Barry University Celebrates 65 Years of Nursing Education

Barry University Nursing programs celebrate 65 years of nursing education from 1953 – 2018. These photos and archives celebrate the people, programs and events were came together to become the robust and expansive academic nursing program offerings we celebrate today. Images and archives courtesy of Barry University Archives & Special Collections Department.

• 1953

  Barry College opens the BSN program Sister Helen Margaret, OP is named first Director of the Barry College of Nursing.

• Skelton Study Circa 1953

• Nursing Program Anniversary Circa 1954

  Sister Helen Margaret celebrates the first anniversary of the School of Nursing with students during the First National Nursing Week, proclaimed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, October 1954

• Nurse Week 1954

• Original Student Uniform 1954

• 1954 - 1955

  Above, first nursing cap. Below, an article about the capping ceremony.

• Circa 1955

  Barry nursing students assist with patient transport.

• Circa 1955

  Barry nursing students assist with patient transport.

• 1956

  Nursing pin that adorned the first graduating class.

• 1957

  First graduating class commencement announcement in the Miami Herald. Below: Sister Loreta Michael Turner, OP, becomes the new nursing program director.

• February 1957

  The first capping ceremony takes place at the Cor Jesu Chapel.

• Candle Ceremony Circa 1957

• May 1957

  Barry College’s nursing program graduates its first class, May 1957.

• Monsignor William Barry Blessing Students, Circa 1958

• Priest Blessing Graduate Circa 1958

  Monsignor William Barry and Chaplain John Monroe Blessing Graduate Circa 1958

• November 1961

  Sister Loretta Michael and Jane Bee discuss the elevation of nursing accreditation with key influencers.

• Student Nursing Association 1961

  Sister Loretta Michael shares her wisdom with members of the Nursing Student Association in 1961.

• 1962

  Barry's Nursing program is granted initial accreditation by the National League for Nursing.

• Sister Loretta Michael with Students Circa 1962

• Cap and Microscope Still Life, Circa 1963

• Study Time 1964

  Class of 1964: Students Mary Jo Boudrias (seated) and Jaqueline Crippen (right) review course materials with their classmate.

• Capping Ceremony Circa 1964

• Circa 1965

  St. Francis Hospital hosted a 5-Day Nursing Seminar where Dr. Lester Russin, Chief Cardiologist, reviews skull x-rays with nursing students.

• Blood Pressure Check Circa 1965

• Patient Care Circa 1966

• Tomorrow's Nurses Today Circa 1967

• 1968

  Barry College Department of Nursing participates in a state wide Florida project "Utilization of Television for the Improvement of Instruction in Basic Skills in Nursing"

• Projection in Learning Circa 1968

• Groundbreaking Ceremony - October 1968

  Nursing students attend the groundbreaking ceremony of what will become Wiegand Hall.

• 1969

  Judith Balcerski, PhD, is named Chair of the BSN program.

• 1970

  A dedication ceremony took place for Wiegand Hall, which was built to house the Departments of Nursing and Physical Sciences, March 1970.

• Simulation Circa 1972

  Nursing student practices oxygen technique in the patient simulation lab.

• 1974

  The Department of Nursing gets a new name, School of Nursing. Below: School of Nursing celebrates 100 years of nursing in the US, and the Student Nursing Association honors Sister Dorthy Brown, College President.

• Students Share Laughter - Circa 1974

• Capping Ceremony Circa 1974

• Circa 1975

  Nursing students inspect a patient’s IV during clinicals.

• Different Caps, Same Goals - Circa 1975

• Ceremonies, Circa 1975

• Graduation at the Chapel, Circa 1975

• Candle Ceremony, Circa 1976

• 1977

  The BSN program celebrates 25 years, and student Elizabeth White receives an award, Outstanding Nursing Graduate

• May 1977

  Capping Ceremony - May 1977.

• Time Between Classes, Circa 1977

• 1978: RN-to-BSN

  Barry College expands its BSN offering to include a post-licensure RN-to-BSN program.

• 1979

  Barry College nursing graduate, Brenda Caruso, is named Student Nurse of the Year by the Student Nurses Association of Florida

• Class of 1980

• Early 1980's - Student Nursing Association

• Nursing Health Fair - 1980

• Capping Ceremony - Circa 1981

• Winner Best Activity, Circa 1982

• Friends Pose for Graduation Photo, Circa 1983

• 1983 - Nurse Week Cancer Conference

• Winter 1983 - Student Nursing Association Meeting

• 1983 - Program offering expands again.

  Barry expands its academic nursing offerings to include the Second Career/Accelerated BSN and the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) for Nurse Administrators.

• December 1984

  Sister Sharon McGuire O.P., joins Barbara Minsky, Judith Elias and Rosalyn Carr at the Accelerated Nursing Program graduation in December 1984.

• 1984

  Press Release: First 14 nursing students graduate from the Accelerated Nursing program.

• 1984 - Barry gets a new name.

  The newly renamed Barry University introduces the MSN Nurse Educator degree program.

• Pinning Ceremony, Circa 1985

• 1986 Press Release: Nurse Practitioner Announcement

  Always forward thinking, Barry tackles the issue of providing needed primary care services by introducing the MSN degree program for Primary Care Nurse Practitioners. This evolves into the Family Nurse Practitioner program.

• Honoring a Vet - Circa 1987

  Dr. Judith Balcerski presents the Caritas Award to Gerald Doyle of the Paralyzed Veterans Association of Florida. The Caritas Award recognizes a group or individual who has contributed to the advancement of the goals set forth by the Barry School of Nursing.

• Press Release: Founders Week 1987

• 2-Year Transfer BSN, 1987

• Class of 1987

  Proud nursing students - Class of 1987

• Spontaneous Student Photo, Circa 1987

• Health Fair 1988

  Class of 1988 nursing student Teresa Martin, checks a patient’s blood pressure at the Barry Health Fair.

• Student Nursing Association Bake Sale, Circa 1988

• 1989

  School of Nursing introduces the MSN for Primary Care Nurse Practitioners and the LPN-to-BSN providing licensed practical nurses an opportunity to complete their BSN.

• 1989 LPN to BSN Program

• In the News: Lambda Theta Tau, 1990

  The Barry University Honor Society in Nursing inducted 242 members into Lambda Theta Tau, an international nursing organization.

• Grand Opening in Miami, 1990

  The St. Francis Barry Nursing and Rehabilitation Center opens in Miami.

• 1991

  Barry professor Lucille T. Mercadante, R.N., EdD, first nurse to be elected to the Mercy Hospital Board of Trustees

• Dr. Mercadante 1991

• 1992

  Both undergraduate and graduate nursing programs receive accreditation by the National League of Nursing. This was the initial accreditation for the MSN program.

• 1993

  Barry University School of Nursing celebrates its' 40th Anniversary: 1953 - 1993

• Health Fair 1993

  Father Pedro Suarez, S.J., has his blood pressure checked at School of Nursing Health Fair - April 1993.

• Health Fair 1993

  Nursing students examine an spinal cord at the School of Nursing Health Fair - April 1993.

• Primary Care Nursing Center, 1994

  School of Nursing celebrates the opening of the Primary Care Nursing Center to support disadvantaged students in five Dade County elementary schools.

• National Recognition, 1994

• Immediate Release: Students Host Health Fair, 1994

• 1995

  Hospitals were restructing to place more emphasis on acute care, so Dr. Judith Balcerski, Nursing School Dean, announces major changes in the graduate nursing program to meet local and nationwide changes in the health care system.

• 1996

  School of Nursing introduces the Ph.D. in Nursing program.

• PhD Ribbon Cutting 1996

  Douglas Houghton joins doctoral students at a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of the PhD in Nursing Program - November 11, 1996

• 1997

  MSN in Anesthesiology introduces a distance learning program that receives approval by SACS.

• 1998

  Barry's Primary Care centers receives a grant to promote the timely immunization of children from birth to two years.

• Primary Care Nursing Center 1998

  Assistant Professor Marcia Hackes with children from Gratigny Elementary School. The school was one of the six participating in the Barry Primary Care Nursing Center, 1998

• Primary Care Nursing Center 1998

• Primary Care Nursing Center 1998

• Discussion on the Lawn, Circa 1999

• Commencement - May 1999

• December 16, 2000

• Baptist Bond, 2000

  Barry begins on-site programs with Baptist Heath South Florida and Memorial Health System

• December 15, 2001

• Welcome Pegge Bell, 2002

  Pegge Bell, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, becomes the School of Nursing dean.

• 2003

  School of Nursing celebrates its 50th Anniversary.

• MSN for Adult Acute Care Program, 2003

  The MSN for Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioners is introduced. This becomes the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program.

• 2005

  Alumni, faculty, community leaders and administrators gathered at the Conrad Hotel in Miami Beach for the first Nursing Awards Gala.

• 2006

  Faculty in 2006 with Associate Dean Dr. Linda Perkel (center). Dr. Mary Colvin (far left) became the BSN director in 2015.

• 2006

  Senior nursing students advocate for the homeless in Miami.

• Dean of the Year - Pegge Bell, 2007

  The Florida Nursing Students Association names Pegge Bell, Dean of the Year.

• 2008

  College of Nursing introduces the MSN to PhD.

• 2008

  The academic offering is expanded to include Post-Master’s DNP for advanced practice nurse practitioners.

• Discussion on the Lawn, Circa 2008

• New DNP, post-bacc and a busy dean, 2008

  Barry introduces the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree program. Postbaccalaureate Programs soon follow. The School of Nursing and the School of Natural and Health Sciences form the College of Health Sciences, led by Dr. Bell.

• 2009

  Undergraduate and graduate nursing faculty often teach across programs.

• 2010

  College of Nursing introduces the Nurse Practitioner DNP to licensed nurse with a BSN

• AHA Training, 2011

  Barry Nursing becomes an American Heart Association training center providing Basic Life Support courses to health care providers.

• Nurses Study Abroad, 2011

  Division of Nursing partners with St. George's University in Grenada, to provide students an opportunity to study abroad.

• 2011 Nursing Hereos

  Professor Gene Majika is named Unsung Hero by the Migrant Clinicians Network and Dr. Jesse Colin is inducted into the American Academy of Nursing.

• Hello Hollywood, 2012

  The College of Health Sciences opens an off-campus location in Hollywood, FL.

• 2013

  Dr. John McFadden is appointed Dean, for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

• A fresh new name, 2014

  The College of Health Sciences is renamed the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

• 2016

  Dr. Mureen Shaw (front right), three-time Barry alum, leads nursing students for a study abroad in Haiti.

• Men in Nursing Program 2016

  According to the US Bureau of Labor, the number of men in nursing has risen from 2.7 percent in 1970 to just under 10 percent today.

• BSN Students 2016

  A student nurse learns to monitor a human heart using a simulated patient.

• Simulation Lab 2016

  Student practice hospital rounds in Barry University simulated hospital.

• 2017

  Dr. Roselle Samson-Mojares (second from right) and Professor Gene Majka (back) teach community health to BSN students.

• Anesthesia Simulation Lab 2017

  Graduate nursing students are studying to become nurse anesthetists.

• Project ADVICE, 2017

  Project ADVICE, a transformative resource to promote collaboration across nursing and all health care disciplines, begins with the generous support of Mrs. Joan K. Stout, RN, FAAN.

• Simulation Meets Teaching Robot, August 2018

  Barry University is proud to be the first nursing program in Florida to introduce the teaching robot.

• An entry-level DNP and first professor emerita, 2018

  The entry-level DNP for nurse anesthetists begins in May. Dr. Jessie Colin, PhD, RN, FRE, FAAN, becomes the College’s first professor emerita in July.

• 65th Anniversary