Friday at 2:30 Chicago time, the SCHS presentation team was supposed to make a final presentation to the COA. Dean Hunt was watching his watch as the departure time of 2:00 slipped by and there was no sign of his team. By 2:15, with still enough time to get to the meeting, the delinquents arrived complaining of a slow server at the local restaurant. The tension quickly mounted when we immediately ran into stopped traffic at a construction site. With a phone call to the COA and a quick prayer for patience, we were only 15 minutes late to the most important meeting of the past four years.

Although the other three stood some distance from me as we waited to enter the presentation room, I had truly calmed down and was ready for the challenge. The presentation went great and the Council asked questions for a full hour afterward. It was a great feeling to have completed the accreditation process on a high note and in the presence of those that would give professional guidance in the years ahead.

The Council informed the college that it has thirty days to inform the school of it accreditation status. At the latest, we will be able to announce on June 16th. I want to thank everyone that kept us in their thoughts and prayers on that special day.

Janet Ludwig, PhD, Dean of Science, Ramon Gonzalez, PhD, Vice President for Academic Administration and Dean Hunt, President attended the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Higher Learning Commission (NCA/HLC) annual meeting in Chicago. The college will be submitting the Preliminary Information Form (PIF) in May so the meetings were important, providing information and assistance.

The College is a Colorado-based school and therefore will seek regional accreditation from this body. The process is much like professional accreditation and takes upwards of two years. We hope to have full accreditation by the time our first class graduates.

Regional accreditation will allow a transfer of SCHS credits to other colleges and universities for the student who wishes to pursue additional degrees. We will continue to keep you posted on the progress of this accreditation as we did the COA.

The projected start date of July 6 is fast approaching. We have had over 300 prospective and interested students contact the school for application information. We have decided to try and keep the first class to around fifty students. This will allow us to give sufficient attention and response capabilities to any problems that may arise with our program or delivery. We will accept approximately 75 students in the January class. At the present rate, this class will be full by August.

Please understand: At this time SCHS is accepting and processing applications with the understanding that no students will be accepted into the program until notification from the COA. Those students who submit an application are informed that no start date has been announced and must wait for that notification from the COA.

It is with confidence that we move forward. Over $4,000,000.00 has been invested to date to make this a cutting-edge academic program with leading professors and the latest technologies. In August, Phase II will begin with the employment of two Ph.D. nursing personnel that will lead in the development of an AS, BSN, and MS nursing program. The Biology and Chemistry degrees are already in development under the experienced and capable leadership of Janet Ludwig, Ph. D, Dean of Science. We appreciate the encouragement and support we are receiving from our local political leaders, academic leaders in our community and from individuals interested in a different education. Our mission will always drive the development and therefore assure the quality for future students and graduates.

More MOU's Signed!

Student candidates - REMEMBER - hospitals that provide clinical SCHS training have first access to SCHS enrollment seats. If you are interested in the SCHS anesthesia program and are qualified to attend, I would encourage you to go to your hospital and approach them for your clinical training. You can refer them to the clinical page of this web site to access a full presentation prepared for interested clinical sites.

New Course Developer/Instructor

Dawn-Marie Buhain will be developing multiple anesthesia courses and instructing for SCHS. Dawn is a graduate of Medical College of Virginia where she received her Master's degree in the nurse anesthesia program. Dawn-Marie is continuing her education at St. Mary's University for a doctorate in Educational Leadership. Although Dawn-Marie lives in Minnesota, she will be as big of a part of the teaching learning team as any Colorado or California member! Welcome aboard Dawn-Marie! You can contact Dawn-Marie Buhain at dmbuhain@sumnerhealth.com

Ramon Porter has recently joined the SCHS team in the IT/Production area. Porter is a graduate of Shenandoah Valley Academy in Virginia, moving to California in October of 2007 to pursue warm weather and great work opportunities. He was raised in Flint, Michigan with an older sister and younger brother. Ramon's main hobby interests include chess, golf, reading and exercising. He is continuing to pursue education in the area of business.

We are excited about Ramon's talents and contributions to course production. Eventually he will specialize in animation and simulation. You can reach Ramon at rporter@sumnerhealth.com



Course Filming: Near Completion

To date, almost 75% of courses have been filmed. For nurse anesthesia, we have a total of 21 electronically delivered courses with a total of 336 lessons. Approximately half of those lessons are fully complete. The remaining lessons are in the editing department and will be completed on a planned schedule that assures delivery long before their planned use. We are excited about the quality of the visual presentations. Final decisions are being made about the delivery methods that will allow the students the greatest possible selection of technology use.

Thank you

All of us at SCHS want to thank prospective students, clinical sites and professors for their continued interest in this program. As we grow, your desire to be a part of this program is our greatest desire. On to July!