2,743.
That’s how many Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees Arkansas Tech University has conferred upon graduates since the establishment of its nursing program in 1975.
ATU Department of Nursing faculty, staff and alumni gathered at Dean Hall on Arkansas Tech Homecoming Saturday 2025 to celebrate that figure and many other achievements during a reception marking the 50th anniversary of the program.
The reception was hosted by Dr. Shelly Daily, head of the ATU Department of Nursing, and her colleagues on the ATU nursing faculty.
“I want to give a shout out to Dr. Daily and her staff,” said Dr. Russell Jones, ATU president, during the Homecoming Saturday nursing alumni reception at Dean Hall. “We had an overall enrollment increase at Arkansas Tech this year, and nursing led all departments with a 14 percent increase in enrollment. We have a big need for graduates in the medical industry. ATU is helping provide those. We appreciate all of you who came through the program. Health care is going to be a major push for the next 5, 10 and 20 years. We’re going to need more people in that field, and I appreciate Dr. Daily and her staff leading the way and making ATU a choice destination for nursing.”
As of fall 2025, the ATU Department of Nursing has approximately 240 students in its upper-division nursing program. They are instructed by 18 full-time faculty members and 15 adjunct faculty members.
“When we restructured a few years ago, the nursing program came to the College of Education and Health, and I am very glad they did,” said Dr. Tim Carter, dean of the ATU College of Education and Health. “I’ve really enjoyed learning more about this area. The success of this group is absolutely phenomenal. Over the past few years, testing scores and placement of the graduates has been out of the roof.”
The ATU nursing program has evolved over time. It added an RN-to-BSN program in 1986. That offering was subsequently transitioned to an online program in 2004.
In 2007, the ATU nursing program started admitting upper-division students two times per year. That has allowed Arkansas Tech to confer Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees during both the spring and fall semesters ever since.
A Master of Science in Nursing degree in nursing administration and emergency management was added in 2008 and an LPN-to-BSN hybrid program was launched in 2024.
The ATU Department of Nursing has obtained more than $1 million in grant funds over the past five years. Those funds have allowed the program to update simulation labs and computer labs.
Additional support for ATU nursing students comes in the form of privately-funded scholarships. Three more ATU nursing scholarships have been endowed through the ATU Foundation over the past five years, meaning that Arkansas Tech nursing students now have access to 30 scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,000 per year.
Outcomes for the ATU Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program have included a 100 percent pass rate on the National Council on Licensure Exams (NCLEX) in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
“Our nursing faculty and staff are truly the heart of our program’s success,” said Daily, who also expressed appreciation to the program’s clinical affiliates. “For 50 years, their dedication and passion has inspired excellence and continues to shape the future of health care. I think it’s special that we’re able to touch our students’ lives, and then to see the impact those students have on our local community, our state and across the nation. We make a small impact here, and that ripple effect goes out.”
Learn more at www.atu.edu/ceh/nursing.
