1919
Mennonite Sanitarium Association incorporated.
A History of Excellence
While many hospital nursing schools were founded in the early part of the 20th century, few of them survived. Fewer still developed into full-fledged degree-granting institutions.
Founded in 1919, in our 100-year-long history Mennonite College of Nursing — first dubbed the Mennonite Sanitarium Training School, then the Mennonite Hospital School of Nursing and finally, MCN — has graduated thousands of exceptionally well-prepared nurses. It is impossible to imagine what healthcare in McLean County, Illinois and the surrounding area would look like without the contribution of those hardworking, compassionate, and caring individuals.
Mennonite College of Nursing survived not only the trials and tribulations that come with the founding of any institution, but also the Great Depression and the Great Recession. We celebrated the first day that women were allowed to vote and we celebrated the last day of WWII. We sent nurses to serve in Korea and Vietnam. We have seen countless changes in the way healthcare is administered, and have watched as technology reshapes modern medicine. Our research is revolutionizing the way that students learn, re-imagining the student clinical experience, and paving the way for a new model of healthcare that focuses on keeping patients healthy.
Again and again Mennonite College of Nursing has adapted to the needs of our community, and most importantly, the needs of our students.
We are proud.
We are strong.
We are so incredibly thankful for this 100-year-long adventure.
And we are still rising.
Historical Highlights
1922
First class graduates from Mennonite Sanitarium Training School.
1939
Mennonite Sanitarium Training School was changed to Mennonite Hospital School of Nursing.
1944
Nursing students participate in Cadet Nursing Corps.
1963
First male student graduates from Mennonite School of Nursing.
1972
Summer Service Program (currently called Transcultural Experience) was started.
1982
The Chairman of the Mennonite Hospital School of Nursing Board of Directors, William E. Dunn, publicly announced the establishment of Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN).
1983
First baccalaureate class enrolled at MCN.
1985
Last graduation ceremony for diploma students, and first class to graduate with a degree from Mennonite College of Nursing.
1987
First independent College of Nursing in the nation to be accredited by the National League for Nursing.
1992
First Candlelighting Ceremony.
1999
MCN joins Illinois State University.
2007
First nursing student to receive ISU's Bone Scholarship.
2008
New PhD in Nursing Program approved.
2009
MCN graduates achieved a 100% pass rate on the NCLEX-RN exam.
2011
MCN Nursing Simulation Lab opens and America's Promise grant program started.
2012
$1.1 million, three-year Nursing Workforce Diversity grant received from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to help with recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups to the nursing profession. MCN establishes PROUD.
2014
MCN is the recipient of a federal Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship grant of nearly $700,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support the education of nurse practitioners.
2015
MCN graduates first Doctor of Nursing Practice students.
2017
MCN received a $1.4 million Advance Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW) grant from the Bureau of Health Workforce in the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to focus on rural and underserved populations. (July)
MCN received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support developing diversity in the nursing workforce. (June)
2017
MCN launches Nursing Leadership Academy.
2017
MCN's America's Promise School Project received an AACN Awards for Innovation in Nursing Education. (September)
2018
MCN was named a new strategic partner by the Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC). (March)
2018
Illinois State University's online nursing program (Nursing Systems Administration) is ranked as one of the Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs according to U.S. News & World Report for the fourth year, and the online RN to BSN program was also ranked for the second year as one of the Best Online Bachelor's Program. (January)
Illinois State University Mennonite College of Nursing ranked as one of the Best Graduate Schools by U.S. News & World Report and for the first time the Doctor of Nursing Practice was also ranked. (March)
2018
MCN received a $2.8 million grant from Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) to launch the Change Agents to the Underserved: Service Education (CAUSE) project. (July)
2019
MCN celebrates 100 years.
2019-12-04T11:05:06.856-06:00
2019