MERIDIAN, Miss. ( WJTV ) – The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) approved Mississippi State University’s (MSU) proposal to establish two new schools in downtown Meridian.

On Thursday, May 16, the IHL approved the School of Health Professions and the School of Nursing, which will be located on the MSU-Meridian Riley Campus.

“I am grateful to the Board of Trustees for recognizing the vital partnership between MSU, the regional medical community and the civic and governmental leadership in Meridian and Lauderdale County that will transform healthcare opportunities and the quality of life throughout our state,” said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. “This is the realization of a vision for this community that will endure and grow.”

The MSN program is the state’s first accelerated, direct-entry nursing program. It received IHL Board approval earlier this year to begin admitting students this August. According to MSU, the program allows college graduates holding non-nursing degrees to enter the nursing profession as candidates for registered nurse licensure. The next steps in approval and national accreditation are scheduled for this fall. The process is pending Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges approval.

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