PERRYSBURG – In response to a loss of accreditation within its nursing program, Owens Community College
has established a School of Nursing and appointed a dean.
The college’s Board of Trustees on Tuesday voted to establish the new school – the sixth on campus – and
name Dawn Whetmore as the founding dean.
Whetmore, who retired from Owens in 2004 as chair of the nursing department, has since 2007 served as the
dean of Health Sciences and director of nursing at Monroe County (Mich.) Community College.
A Perrysburg resident, she was with Owens for 11 years prior to her retirement, and was the only
candidate considered for the new post, according to Dr. Cynthia Eschenburg, vice president for human
resources.
Whetmore, who has a master’s degree in nursing and more than 30 years of experience, will be paid
$110,000. Her start date is Dec. 23.
The School of Nursing is expected to be operating by Jan. 4.
The former Department of Nursing had been under the School of Health Sciences, which also includes
radiography, occupational therapy, dental hygiene and food, nutrition and hospitality programs, among
others.
According to Vice Provost Renay Scott, the action was in response to the loss of accreditation with the
National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. The college received notification in early August
that the accreditation, held since 1974, had been lost. Since then, the college has developed an
aggressive plan, led by faculty within the nursing department, to reacquire the NLNAC accreditation.
Faculty have developed teams to look at each of six standards required by the commission; one requirement
specifically cited by the commission is the lack of master’s degrees held by part-time faculty.
According to Scott, all 20 full-time RN faculty have master of science degrees. There are 104 part-time
faculty currently in the RN program this semester, and about 30 percent have or are working toward a
master’s degree. The NLNAC wants to see that number at 51 percent, Scott said.
The NLNAC has accepted the college’s application for candidacy. Scott previously had said
re-accreditation could take up to two years; on Tuesday, "We think we can do it sooner than
that," she stated, but couldn’t give a timeline.
A School of Nursing is not a new idea on campus. Scott said nursing faculty several years ago had
suggested the idea, but she didn’t know why it hadn’t been considered at that time. The new school, she
added, will allow "more strategic targeting of administrative staff" and eliminate the
communication gaps that led to the current situation.
Until Whetmore takes office, and while Cindy Hall, department chair, is on paid administrative leave
while an inquiry proceeds, Gerald Newberry is serving as interim chairman of the nursing department.
Whetmore will oversee a school with 783 students, 21 full-time faculty,133 adjunct nursing faculty, two
administrators and 62 full- and part-time clinical and lab staff, according to numbers provided by the
college.
Owens also is a defendant in a lawsuit filed Thursday by four registered nursing students. On Friday,
those students, through their attorney, filed in Wood County Common Pleas Court a request to certify the
case as a class-action suit which would encompass all Owens students enrolled in the registered nursing
program between July 1 and Nov. 6. This fall, there are 465 students in the registered nursing program,
according to the college.
The plaintiffs contend the loss of accreditation has adversely impacted their ability to transfer credits
to a four-year institution as well as their employment prospects.
College officials have stressed league accreditation is not critical, but does show Owens has met
national standards. It is approval from the Ohio Board of Nursing that is vital to the college.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, trustees Chairman John Moore announced a special meeting specifically to allow
nursing students and faculty to express their concerns. Trustees will meet Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. in the
board room of Administration Hall. The meeting is open to the public.
Moore opened meeting with a prepared statement: "On this occasion, there is nobody in this room more
outraged, embarrassed, or saddened by the loss of our nursing school’s accreditation. The mission of our
institution is to educate students, help them find jobs and ensure they thrive in their chosen
profession by providing quality care. To the students in our nursing program, Owens Community College
has let you down."
He continued by making a pledge to "do everything we can to get this right for our students."
The meeting next Wednesday is to discuss how to go forward from here, he concluded.
Photo captions: Owens Community College in Perrysburg Township. (J.D. Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune)
