Janey Roach will serve as inaugural director of new nursing school

Janey A. Roach

Grove City College is pleased to announce the appointment of Janey A. Roach as the first director of its new Charles Jr. and Betty Johnson School of Nursing.

Roach, who has extensive experience as a nurse, educator and administrator, will oversee the College’s newest academic school and direct and implement the newly-established Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program, which will welcome its first class of students in fall 2020.

“We are thankful and excited to have a person with Janey Roach’s talents and experience leading our new program. Her clear alignment with our mission will especially benefit students who seek a comprehensive nursing education rooted in the liberal arts tradition,” Grove City College President Paul J. McNulty ’80 said. “She is the ideal candidate to direct this innovative and in-demand program.”

Grove City College’s BSN program is the result of a unique private-public partnership with Butler County Community College (BC3) that offers students the best that both higher education institutions have to offer: Excellent liberal arts and sciences education from Grove City College and accredited, high-quality technical and clinical professional training through BC3.

“I look forward to the opportunity to assist and encourage Grove City College's nursing students as they progress on their individual journeys toward graduation and a career of helping people as nurses,” said Roach, of Pittsburgh.

The College’s four-year BSN degree program will be a departure from her experience as an instructor and director working with 16-month diploma programs. “One of the aspects of the Grove City College nursing program which truly excites me is the luxury of the additional time that I will have to observe, mentor and help nursing students grow in the profession,” she said.

Roach earned Doctor of Nursing Practice, Clinical Specialist and Master of Science in Nursing Education degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.S. in Nursing from Kent State University. She comes to Grove City College from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Schools of Nursing where she was the director of faculty affairs at Shadyside School of Nursing. She previously served on the faculty of UPMC’s St. Margaret Hospital School of Nursing, as a clinical instructor in nursing education and research at UPMC Presbyterian and as a nurse and manager in a variety of medical settings, including acute care, home care, intensive care, hospital, surgical and specialty practices.

The BSN program will have students splitting their time between Grove City College and BC3. Students will live on campus and attend classes at Grove City College in the first and fourth years of the program. In the second and third years they’ll attend classes at both institutions, with formal nursing classes and professional placement through BC3’s Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health. At the end of the third year, students will take state exams and are expected to begin working in the field as they complete their fourth year. Grove City College will offer flexible and online classes to allow students to “earn while they learn.”

Grove City College is investing $500,000 in the partnership with a multi-year gift to BC3 for construction of the Victor K. Phillips Nursing and Allied Health building where BSN students will one day attend technical and clinical courses. BC3 President Dr. Nick Neupauer said the College’s contribution shows “the forward thinking of President McNulty, and Grove City College as a whole, to realize that in these unique times for higher education, partnerships and collaborations are the way to go. This partnership is a win-win in so many ways.”

“Grove City College students will see the quality of their education enhanced as a result of the investment,” McNulty said. “Facilities matter. The facilities that our graduates will go into are strong and improving. Having first-rate educational facilities will make a big difference. The combination of highly capable students with talented faculty, and first-rate facilities, will provide these students with a clear advantage as healthcare professionals.”

“The College’s investment in this important partnership is made possible by a gift from Jayne Johnson Rathburn for Grove City College’s new Charles Jr. and Betty Johnson School of Nursing,” McNulty also said.  “Nursing is a calling that fits squarely within the mission and values of Grove City College.  We recognize the need nationally for skilled nurses and intend to do our part to answer that call as a service to the common good. Our BSN program is born of innovative cooperation between strong institutions that represent the best qualities of the private and public sectors to address a pressing critical need for skilled, knowledgeable and compassionate caregivers.”

For more about Grove City College’s BSN degree, visit www.gcc.edu/nursing.

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