Dakota Wesleyan University is launching a new nursing program in Sioux Falls.
Last August, Dakota Wesleyan launched its first associate degree in nursing based at its Rapid City campus. It had a full cohort of 24 students and is full for the coming year with a waitlist.
Dan Kittle is the president of DWU. He said the university learned in Rapid City that there is a dire need and want for additional two-year nursing programs in the state.
“It’s about providing students who are both traditional, out of high school, as well as non-traditional, those second-degree nurses, an opportunity to come in, to gain those skills and to quickly enter the job market. And the job market has great demand. As you all know, South Dakota has a great demand for nurses as well as this entire region. DWU feels a call to try to meet that demand. It’s the intersection of those two pieces,” Kittle said.
As a result, DWU is launching a Sioux Falls-based Associate Degree in Nursing program. DWU officials said in a press conference Monday it provides additional education access to Eastern South Dakota.
The program is set to begin in August. The university said it’s already receiving traction, with five students already applying for the coming fall.
Penny Tilton is the Administrative Chair of the Nursing Department at Dakota Wesleyan. She said the associate degree meets the needs of those who don’t wish to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
“The 24-month commitment is very appealing to those who have a desire to enter the nursing profession and is also a great steppingstone to further education for those who wish to go on and increase their skills and specialties,” Tilton said.
Now, Kittle said the university is shifting its focus to find scholarships, grants and other funding opportunities to support the program.
