Announced officially on Jan. 24, Utica University and SUNY Oneonta have established an Early Assurance Program Accelerated Bachelor of Science Nursing Agreement, or EAP ABSN. 

The agreement, according to Utica University President Todd Pfannestiel, will allow students from SUNY Oneonta who have already completed their bachelors degree to transfer to Utica University and earn a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing. 

“It started out of a joint interest between their president and our’s at the time, Laura Casamento,” Pfannestiel said. “We were trying to grow our second degree nursing program, and so we were looking for opportunities to partner with other colleges.” 

Upon completing any of a variety of Bachelor’s degrees, SUNY Oneonta students will be able to transfer to Utica University’s Syracuse, Latham, or St. Petersburg locations to complete the accelerated program, Pfannestiel said. 

“We’re trying to attract students who were maybe not thinking nursing when they came in, but are now,” Pfannestiel said. “Now, students can do all the courses they need to do to be able to sit for your certification, your licensure exam, in just sixteen months.” 

The speed of the program is thanks to the intensive coursework students undertake in the program, according to the Chair of the Nursing Department at Utica University Doreen Rogers. 

“Students in the program go for four semesters in a row,” Rogers said. “There is no summer break, they go all year round.” 

However, Rogers said Utica will not give students coming in any coursework they may have already completed, which could lessen the workload. 

Interim Provost Stephanie Nesbitt expanded upon the ease of access for transferring students due to the agreement. 

“With these types of programs, there is dual enrollment or automatic transfer,” Nesbitt said. “Basically, it means that if you are accepted into this program and meet these criteria to get into the second program, you won’t have to reapply or wait.”

Nesbitt said there is potential for future partnerships with other universities, particularly mentioning a collaboration involving the field of physics and engineering. 

“We are looking for the right opportunities, where our students can get something from a partner, or a partner’s students can get something from us,” Nesbitt said. “It is cooperation in higher education that makes the combination of degrees and disciplines interesting.”

As far as specific schools go, Pfannestiel was quick to mention an interest in partnering with Syracuse University. 

“A lot of great discussions that I’ve had recently have been with Syracuse University,” Pfannestiel said. “Their chancellor came and visited our office, and we talked about what we could do together. There are things they do better than us, and there are things we do better than them.” 

Ultimately, Pfannestiel said making Utica University as collaborative and academically social of an institution as possible is a goal, with the SUNY Oneonta ABSN agreement being one marked accomplishment of hopefully many.