Presentation College History of Nursing

November 20 – January 29

PC Nursing History 

The College was founded and is sponsored by the Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen.  Nursing has been a cornerstone among the educational programs offered by Presentation College for many years. St. Luke’s School of Nursing was founded in 1901 in response to the need for trained nurses to care for the sick during a diphtheria epidemic that year. It later became one of the first three nursing programs in the nation to participate in the Cadet Nurse Corps program during World War II.  In 1958, the name of the school officially changed to Presentation School of Nursing.  At the same time, diploma nursing students began taking academic support courses. In 1965, the decision was made to phase out the diploma program with the graduation class of 1968 and organize an associate degree nursing (ADN) program. The first class of 45 students was admitted in 1966.  Initial accreditation of the associate degree program was granted by the National League for Nursing in the same year.

In keeping with the Sisters’ mission of outreach, education, and service to Native Americans in the region, Presentation College began organizing a distance site in Eagle Butte on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation in the late 1970s. While open to all qualified students, Lakota Campus was intended to provide educational opportunities for Native American students close to their homes and families in this remote central region of the state. In 1980, the first group of nursing students was enrolled, and the associate degree nursing program continued until the College closed the location in 2013 due to decreased enrollment.

With a continued need for access to educational opportunities and increased demand for baccalaureate prepared nurses in the region, the decision was made in 1988 to develop an RN to BSN completion program so associate degree graduates could complete a baccalaureate degree in nursing.  The baccalaureate completion program was accredited by HLC and students were admitted later that year. 

As part of this evolution and in keeping with the College’s goal to expand its two-year programs into baccalaureate education, a generic baccalaureate nursing program (BSN) was eventually developed through a series of curriculum revisions from the associate degree and baccalaureate completion programs. The first students entered the sophomore level nursing major in the fall of 1995. 

In 1996, the final class graduated from the associate degree program located at the Aberdeen campus. Although the emphasis at the Aberdeen campus has shifted to the development of the baccalaureate degree program, the associate degree nursing program accreditation and approval was maintained. In 1996, baccalaureate completion courses were also offered at the Lakota Campus for the first time. 

Currently, Presentation College Division in Nursing offers the baccalaureate nursing program in Aberdeen for generic students and nursing completion (LPN – BSN and RN – BSN). The baccalaureate program is instrumental in meeting the needs of these rural areas for registered nurses. In addition, the Division of Nursing offers an MSN program which received initial accreditation in September 2018. 

Sr. Weinreis’s passion and love of art and engaging with people of all ages, resulted in the Mini Gallery, which was an open gallery, from 1972-1992, when the name was changed to the Wein Gallery. Artists from throughout Aberdeen, South Dakota, and the upper Midwest exhibited beautiful art work, pottery, handmade items and photographs.  Her contribution to the arts was recognized in 1990 when the Aberdeen Arts Council awarded her with the Friends of the Arts Award.