A New Era for Health Care Education
Dear students, faculty and staff members,
Today opens a new era for health care education at our University.
The College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions has a new name: the College of Nursing & Health Sciences.
In addition, the Department of Nursing is now the LHC Group • Myers School of Nursing, an elevation that honors the largest private philanthropic investment in University history and recognizes the size, scope, scale and quality of our nationally ranked nursing programs.
And, the Department of Allied Health has been renamed the Department of Health Sciences.
The name modifications are the first the college and its divisions have had in over 20 years and reflect the programmatic and reputational growth experienced during that period.
These changes are more than a statement of institutional maturity, however. They indicate a trajectory of future development as the college continues to strengthen its standing as the primary creator of the region’s health care workforce.
Consider this: more than 90% of College of Nursing & Health Sciences alumni remain in the region following graduation. The college’s reputation for producing well-educated, deeply compassionate graduates could enable them to work anywhere, yet most choose to stay here to provide exceptional care to the people who call Acadiana home.
Our alumni can be found in clinics, hospital systems, and health care companies throughout the area. They have fueled the region’s emergence as a health services center.
Last year, the College of Nursing & Health Sciences received a transformational investment from LHC Group that recognized the vital role the University has played – and will continue to play – in strengthening and expanding the region’s health care landscape.
LHC Group’s $20 million commitment is the largest private philanthropic investment an academic unit at UL Lafayette has ever received. We remain deeply grateful to LHC Group and the Myers family for entrusting us with this historic support and are proud to honor their generosity through the naming of the LHC Group • Myers School of Nursing.
The changes we’re announcing today are more than a rebranding. By renaming the college and its departments, we are confirming past strength. We’re also committing ourselves to future growth that will deepen our decades-long commitment to the well-being of every resident who depends on the region’s health care providers.
Extraordinary moments are ahead for the University, the College of Nursing & Health Sciences, and the community we are proud to serve. I encourage you to stay tuned.
Thank you all and Geaux Cajuns!
Dr. Joseph Savoie
President