Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Notre Dame College continued its tradition of celebrating its nursing students’ progression to advanced coursework with an intimate socially distanced service.

The College’s annual Nursing Lamp Lighting Ceremony recognizes nursing majors who have reached the junior year of the academic program. Each student in what will be the Notre Dame Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) Class of 2022 received a lamp of knowledge, which is an international nursing symbol representative of Florence Nightingale who transformed nursing into a profession, during the commemoration.

This year the observance took place in the Nursing Division on the third floor of Regina Hall. Six nursing majors were honored in person, with Lynn Papesch, M.S.N., assistant professor of nursing, lighting the candle of each student. All participants wore masks and practiced social distancing as they experienced the time-honored tradition and fellowship with faculty and family.

The service was led by Colleen Sweeney, Ph.D., J.D., M.S.N., interim division chair, associate professor of nursing, and director of online nursing programs at Notre Dame. Greg Knapik, Ph.D., A.N.P., and Michelle Berndsen, M.S.N., both assistant professors of nursing at the College, also participated.

Nursing majors marking the College and career rite of passage this year were: Lauren Alexander, Charelle Berry, Kailyn Fleeman, Ellie Gess, Bailey Heglaw, Andrea Spinelli, Ciera Stewart, Kara Tatum.

Notre Dame Nursing Difference

The nursing Lamp Lighting ceremony is just one facet of the Notre Dame difference. The College not only celebrates its nursing family with this commemoration midway through the academic program but also conducts a private service at the conclusion of the nursing degree via a traditional pinning ceremony for graduating senior nurses.

The Division of Nursing has affiliations with premiere healthcare institutions in the area including the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Metro Health Medical Center and the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center.

In its family tradition, the College offers small classes led by a dedicated faculty who are committed to guiding students to develop and achieve their personal, academic, and professional goals.

Notre Dame Nursing Diversity

The Division of Nursing’s mission is to prepare a professional nurse who is responsive to the health needs of a diverse global society. Notre Dame is among the most diverse colleges with nearly 50 percent of its students self-identifying as traditionally underrepresented minorities.

The campus supports chapters of the National Student Nurses Association, Men in Nursing and the Honor Society of Nursing. The College also provides opportunities for international service learning to its nursing majors and others.

Notre Dame offers innovative and accessible programs in nursing that include an on-campus traditional B.S.N. program as well as an on-line to R.N.-B.S.N. and on-line M.S.N. degrees. The baccalaureate degree in nursing program at Notre Dame College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

November 2020