and senior students to travel to St. Louis four days per week for classes and other clinical experiences, usually at Barnes-Jewish Hospital or St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Four Goldfarb representatives participated in the recent GU tour, including Kathleen Polley-Payne, dean (in blue jacket in the above photo); Edward Gricius, associate dean; Katie Jett, director of pre-licensure programs; and Geoffrey Edwards, director of student support. They were shown several rooms on the first floor of Snyder Hall, which are being converted into classrooms and labs for the nursing program. Those facilities are scheduled to be ready for use in the fall of 2025.
GU Vice President of University Relations, Brad Warren, participated in the tour and said the Goldfarb representatives enjoyed being on campus. “They were excited to see the progress we’re making to upgrade the nursing classrooms,” Warren said. “But they also remarked that there’s something special about the GU students they met, describing them as gracious, polite, and prepared.
“That assessment excites us,” Warren continued, “because we see this partnership as an opportunity to produce nurses with first-class training and the GU emphasis on character that brings compassion to the job. The connection between a nurse and a patient can significantly impact the outcome of the patient’s treatment.”
Also taking part in the campus tour were GU Vice President of Academic Affairs Jeannie Trudel and Professor Eric Nord of the biology faculty. They are shown in the top and bottom photos.
GU President Suzanne Davis also praised the partnership with Goldfarb. “With an innovative approach to contemporary methods in nursing education, the Goldfarb School of Nursing is well positioned to train our students for a career in nursing,” she said. “Their training, combined with Greenville University’s commitment to prepare the whole person for service to others, creates new opportunities to produce outstanding nurses and thus strengthen rural healthcare in our area.”
Five Greenville University junior students are taking classes at the Goldfarb School of Nursing program during the 2024-2025 academic year, according to GU Vice President of Enrollment Victoria Clark. She also noted that 14 current sophomores and 27 current freshmen are taking the prerequisite classes and will begin taking on-site classes at Goldfarb during their junior and senior years.
As an NCAA Division III school, GU offers pathways for student-athletes to earn a degree in Medical Biology from GU along with a BSN from Goldfarb. Non-athlete students may pursue both a GU degree and a Goldfarb degree or just a nursing degree from Goldfarb.
