UMass Dartmouth announces structural changes this fall

Aug 8, 2019

UMass Dartmouth is making some key changes this fall, adding a new Honors College as well as expanding its College of Nursing to include Health Sciences.

At its August 2 meeting, the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees approved the changes, which will take effect this academic year. 

According to a statement released by UMass Dartmouth on August 8, the Honors College will be integrated with the university’s whole academic organization.

It will provide a rigorous interdisciplinary and research-oriented experience that is expected to attract and graduate highly qualified students, emphasizing high-impact enrichment opportunities and maximizing collaboration between students, faculty, and the community.

“The Honors College is designed to create a unique opportunity for those students of exceptional talent and motivation,” said UMass Dartmouth Provost Mohammad Karim. “These students will be among our university’s role models in undergraduate research and community engagement.”

The university also noted that expanding the College of Nursing and Health Sciences will better position the school to respond to the need for a team-based health care workforce. The new structure will bring together the departments of Medical Laboratory Science, Community Nursing, and Adult Nursing.

“This is an interprofessional education model,” said Kimberly Christopher, Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. “It will allow both our nursing and medical lab science students to build professional knowledge, respect, and empathy for each other’s roles in order to achieve the highest quality of patient care. Students can collaborate in simulated experiences and learn from each other. This will create stronger health care teams.”