Skidmore College Department of Nursing Records

Early years – Mary McClellan Hospital

In 1922, Skidmore College became a four-year liberal arts college and President Keyes announced a new Nursing Program. The concept of combining liberal arts studies with professional nursing training was a new direction in women’s education. Skidmore was among the first of the colleges to offer this kind of nursing program. In the early years of the program, students studied for five years to earn a B.S. degree from Skidmore and a diploma in nursing from McClellan Hospital in Cambridge, NY. During their clinical experience students lived at the hospital and exchanged work from room and board. Some of the clinical work was completed at Yale School of Nursing and Western Reserve University in Cleveland for public health nursing. The first nursing major completed the program in 1927. The nursing program consisted of four concentrations: pediatric nursing, psychiatric nursing, family health, and public health. The nursing program developed the area of public health nursing with funding from a Rockefeller grant in the 1930s. In 1944, it was the first school approved for public health nursing by the National Organization of Public Health Nurses. By 1941, the nursing faculty were concerned that the clinical facilities at McClellan Hospital were too small to allow for increased enrollments.

Move of Clinical Study to NYC

In 1942, the department moved the clinical experience to Post Graduate Hospital in New York City. The student residence and the administrative offices were located in Fahnstock Hall at 304 East 20th Street, NYC. In 1958, Post Graduate Hospital was purchased by NYU. For a short time students and the Nursing Program offices, were housed in the new NYU Medical Center complex. When the hospital would no longer provide space in the new medical center, and prior to purchasing a building, the program used, once again, the Fahnstock residence.

In 1964, Skidmore College changed the name of the Department from the Department of Nursing to the Irene McClellan Department of Nursing in honor of the trustee who had supported the program since it began in 1922. In 1965, Agnes Gelinas retired. Jean Campbell became the next chair. She helped the department achieve a long desired goal of a permanent location in New York. In 1969, Skidmore College leased, and later purchased a building on 325 East 38th Street for classrooms, administrative offices and student housing. After extensive renovations the building was dedicated in 1971. But despite these and other efforts to strengthen the program, enrollments were declining.

Task Force Report and Closure

As enrollments declined in the 1970s and in the face of increasing expenses the program came under review by the board of trustees. In 1981, a task force of administrators, students, and faculty was convened to examine the future of the nursing program. The task force report suggested aggressive actions to increase enrollments. The next year, 1982, the trustees decided to close the department. This decision came as a shock to some faculty, students, and alumnae. The debate over the decision was prolonged and covered both in the Skidmore newspaper as well as reported in national papers.

The Department Chairs

Dr. Clara M. Greenough, 1922 - 1928

Agnes Gelinas, 1928 - 1965

Jean Campbell, 1965 – 1973 (new building and revised curriculum)

Pat Evans, 1973 – 1979 (acting chair)

Joan E.Walsh, 1979 – 1983

Gloria Caliandro, 1983 – 1985

The Chair traveled between the two campuses for meetings. Other administrators made periodic visits to New York City. Nursing faculty met weekly at faculty meetings in NYC to discuss administrative and curricular matters. There were 13 faculty and faculty-student committees, some which met regularly and some on an on-call basis (Community Council, Committee on Promotion and Tenure, Tradition and Social Committee, Coordination Committee, Library and Audio/Visual Committee, and Curriculum Committee). The nursing faculty reported to the Chairperson, who reported to the Dean of the faculty. Budget issues, exclusive of faculty salaries, were reported to the Dean of the Faculty. Budget issues, exclusive of faculty salaries, were discussed between the Chairperson and the Vice President for Business Affairs.

Key Figures in the Program’s History

Support for the start of the nursing program came from Skidmore’s first president, President Charles Keyes, and from Irene Ward McClellan in Cambridge, NY. Her family built the hospital in Cambridge and provided housing for the Skidmore nursing students near the hospital. Mrs. McClellan later served in the Board of Trustees at Skidmore from 1934 to 1958. The supervisor in Cambridge was Myra Sutherland, RN and superintendent of the Hospital and Training School. President Moore and Gelinas worked closely together to develop the program. Under her chairmanship the program earned an excellent reputation for collegiate education for women entering the nursing profession. When the program moved to New York City, George E. Armstrong, director of NYU Medical Center, was enlisted to join the board of trustees. Josephine Case, acting president in 1964, oversaw fundraising for a Skidmore building in New York.

Department of Nursing Chronology

Establishing the Program