FAIRFIELD—A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of Fairfield University’s new Austin, Texas campus was held at the new facility located at 7951 Shoal Creek Blvd. The event introduced the new campus to the local community, including Texas-based Fairfield University alumni, and community partners, who toured the 21-bed simulation center, and simulated rooms for ICU, obstetrics, pediatrics, and med-surg, an operating room, home care suites and skill labs.
The expansion of Fairfield University and the Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies to Texas establishes an additional nursing pathway through Fairfield University, and addresses the needs of the national healthcare system. Fairfield’s Austin campus initial program offering will feature Fairfield Egan’s full-time, 15-month accelerated second-degree baccalaureate nursing (SDNU) program, which provides a unique opportunity for students with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree to pursue a bachelor of science in nursing degree in an accelerated format. Employment opportunities for nurses in the next decade are projected to grow 15 percent, faster than all other occupations.
The ribbon cutting featured speakers were Fairfield University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD; Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies Dean Meredith Kazer, PhD, APRN, FAAN; Alumni Chaplain and Special Assistant to the President Father Gerald Blaszczak, S.J.; Austin Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President of Economic Development Charisse Bodisch; and Ascension Texas Chief Nursing Officer and Regional Hospital President Steven Brockman-Weber, DNP, RN, MS (HSA), FACHE, NEA-BC, CENP.
Father Blaszczak offered the invocation and cited a reflection by Pope Francis on the crucial and indispensable role of nurses as today’s Good Samaritans.
President Nemec shared that as a 21st century, modern Jesuit, Catholic university, Fairfield “seeks to be a model for others…to find broader student populations in ever more innovative ways” and “to seek those populations where the need is great, and the population is growing.”
Inspired by a mission to carry forward the work of the Society of Jesus, Fairfield was animated “to come to a region where there is not a Jesuit Catholic work of higher education,” explained President Nemec. “Fairfield is bringing to this community a first-class clinical education. One that brings health professionals to the highest standards of inquiry and knowledge—but it also brings with it a Jesuit way of proceeding.”
“As a mission-driven University, we knew the world needed nurses, we knew the world needed Fairfield nurses and we could impact healthcare beyond our northeast regional influence,” said Dean Kazer, referring to the University’s decision to lead its geographic expansion efforts with nursing. She expressed gratitude for the collaboration among clinical partners, the board of nursing, real estate professionals, architects, builders, program directors, faculty, staff and students. “Because of you, Texas is our new home.”
Charisse Bodisch of the Austin Chamber of Commerce welcomed Fairfield to Austin, and highlighted the critical need for nurses in the Austin metro region. “What you are doing with the Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies is very important to our entire region, our residents and our companies…We need more entering these fields and the work and education you do here will have meaningful impact.” Bodisch shared that in the Austin metro region there are currently 82,300 total workers in healthcare occupations, and 51, 300 are employed as healthcare practitioners or in technical healthcare occupations. Another 31,000 are in healthcare support occupations. “We anticipate the annual growth in healthcare will continue. Projections over the next 5 years are 2.8% healthcare practitioners and technical occupations and 3.3% healthcare support occupations—faster than the 2.5% growth in jobs overall.”
A warm welcome by Dr. Brockman-Weber was extended on behalf of Ascension Seton, one of Fairfield Egan’s clinical partners. “We look forward to working with the faculty and staff to provide excellent clinical experiences in our world-class hospitals and clinics as we grow the next generation of nurses to care for the people of Austin and surrounding cities.”
The nursing curriculum at the Austin, Texas-based facility builds on the University’s successful Fairfield, Conn. baccalaureate offerings. The first cohort of students were admitted in May 2023, with a second cohort to begin in January 2024.
In addition to Ascension Seton, Fairfield Egan’s clinical partnerships include Baylor Scott & White Health, and Central Texas Veterans Health Care Systems.
At the completion of this program, students are eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) to become registered nurses. The SDNU program has been in existence at Fairfield Egan for more than two decades and is fully accredited by Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Among many national distinctions, U.S. News & World Report recently ranked Fairfield’s Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies among the Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs. The Egan School was ranked in the top 11 percent nationally at #76 (tied) out of almost 700 schools. It was also ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-2024 Best Graduate Schools among the Best Nursing Schools that offer Master’s degrees (tied at #73) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees (tied at #74). According to Niche’s 2023 Best Colleges for Nursing in America, the Egan School was ranked #29 out of 762, in the Top 5%.
