On Exhibit at Robeson Library: Celebrating Our 50 Year Anniversary of the Rutgers School of Nursing-Camden

In 1972, under a $27,000 federal planning grant, Dr. Alice C. Boehret was named the director of the nursing program at Rutgers-Camden and tasked with developing a four-year degree program. Boehret—a retired First Lieutenant who served in the Army Nurse Corps during World War II—accepted the role with a strong vision of a program that would “meet the needs of the community.”

In the past five decades, the Rutgers School of Nursing–Camden has grown from a small undergraduate nursing program that occupied a few shared offices to a robust, nationally ranked school with graduate, undergraduate, and certificate programs, more than 125 clinical partners, and over 10,000 square feet of cutting-edge clinical learning spaces. So much has changed, and yet so much has remained the same.

Through newspaper clippings, yearbook entries and other ephemera, the exhibit traces the rich history of the School of Nursing–Camden from its beginnings under Dr. Boehret to its current leadership under Dean Donna Nickitas, who has led the school since 2018.

For more on the School of Nursing–Camden, read these three stories from the current edition of Rutgers University–Camden magazine:

50 Years of Care in Camden: A reflection on the School of Nursing–Camden’s rich history of public health.

A Degree Decades in the Making: A 71-year-old doctor of nursing practice student aims to continue providing and promoting quality medical care around the world.

Bridging a Primary Health Care Shortage in New Jersey: A federal grant worth more than $2.5 million is bringing change for the better to the challenging health care landscape of Cumberland County.