A Decade of Excellence!

The Andy and Barbara Gessner College of Nursing at the University of Houston is celebrating its 10th anniversary with every reason to be proud - hitting and surpassing academic milestones well before expected and responding to one of the most persistent challenges in health care: the nursing shortage.

“We are answering the call,” said Kathryn Tart, founding dean, professor and Humana Endowed Dean’s Chair in Nursing at the Gessner College. That call is growing ever louder, as the World Health Organization estimates a global shortfall of 4.5 million nurses by 2030.

The college, which is the only public nursing program in the Houston area that sits within a fully comprehensive university, has grown to almost four times its original enrollment and graduated 1,720 practice-ready professionals to help meet the growing demand.

The college has grown exponentially since it opened 10 years ago. The number of faculty and adjunct instructors has increased 60%, and enrollment has grown by nearly 300%. The college also continues to add new degree programs. In 2015, the Traditional BSN track was added, and in 2021, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), the highest degree in the field, was added.

The College’s growth and ability to educate more nurses to fill the gap has grown in step with its reputation for excellence.

“For a decade, the Andy and Barbara Gessner College of Nursing has been a beacon of excellence, compassion and innovation in nursing education,” said UH President Renu Khator. “This milestone is a testament to our commitment to addressing critical health care needs and preparing the next generation of compassionate, highly skilled nurses who will shape the future of health in Texas and beyond.”

In 2024, based on program reports provided by Mountain Measurement, Inc., the Gessner College of Nursing was ranked No. 1 in the nation — in several categories — derived from first-time pass rates of the NCLEX-RN® Examination, the standardized test that nursing graduates must pass to become a registered nurse in the U.S. and Canada.

Based on that passing rate, the reports rank Gessner College first out of 123 programs in Texas, first out of 1,124 bachelor of science programs in nursing nationwide and first out of 2,228 nursing programs nationwide.

“The rankings highlight our strong curriculum, dedicated faculty and staff, outstanding clinical partners, effective administration and generous donors,” said Tart.

Beyond rankings, the college has the only two accredited simulation centers in the Greater Houston area. In 2024, both the HCA Houston Healthcare Nursing Simulation Center located at UH's campus in Katy and the Methodist Sugar Land Hospital Nursing Simulation Center located at UH's Sugar Land campus earned the national accreditation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

Both simulation centers feature state-of-the-art mannequins and tools for multi-disciplinary, hospital-based training in a realistic environment. In these dynamic environments, students practice, observe and are evaluated in various settings such as maternity, hospice, emergency room and at the bedside.

In December 2007, a School of Nursing was approved for the University of Houston-Victoria and operated there until fall 2015 when it transitioned to the University of Houston with a singular vision: Nursing. Excellence. Period.

 Just over a year later, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board reclassified the program to the UH College of Nursing, opening opportunities for graduate and doctoral level programs along with fundraising and naming opportunities.

Expanding the college’s footprint by offering courses in Sugar Land, Katy and Houston was something Dean Tart always had her eye on.

Milestones came quickly for the new college — some even before the end of the program’s first year and not just when every student passed the NCLEX-RN® Examination. That year - and every year since – every Gessner student passed the national certification exam for the Family Nurse Practitioner degree.

Every. Single. Student.

Nursing. Excellence. Period.

In those early days, the community was already deeply aware of the nursing shortage and Dean Tart spearheaded a workforce-pipeline philosophy, leading more nursing students to work and train in area hospitals. Today, students at the Gessner College complete seven to eight clinical rotations at local health care institutions, drawing from 111 clinical affiliations across the Texas Medical Center and Houston area.

Gessner College of Nursing now offers a range of degree tracks, from entry-level to doctorate, combining rigorous education with real-world experience and a foundation in empathy, shaping students to lead with skill and heart in every corner of the health care industry.

No matter how much a nurse accomplishes academically, the heart of the job is at the bedside of the patient, said Tart. When she ushers nursing students into a hospital for their rounds of practical experience, she tells them to think of the artistry of nursing care.

“Inside every room is a patient with their own story, and their care must reflect that individuality,” advises Tart. “We are creating an artistic masterpiece in that room—a portrait of care tailored to that person.”