It is with great excitement and anticipation that we reach the 50th Anniversary of the first four-year baccalaureate nursing program in South Carolina.  In 1957, our founding dean, Amy Viglione Cockcroft, led the way to develop the existing nursing program at the University of South Carolina, begun by Director Viana McCown. Under Dean Cockcroft’s leadership, the four-year BSN degree received national accreditation in the fall of 1957.  

Fifty years later, we celebrate this milestone with more than 6,000 USC nursing graduates who continue the legacy of leading in this state, this nation, and beyond. Our 50th Anniversary Planning Committee has organized an activity-filled weekend that we are confident will properly celebrate our rich tradition and distinguished history, our friendship, and our bond as caretakers.

What better time to celebrate the spirit of Carolina than the fall Homecoming weekend? As the leaves change and Columbia transforms into her Fall regalia, we invite you to join us on the historic USC campus on September 28 and 29 for the events that we have planned for our Nursing family. Welcome all!

For Carolina,

Mrs. Nancy Franklin Reynolds, BSN ’68, MEd ‘72
Chair of the 50th Anniversary Planning Committee

Dr. Polly Haigler, BSN ’77, MSN ’81 PhD ‘00
Co-chair of the 50th Anniversary Planning Committee

Dean Peggy Hewlett and Committee Chair Nancy Reynolds cut the cake to kick off the Anniversary year at the Annual Nursing Summit, March 2007.