ONEONTA, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) – The presidents of Hartwick College and SUNY Oneonta came together on Wednesday, August 16 to approve a new nursing articulation program between the two colleges.

The One-Hart Program allows SUNY Oneonta Pre-Nursing students to transfer seamlessly into Hartwick’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program. Students who complete their first two years at SUNY Oneonta would begin their phase in Hartwick’s program the summer following their second year.

“We are thrilled to be part of this historic collaboration,” SUNY Oneonta President Alberto Cardelle said in a statement. “As anchor educational institutions in the region, SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College have a tremendous opportunity to work with our community partners to create pathways and pipelines that will not only serve our students but also make our whole region stronger.”

The One-Hart program will be open to SUNY Oneonta students who are first-time, first-year students or transfer students who enter with fewer than 23 college credits. Students enrolled in the program must earn a minimum of C in all prerequisite courses and an overall GPA of 3 or above to remain enrolled. Students enrolled in the program may be eligible for Hartwick’s HartLand Promise Initiative as well. The initiative allows eligible students in Herkimer, Oneida, and Otsego Counties – as well as several others – could be charged less than $9,000 for tuition and fees.

Students in their final semester of the program will also be given the opportunity to interview for an RN position within the Bassett Healthcare network, thanks to an agreement between Hartwick and the network.

The signing of the agreement is particularly meaningful for Hartwick and its College President, Darren Reisberg. The nursing program at the college will celebrate its 80^th anniversary this year.

“This is a historic moment as it is the first nursing articulation agreement of its kind between the two institutions,” Reisberg said in a statement. “We both recognize the severe nursing shortage this region is facing and by working together, Hartwick and SUNY Oneonta are ensuring that a steady stream of highly qualified nurses is graduating, entering the workforce immediately prepared to contribute, and serving to boost the region’s economic vitality.”

The articulation agreement between the two colleges will go into effect on Friday, September 1.