ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Seven members of the Henderson State University Nursing School faculty have resigned, according to Chancellor Chuck Ambrose.
This comes as the university continues working through its financial exigency process, which saw sweeping cuts as a result last year.
"Change is hard, and on a college campus where the majority of changes are people, there's an understandable reaction," Ambrose said. "Fear, anxiety, hurt, and sometimes anger."
Those are emotions also seen in students in the nursing program.
"I'm from here in Arkadelphia, and I'm a nursing student here," Henderson State junior Lunden Cotton said. "I always have that passion of wanting to help others."
Cotton has experienced the university's highs and lows over the past few years.
"It's been very tough," Cotton said. "This is probably one of the most stressful times I've had in my life."
Many of the resigning professors are ones Cotton knows personally. While the decisions leading up to the changes are ones he may not agree with, Ambrose said they were necessary.
"It means more work, it means more demands, it means better outcomes," Ambrose said. "That's the change that we're working through."
Ambrose described the change as flipping the focus— rather than narrowing down classes, allowing more students to progress in the nursing program.
A viewer told us that those faculty members told students that they should consider transferring because of those changes.
Cotton denied that they were encouraged to transfer.
We asked Ambrose and he confirmed that he also heard the faculty members tell students to transfer, and disagreed with guiding students in that direction.
"Representing something that's not really where the institution is and where it's headed to students is very hurtful," Ambrose said.
Cotton is now left facing a tough decision. He said he's looked into transferring, but it would mean finishing his education somewhere other than home.
Ambrose emphasized that the program is accredited and ready for the future, but Cotton said he wants them to keep this program strong as it was.
"With such a high demand for nursing, there needs to be a high emphasis on remaining accredited and remaining a program that is meant to be successful," Cotton said.