Building upon 90+ years of health care education experience, Immaculata University has established a College of Nursing and Health Professions to provide focused experiential learning to today’s outcome-oriented, cost-conscious students. Formally launching for the start of the fall 2023 semester, Immaculata’s College of Nursing and Health Professions will support students interested in careers within the health care industry. Graduate and undergraduate programs in nursing, health care management, exercise science, athletic training, allied health fields and nutrition will be housed within the college.
“The College of Nursing and Health Professions is the most recent example of Immaculata’s dedication to providing career preparation in professions that are in demand,” states President Barbara Lettiere. “Students will benefit from the industry-standard equipment and technology as well as our top-notch faculty specifically dedicated to teaching and supporting students interested in health professions.”
Students enrolling in the college can take advantage of clinical experiences and one-on-one mentoring. Depending on the program, students may observe or participate in clinical experiences at local hospitals, rehabilitation centers and health care facilities.
Illustrating the University’s commitment to and support for the College of Nursing and Health Professions—and recognizing the need for nurses and other professionals in STEM- and health care-related fields—Immaculata recently received $1.2 million from a private donor to provide scholarships and raised $7.5 million to support construction of the Parsons Science Pavilion. The new science facility is equipped with advanced technical and educational tools, including the Anatomage Table, an advanced 3-D anatomy visualization system used by leading medical schools, which provides detailed knowledge of bodily structures and systems.
Immaculata has prepared thousands of health care professionals to serve patients with compassion and competence and offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate nursing programs that equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to provide holistic, patient-centered, evidence-based care. What’s more, the nursing licensure exam (NCLEX) first-time pass rates for Immaculata’s nursing graduates have surpassed the national and Pennsylvania averages for the past several years, including a pass rate of 90.48% for 2021–2022. Students interested in health care professions can choose from Immaculata’s career-oriented programs, including a pre-licensure B.S.N., an R.N. to B.S.N., a second-degree accelerated B.S.N., or an M.S.N.
In keeping with the core values of the University, nursing faculty take a holistic approach to teaching by focusing on caring for patients as whole persons—composed of mind, body and spirit—who are unique, valuable members of their cultures and communities.
Mary Powell, Ph.D., CRNP, CDCES has been named the founding dean of the new College of Nursing and Health Professions. She began her role on January 1, 2023.
“I will strive to serve students and faculty to ensure that they have the resources needed to succeed,” stated Powell.
As a registered nurse with over 40 years’ experience in nursing and teaching, Powell came to Immaculata during the fall 2022 semester to teach graduate-level nursing students. Currently, she is collaborating with faculty to develop a family nurse practitioner program in response to stakeholder needs.
She began her career at Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania after graduating from the Chester County Hospital School of Nursing. Her clinical experience includes medical-surgical nursing, pediatric primary care, hospice and palliative care, and most recently primary care with a focus on working with patients with type 2 diabetes. Powell has also taught at multiple colleges and universities including Radford University of Nursing, Neumann University, Thomas Jefferson University and Widener University School of Nursing Clinics.
Powell earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Eastern College; her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and her Ph.D. with concentrations in nursing research and chronic illness from the Catholic University of America, where she received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Doctoral Studies and Research.
L TO R: Kimberly Chambers ’24, Daniel Tadesse ’22, Rita Kulemeka ’24, Escarlet Lara-Lopez ’24 and Douglas Neubauer ’25
