Concordia College Alabama has added pre-nursing associate degrees and partnered with Tuskegee University to guarantee students admission into Tuskegee’s Nursing and Allied Health professional program. This partnership allows Concordia graduates to continue their education following the graduation of an associate of arts degree from Concordia’s Health and Sciences Division.

The three degree programs that were officially approved Wednesday include Pre-Nursing, Pre-Occupational Therapy and Pre-Clinical Laboratory Sciences.

Concordia’s Health Sciences Division Chair, Dr. Constance Smith-Hendricks, said the articulation agreement was based off an effort to provide citizens in the area more dependable healthcare services in the future.

She said healthcare in Selma is one of the largest employers in town, and research shows the more educated the care deliverer, the better quality of care the individuals will receive.

“What we want to do is to improve the quality of child care life for the citizens in the Selma-Dallas County area and one way we can do that and contribute to the workforce is by adding programs that help address those areas,” Smith-Hendricks said.

The articulation agreement begins immediately, and Concordia expects to have its pre-nursing first graduates by 2017.

The following programs at Tuskegee will be offered: Bachelor of Science degree in nursing in Pre-Licensure Nursing, a Masters of Science degree in Occupational Therapy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Laboratory Sciences.

Smith-Hendricks said there won’t be any new courses added to account for the new pre-nursing programs.

“The majority of the courses are already here on campus,” Smith-Hendricks said. “We already offer them. They will be repackaged to meet the particular programs needed.”

With the new partnership, Smith-Hendricks said she is grateful that one historically black college will serve as a feeder into another historically black college.

Smith-Hendricks was a 1971 graduate of Concordia — then called Alabama Lutheran Academy and College — and she said she wishes Concordia offered the pre-nursing programs when she was in college. Now, she is looking forward to offering today’s students the opportunity to pursue their goals without moving too far away from home.

“I’m super excited about it,” Smith-Hendricks said.

Those interested in the pre-nursing programs are encouraged to contact Concordia’s Office of Admission at (334) 874-5000 ext. 19762 or visit www.ccal.edu.