A doctoral student at Columbia University Teachers College named Mildred Montag was the innovative nursing leader who founded associate degree nursing. An experienced nurse and educator, Montag held a strong belief that education for nursing belonged in educational institutions. She valued a liberal arts education for every nurse and recognized that nursing functions could be differentiated. Her doctoral dissertation proposed the preparation of nursing technicians (a term rejected by the NLN Council of Associate Degree Programs in 1976) in a two-year program in community colleges.

The publication of her dissertation generated much discussion. Montag was publicly berated for initiation of this program. Even some of her own colleagues at Teachers College questioned her wisdom. Skeptics were plentiful but Montag persevered because she thought associate degree nursing was worth fighting for.

A research project was carried out to test the new curriculum and seven community colleges were chosen to participate in the five-year research project. Evaluation studies showed that 80% of these new graduates were rated as better than or as good as graduates from other programs. Additionally, all who took the licensure examination in the first two classes passed. From that point on, associate degree nursing programs have experienced phenomenal growth from the initial seven programs in 1952 to the 929 programs in the United States today. Sixty percent of graduates taking the NCLEX RN are graduates of these programs. Thanks to Montag, nursing education became accessible to thousands of men and women who might not be able to afford or have access to a university education.

A golden jubilee year is a good opportunity to tip our long discarded caps to Montag, and recognize the accomplishments of associate degree nursing educators, graduates, and particularly today's students who never cease to amaze me. My own nursing school experience was as a single, 19 year old whose only responsibility was to study, get to classes and clinicals on time, and eat and sleep on occasion. I had no dependents and no job responsibilities. I didn't know it then but I was on easy street.

Today's typical community college nursing student holds a full time or part time job, is raising a family and has to squeeze studying into a life filled with other priorities. And the remarkable thing is, they just do it.

I suggest we take the opportunity in this 50th anniversary year to bring some attention to associate degree nursing in each of our communities. It is time to shine a little light on ourselves even though this is not the kind of thing that nurses do naturally. Lets have our voices be heard in celebration of associate degree nursing, and hope that nursing still continues to produce visionary leaders like Montag to guide us through this next millennium.

Yes, 1952 was a very good year.

-Pat Timpanaro