Alpena Community College and Saginaw Valley State University partner to expand nursing education opportunities

Saginaw Valley State University and Alpena Community College have partnered to collaborate to create more education opportunities in the nursing field to grow the pool of qualified nurses in Northern Michigan. The partnership is supported thanks to a grant from the State of Michigan.

Alpena Community College selected Saginaw Valley State University to be its partner university in this endeavor and will use the $2 million grant to create a program with SVSU so that nurses can complete their bachelor degrees. Students who obtain an associate degree in nursing at Alpena Community College will be able to attend Saginaw Valley State University’s fully accredited Bachelor of Science program.

Alpena Community College’s President, Dr. Don MacMaster, was quoted by the Midland Daily News on the partnership, saying, “For many years Michigan community colleges serving rural areas, such as ACC, attempted unsuccessfully to win legislative authorization to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree to support easier and more affordable access for local nurses to obtain their BSN. The historic bi-partisan compromise included in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget goes further to address this challenge than ever before. We're delighted to partner with Saginaw Valley State University to work together to bring a BSN credential to the Alpena campus. We thank Governor Whitmer, Senator Stamas, and all those who supported this solution to a critical Northeast Michigan health care workforce issue. We expect our first cohort of BSN students to begin in fall 2023.” 

The goal of allowing students in ACC’s associate degree program to work simultaneously toward a bachelor degree at SVSU is to streamline the road to a bachelor degree in nursing, which should allow for a cheaper road to a career, as well as helping to alleviate the nursing shortage.

Kelli Leask, who serves as the Director of Nursing at Alpena Community College, talked more about the benefits of the partnership, saying, “The ACC/SVSU partnership allows our well-prepared Associate Degree Nursing students the ability to seamlessly transition into a highly recognized BSN program for degree advancement. This collaborative partnership supports the national nursing shortage initiatives and recognizes our commitment to excellence in nursing practice and education.” 

Steven Fosgard, the Vice President of Instruction at Alpena Community College, spoke about the choice of the school to partner with SVSU: “The selection of SVSU as our BSN partner came down to three factors: The quality of education and the student support mechanisms that SVSU offers to their BSN students; the flexibility of programming offered for our students and community partners; and the opportunities that an ACC/SVSU partnership provides for our graduates and community.” 

Likewise, the dean of Saginaw Valley State University’s College of Health and Human Services, Crystal M. Lange, echoed the benefits of the partnership, saying, “We enter this new partnership with Alpena Community College with great enthusiasm. ACC offers an excellent associate degree nursing education and plays a vital role in preparing nurses to serve healthcare providers in northeast Michigan. Through this partnership, we can continue to improve safe, high-quality health care services for future generations.”

Across the state of Michigan, many institutions are working to expand the education opportunities available for the nursing and wider healthcare industries. There is a $56 million initiative included in the state budget for 2023 which allows community colleges to receive funding to partner with a four-year college or university as ACC is doing with SVSU. The collaborations will also include local employers and workforce development agencies to add their input as well. The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity is behind the administration of the grants. 

SVSU’s RN to BSN program coordinator Stacey Klump talked about how registered nurses who earn a bachelor degree offer much more to the industry than they otherwise would: “We are committed to serving ACC's ADN student nurse population to assure they have an opportunity to seek a successful completion of their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Through this partnership, students will be receiving their BSN from SVSU's fully accredited and community-minded program, while having the ability to maximize transfer credits to SVSU at ACC.”

There is an undeniable and growing need for highly prepared nurses in Michigan. Providers like MyMichigan Health have noted this fact. 

“MyMichigan Alpena shares the excitement of ACC and SVSU as they partner to have a BSN program offered locally. MyMichigan is a staunch supporter of the education of our nurses, and this partnership will offer our nurses the opportunity to pursue their BSN close to home. We at MyMichigan look forward to this opportunity and support this educational opportunity in our community,” said MyMichigan Alpena’s vice president of nursing, Thomas Kane.

Alpena Community College nursing student Crystal Leeseberg talked about her view on the new partnership between the school and SVSU, saying, “A partnership with SVSU for an ADN-BSN program will greatly benefit all current and future students in the nursing program who will be wanting to continue beyond an associate degree. This will allow the convenience of a local program as well as a face-to-face instruction that is not readily available locally. This is exciting news, and I can't wait to hear more about this program!” 

More information about Saginaw Valley State University can be found on the school’s website.

More information about Alpena Community College can be found on the school’s website here.