[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12124]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA LAS VEGAS 
                           SCHOOL OF NURSING

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 50th 
anniversary of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, UNLV, School of 
Nursing.
  The UNLV School of Nursing has been an important part of Nevada's 
health care system since it admitted its first class in 1965. The 
program was established in part because of a nursing shortage in the 
State of Nevada in the early 1960s. The nursing shortage, coupled with 
the State's sudden population growth, threatened to create an untenable 
situation for all Nevadans. Recognizing this, various stakeholders, 
including the Nevada Public Health Association, Nevada Nurses 
Association, and Nevada State Board of Nursing, worked to create the 
nursing school to fill vacant nursing positions throughout the State 
and provide quality nursing education to Nevada residents. The first 
graduating class included 19 students; and to date, more than 4,300 
students have graduated from the UNLV School of Nursing.
  In fulfilling its mission of providing an exceptional education to 
nursing students and meeting Nevada's health care needs, the UNLV 
School of Nursing has established a tradition of progress, innovation, 
and leadership. For instance, when the school first began, it only 
offered an associate degree program. Today, the school offers eleven 
academic programs. Additionally, the school began offering an online 
master's degree program in 2004. This program ranks among the top ten 
best online graduate nursing programs in the Nation. I am confident 
that the UNLV School of Nursing will continue to play a critical role 
in Nevada's health care system as it begins its next chapter.
  I commend the UNLV School of Nursing on their 50th anniversary and 
applaud their exceptional service to the State of Nevada.

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