William Paterson University Establishes School of Nursing; Institution’s Nursing Program Is Among the Largest and Fastest-Growing in New Jersey
William Paterson University Establishes School of Nursing; Institution’s Nursing Program Is Among the Largest and Fastest-Growing in New Jersey
–Dr. Minerva Salinas Guttman to serve as founding associate dean
WAYNE, NEW JERSEY — William Paterson University, a leader in educating New Jersey’s healthcare workforce for nearly 60 years, is establishing a School of Nursing within its College of Science and Health as of the fall 2023 semester. Offering degrees on the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels, the University’s nursing program has grown to become one of the largest in the state.
Dr. Minerva Salinas Guttman, EdD, RN, APN, who brings more than five decades of experience in nursing both regionally and internationally, has been named as the founding associate dean of the School of Nursing. Guttman, who joins the institution on August 28, most recently served as the Ferguson Endowed Chair in the Henry P. Becton School of Nursing and Applied Health at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Guttman to William Paterson as founding associate dean of our new School of Nursing,” said University President Richard J. Helldobler. “Our nursing programs have experienced tremendous growth in recent years, demonstrating how vital William Paterson and our graduates are to the future of New Jersey healthcare. Under Dr. Guttman’s leadership, our new School of Nursing will allow us to sustain and leverage that growth to expand strategic partnerships with healthcare providers and better serve our students and alumni.”
William Paterson has invested in growing its healthcare programs to meet the significant need for nurses and public health professionals, as well as increased demand for online learning by adult learners and those seeking advanced degrees via flexible delivery models. Since 2019, enrollment in nursing degree programs has surged. Undergraduate nursing enrollment has more than doubled, from 431 students to 1,058 students, and graduate enrollment has tripled, from 190 to 713 students.
“Our nursing program, now one of the largest in the state, is serving a critical need in meeting the healthcare needs of New Jersey and beyond,” said Joshua Powers, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “Dr. Guttman’s leadership in nursing curriculum and program development, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and her work in building community, business, and industry connections, will be instrumental as she collaborates with our excellent faculty and administration to further the School’s growth and development, and the success of our students.”
William Paterson University, which launched its nursing program in 1966, today offers a wide variety of nursing degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. In 2010, the institution established its first doctoral program, the doctor of nursing practice degree, to provide advanced practice nurses with preparation for leadership roles in healthcare.
In addition to campus-based programs in nursing, the University offers a fully online undergraduate RN to BSN program and 12 fully online master’s degree and certificate programs in nursing. Its programs are nationally accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
The School of Nursing will be housed in University Hall. Nursing facilities include six patient simulation laboratories as part of the Nel Bolger, RN laboratories, with control and debriefing rooms to provide enhanced clinical training, as well as three state-of-the-art nursing basic skills labs.
William Paterson’s nursing program is affiliated with more than 50 cooperating agencies in the surrounding North Jersey region, including major hospital and medical centers, public health agencies, clinics, and nursing homes. Alumni hold positions at every major hospital in the region, including Beth Israel Hospital, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Hackensack University Medical Center, Clara Maass Medical Center, Sloan Kettering, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, NYU Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson, and more.
Thousands of alumni are employed in healthcare institutions and related organizations as nurses, nurse practitioners, healthcare administrators, educators, researchers, and in other professional positions. Between 2019 and 2022, the University graduated nearly 550 new nurses, many employed in the state and making a direct impact on the nursing shortage. Also, more than 200 nursing professionals earned advanced degrees and certifications. Research conducted by its faculty and nursing doctoral students on significant healthcare topics makes an impact. In addition, faculty and alumni hold important leadership roles in state and national nursing organizations and are the recipients of prestigious fellowships and noted nursing awards.
Dr. Guttman spent more than two decades at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU). From 1999 to 2021, she was director of the Henry P. Becton School of Nursing and Allied Health, and, since 2011, she held the Ferguson Endowed Chair. Prior to joining FDU, she served as an assistant dean in the University of Medicine and Dentistry of Nursing (UMDNJ) School of Nursing and chair of the UMDNJ/Middlesex County College associate’s degree program in nursing. Previously, she was a nursing professor and administrator at the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, and an instructor at SUNY-Downstate Medical Center College of Nursing, Beth Israel School of Nursing, and General Hospital School of Nursing in Manila, Philippines.
Currently the editor-in-chief of The International Forum for Nursing and Healthcare, the official journal for nursing practice, education, and research at the University of the Philippines, Dr. Guttman has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and been the recipient of numerous public and private grants to facilitate research and support nursing programs, faculty, and students. Her many awards and honors include the Diva and Don Award from the New Jersey State Nurses Association Institute of Nursing and the J.V. Sotejo Award for Exemplary Alumni Achievement from the University of the Philippines.
A graduate of the University of the Philippines with a bachelor of science degree in nursing, Dr. Guttman earned a master of arts in nursing, master of education in adult education, and doctor of education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds an adult nurse practitioner post-master’s certificate from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and was an executive educational leadership fellow at The Wharton School Aresty Institute of Executive Education at the University of Pennsylvania.
