Shaping the future of nursing education
CU Nursing prepares leaders in clinical nursing, research, and community service. The college prides itself on teaching compassionate care while using new and emerging techniques to improve health in Colorado, the US, and the world. We are the leading nursing institution in the Mountain West and continue to pursue new nursing knowledge, teachings, and research.
Our vision and values
CU Nursing is committed to shaping the future of healthcare through patient-centered nursing. Our focus is teaching and learning, research, creative work, healthcare, and service. Our values focus on six areas:
- Academic excellence
- Leadership and service
- Health and well-being
- Collaboration and community
- Discovery and Innovation
- Diversity and Inclusiveness
Our rich history
CU Nursing has been delivering quality nursing education since 1898. We started in Boulder (the first campus of the University of Colorado) under the School of Medicine, with our first students graduating in 1901. CU Nursing became a five-year School of Nursing in 1920, which combined a BS degree and a nursing diploma.
Moving to Denver and Aurora
We moved to Denver in 1924 and stayed in the city until 2008 when we relocated to the CU Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. Our college has the unique distinction of having taught students on three of the four CU System campuses.
Visit our history center
You can learn more about our inspiring history by visiting the CU Nursing History Center. The history center has artifacts, photos, and other memorabilia highlighting our past.
Our Living Legends
CU Nursing has a long and storied history of excellence in nursing, including our ten Living Legends. The American Academy of Nursing honors Living Legends annually for their contributions to the nursing field. Our Living Legends represent a handful of leaders who have influenced nursing practice at CU Nursing and around the world. They share a pioneering spirit, a visionary approach to healthcare, and a commitment to investing in nursing’s future.
Changing nursing practice
Loretta Ford, BS ‘49, MS ‘51, EdD ‘61, a CU Nursing alumna and faculty member, forever changed nursing by co-creating the world’s first nurse practitioner program with her colleague, Dr. Henry Silver in 1965. Their work expanded nurses’ roles in healthcare after seeing the need for healthcare providers in rural Colorado. There are now more than 350,000 nurse practitioners in the US thanks to Drs. Ford’s and Silver’s work. Dr. Ford passed away in 2024 at the age of 104. Her dedication to nurse practitioner education is supported through the Loretta C. Ford Nurse Practitioner Endowed Professorship at CU Nursing. Received award in 1999.
Nursing practice framework
In the 1970s, Jean Watson, BS ’64, MS ’66, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, transformed nursing practice by focusing on human connection. Called the Theory of Human Caring, the practice is a framework for healing patients by preserving a patient’s dignity and creating a healing environment. The Theory of Human Caring is used by healthcare systems worldwide. Dr. Watson held the country’s first endowed chair in caring since at CU Nursing, where she was a professor and dean emerita. Received Award in 2013.
Training future nurses
Colleen J. Goode, PhD, RN, FAAN, launched the country’s first post-baccalaureate nurse residency program for new nursing graduates in the early 2000s. The partnership with the University of Colorado Hospital (UCHealth), CU Nursing, and then-dean Pat Moritz, RN, PhD, FAAN, prepares nurses to enter clinical practice. More than 60 hospitals use the residency program’s evidence-based curriculum. Dr. Goode supports scholarships and student research at CU Nursing through the Dr. Colleen Goode Fund for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects. Received award in 2014.
Making an impact
All of CU Nursing’s Living Legends are luminaries in their field. They are nursing leaders who have transformed nursing practice and improved nursing care. While some of CU Nursing’s Living Legends have passed away, their legacy will inspire nurses for generations to come.