Claflin to open new doors in nursing program

Claflin will expand its nursing programs, providing opportunities for more students. (Claflin University photo)

Warmack met with Panther reporters on Nov. 21 at the release of his 2019-24 President’s Report and cited progress on new and old buildings as a key successes. He is hoping this continues in his sixth year as president and beyond.

“Right now, we’re enrolling more nursing students than most institutions, that's our fastest growing program,” Warmack said. “We have continued to graduate these amazing graduates with no building, no facility, no anything.”

The university is set to break ground on the new building in the first quarter. Additionally, Claflin will expand on its offered nursing programs, providing opportunities for more students.

Claflin’s presently has an RN-to-BSN program, which restricts first-year students from being able to enter the BSN program as students must already have an RN from a community college when entering.

“We lose out on so many freshmen in a recruiting cycle who are interested in nursing that we are not able to recruit because we don't have the standard traditional bachelors of science in nursing,” Warmack said.

Moving forward, Claflin will be offering a 3+2 program in partnership with the University of South Carolina, where students can complete their BSN and MSN in five years and enter Claflin’s nursing program as first-time freshmen.

Additionally, the university has been accredited to offer two new nursing master’s programs, a master’s degree in nurse practitioner and a master’s in nurse leadership.

Alongside the new nursing building, the university will also see a new social sciences building and a new “Center for Innovation.” This space will be made in the recently acquired Kress Building in downtown Orangeburg.

Historically, the Kress Building was a department store where African Americans once were not allowed to enter. This sparked a sit-in movement in the 1960s.

Many Claflin and South Carolina State students, including U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, were involved in this movement. Warmack noted that Clyburn was among the arrested students in this protest.

Warmack recalled approaching Orangeburg City Council and asking, “Hey, what do we think about this?” when offering his idea to acquire the building and use it as a space to foster student entrepreneurship.

“So a place we couldn’t enter to spend our dollars then becomes a place where we create the brain thrust to build entrepreneurs and the next millionaires and billionaires,” he said.

These new buildings follow the revamping of Tullis Arena, construction of the new student center and re-opening of H.V. Manning library completed in the past two years.