School of Nursing celebrates 60 years of care, commitment and community

From its first graduating class to today, IU Northwest’s School of Nursing remains a leader in Northwest Indiana healthcare

For 60 years, the Indiana University Northwest School of Nursing has served as a pillar for healthcare in Northwest Indiana.

While the school has continually evolved — adding programs, enhancing resources through improved facilities and connecting with more than 120 clinical agencies — its foundational goal has remained the same: to provide a world-class education and serve as a regional program for nurses who stay and serve in their communities.

“Nursing students at IU Northwest are engaged and visible in the communities we serve,” said former Director of the School of Nursing and Associate/Interim Dean of the College of Health and Human Services Linda Delunas. “Our graduates, for the most part, remain in Northwest Indiana to practice, serving in very critical roles.”

There have been well over 5,000 graduates who have directly contributed to the health of Northwest Indiana. More than 90% of IU Northwest’s School of Nursing graduates remain in the area where they live, work and contribute directly to the health of Northwest Indiana.

Delunas remembers an instance of this deep local commitment when a married couple who graduated, and 20 years later, had their daughter come to IU Northwest as a nursing student.

As healthcare needs have grown more complex, so too has the education at IU Northwest. The school has expanded its offerings to meet the market’s evolving demands for higher education, and not just staffing the region, but creating the next generation of healthcare leaders and advanced nurse practitioners.

From its inception, with the graduation of the first associate class in 1967, the school has undergone immense change. It added a bachelor’s degree in the 80s, second-degree options for non-nursing majors, master’s options, online programs and more.

Now housed in the Dunes Medical/Professional Building on IU Northwest’s campus, where it has more than 12,000 square feet of space dedicated to offices, a learning laboratory and a nurse-managed health clinic, the School of Nursing continues to graduate some of the best and most caring healthcare workers in the region.

The quality and versatility of an IU Northwest nursing degree are evident through the wide range of careers its alumni pursue.

Stephanie Baranko, a Clinical Assistant Professor and 1995 graduate of the school, remembers that research and clinical experiences were essential to her career as a bedside nurse, director of quality, travel nurse and more. Baranko was even able to serve as an athlete care nurse for the Sydney Olympics.

Now, as a professor, she continues to serve the region by educating Northwest Indiana’s future nurses.

“I think one of the most rewarding things about the School of Nursing is the impact we have in delivering healthcare to the local community,” Baranko said. “… It’s amazing to see the program continue to grow and flourish and support the residents and population in Northwest Indiana.”

Being able to serve in your own community continues to be an important component in the school and for those who receive their education at IU Northwest. Jackie Carpenter-Heard, who received her associate’s degree in 1986 before returning for her bachelor’s and two master’s degrees, found success staying close to home.

“I grew up in Gary, and I truly felt comfortable being in my home environment,” Carpenter-Heard said. “The School of Nursing shaped my future and allowed me to become an administrator and executive director at a nursing home for over 10 years.”

Her story is not unique, and maybe one of the most telling examples of the impact the program has on its graduates is the full-circle nature of the program, since so many return to teach and instill the educational foundation for the area’s future nurses.

Catherine Kaufman, another Northwest Indiana resident who highlighted the “top-notch” education she received in earning numerous nursing degrees from IU Northwest, returned as a professor in 2019 after spending more than 20 years in an emergency department setting.

“I absolutely enjoy teaching,” Kaufman said. “It’s been wonderful to pass on my love for nursing and being a primary care provider for the people in Northwest Indiana.”

While IU Northwest graduates will be the first to admit that nursing isn’t the easiest job, it is most definitely rewarding — and the professors at IU Northwest continue to instill the confidence in its students to succeed upon graduation.

Marcy Fillippo, a 2013 graduate, highlighted the various settings she worked from MedSurg, float pool, management and more, and that she was able to succeed thanks to the real-world education she received at IU Northwest.

“As students, we were put in facilities that allowed us to really learn those critical skills for nursing,” Fillippo said. “I enjoyed the program and it’s one of the greatest for getting new nurses ready for the workforce.”

For six decades, the School of Nursing has not only educated its students, but also invested in the health of the entire Northwest Indiana region, evolving its curriculum to meet the evolving healthcare needs in our community, a commitment it will continue to make for years to come.

“Over the past 60 years, the School of Nursing at IU Northwest has been a vital component of the healthcare industry in Northwest Indiana. This celebration is a symbol of that,” said Crystal Shannon, College of Health and Human Services Dean and Director of the School of Nursing. “As we celebrate this milestone, we are eager to continue supporting our students for years to come to continue to meet the healthcare needs of our communities.”