For 75 years, the School of Nursing at Capital University has shaped the future of healthcare through education, innovation, and compassionate care. Today, it stands as a leader in nursing education, creating skilled, dedicated professionals who support the wellness of patients, families, and communities. This milestone is both a celebration of the past and a testament to the spirit of nursing - one of service, scholarship, and strength.
In 1950, Edith Chamberlain became the first director of the Nursing program, one of the first baccalaureate programs in Ohio. Over a decade later, the program was recognized as a School of Nursing and housed in a small three-story building next to Yochum Hall. As the school’s first dean, Dr. Evelyn Barritt spearheaded a new curriculum based on the health/illness continuum rather than the traditional medical model. Innovation reemerged in 1972 with the introduction of research in Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs, marking a new era.
In the 1980s, the program’s education-to practice model gained national recognition. The program also adopted holistic approaches to health and nursing care, which were novel at the time. The BSN Completion program was developed in 1987, followed by the Master of Science graduate nursing program in 1994.
In the early 2000s, Capital’s Nursing program began to offer unique study abroad opportunities to first-year students who traveled to Jamaica, Sweden, and England. By 2009, the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program began, allowing individuals who had previously earned a degree in another discipline to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Also at this time, the school received an endorsement from the American Holistic Nurse Credentialing Corporation for its curriculum, grounded in holistic philosophy and nursing care.
