Clark State and Springfield Regional School of Nursing to Merge

Published: 12/22/2009

Community Mercy Health Partners has announced plans for the Springfield Regional School of Nursing and its educational programs to partner with Clark State Community College and Urbana University.

"We are very enthusiastic about the benefits of this partnership for our students, faculty, staff and area patients," said Mark Wiener, President and CEO, Community Mercy Health Partners. "By working with both Clark State and Urbana, this will meet a clear need for our local health system and our community at large. This partnership is a solution that will uphold our school’s legacy and heritage as well as our vision for the future. This allows us to draw upon the strengths of both Clark State and Urbana."

Following the opening of the new Springfield Regional Medical Center in 2012, Community Mercy Health Partners plans to vacate the current Springfield Regional Medical Center – High St. campus. This campus also houses the current Springfield Regional School of Nursing. It had been determined that it would not be economically feasible to build a new stand-alone facility for the School of Nursing, thus prompting a search for potential partnerships with other educational institutions.

In March 2009, following a thoughtful, strategic and thorough review of submitted proposals from a number of highly qualified institutions, the search team narrowed its options to Clark State Community College and Urbana University. In June, the team toured the campuses, met with leaders and collected information including the size of faculty and staff, job placement, graduate satisfaction, tuition cost, technology, student services, diversity of students, mission and current relationship with the Springfield Regional School of Nursing.

"Both Clark State Community College and Urbana University were excellent partners in this process of envisioning a strong future for the Springfield Regional School of Nursing," added Wiener. "We acknowledge and value the many contributions these schools and other institutions have provided to our community."

"Clark State Community College is very pleased with the Community Mercy Health Partners’ decision to merge the Springfield Regional School of Nursing with our nursing program," said Dr. Karen E. Rafinski, President, Clark State Community College. "Clark State respects the long, rich history of the SRSN and will work closely with them to ensure the transition is successful and smooth for the students, faculty and staff who will be affected."

Urbana University will continue to provide education for nurses at Springfield Regional Medical Center and Mercy Memorial Hospital.

"We will continue to encourage nurses to pursue their BSN completion and advanced nursing degrees from Urbana," said Wiener. "We provide tuition assistance to our associates as a clear sign of that support."

"We pledge to maintain relations, work together to grow our local nursing education and training programs and actively recruit with both schools to ensure the flow of nursing talent for CMHP for years to come," said Wiener.

"We have a very strong relationship with Clark State’s administration and students, and with the hospital," said Dr. Stephen Jones, President of Urbana University. "We will continue to strengthen those relationships and play a vital role in educating future healthcare workers for our community."

During a period of transition, leadership from the School of Nursing and Clark State will work to integrate program leadership, faculty, staff, students, instructional equipment and supplies; finalize agreements and form joint implementation teams; and develop fall and spring start dates to accommodate students. The transition will be complete by 2012.

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