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A Historical Perspective of the School

The Auburn University School of Nursing (AUSON) was established in 1979 and admitted the first class of 27 juniors in the fall quarter of that year. Most of the students were recruited from the pre-nursing curriculum in the School of Home Economics. There were five full-time faculty the first year. Twenty-four students were graduated in the first class in 1981.

The first Dean of the School, Mary F. Woody, served from 1979 until 1984. Upon her resignation, Dr. Carol Thompson was named Acting Dean and served in that capacity during the 1984-85 school year. Dr. H. Terri Brower served as Dean from June 1985 until March 1988 when she assumed a faculty position. Mrs. Winifred H. Worman was named Acting Dean in March 1988 and remained through May 1989. Dr. Edeth Kitchens was appointed Dean in May 1989 and served in that position till June 1996. Upon her resignation, Dr. Eleanor Howell served as Interim Dean until August 1996. Dr. Charlotte V. Skelton was appointed Interim Dean from September 1996 until May 1996. At that time, she became Dean of AUSON. On September 1, 1999, Dr. Barbara Witt assumed the position of AUSON Dean.

The AUSON is approved by the Alabama Board of Nursing and has been accredited by the National League for Nursing (NLN) since 1981. In October 1990, the School was granted continued NLN accreditation for a full eight years. The most recent NLN visit was in March 1999, and the school was granted continued NLN accreditation for eight years.

In addition to the four-year baccalaureate degree, AUSON offers two other professional curricula. The Educational Advancement for Registered Nurses (EARN) curriculum is designed to maximize previous learning as registered nurses pursue educational advancement through the acquisition of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. The Accelerated Nursing Degree (AND) curriculum provides students who have earned a degree in another discipline opportunity to obtain a BSN degree in four semesters rather than the five semesters required in the basic baccalaureate curriculum.

AUSON continues to experience growth in its program. Applications exceed the number of students who can be accepted into the professional curriculum each year. Approximately 1100 men and women have graduated from the School since its inception in 1979.