September 25, 2014 marked a momentous occasion for Averett University’s Department of Nursing. During a special white coat ceremony, the Department recognized its first senior class.

Thirteen Averett students donned their white coats and each was individually honored during the presentation. All felt like they were a special part of the university’s history.

In 2010, Averett began its pursuit of offering an entry-into-practice Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and an RN to BSN degree. In July 2012, the university was approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Then in September of that same year, Averett celebrated the opening of its Health Sciences Innovative Practice Center. None of this would have been possible without the help of several community investors, including the Virginia Tobacco Commission, Danville Regional Foundation, the E. Stuart James Grant Charitable Trust and Danville Regional Medical Center. Thanks to these investors, and others, the university raised more than $2.6 million to start the program.

Currently there are 116 students enrolled in the Nursing program – 49 are pre-nursing, 18 are juniors, 13 are seniors and 36 are in the RN to BSN program. The first group of RN to BSN students should complete the program in January 2015.