A decade of excellence at the Andy and Barbara Gessner College of Nursing!

The Andy and Barbara Gessner College of Nursing at the University of Houston is celebrating its 10th anniversary with every reason to be proud - hitting and surpassing academic milestones well before expected and responding to one of the most persistent challenges in health care: the nursing shortage. 

“We are answering the call,” said Kathryn Tart, founding dean, professor and Humana Endowed Dean’s Chair in Nursing at the Gessner College. That call is growing ever louder, as the World Health Organization estimates a global shortfall of 4.5 million nurses by 2030. 

The College, which is the only public nursing program in the Houston area that sits within a fully comprehensive university, has grown to almost four times its original enrollment and graduated 1,720 practice-ready professionals to help meet the growing demand.   

In 2015, the College had 12 faculty, 9 staff, 23 adjuncts, 131 students and two teaching sites. In 2025, there are 20 faculty, 12 staff, 36 adjuncts, 515 students and three teaching sites: UH Sugar Land Campus, UH Katy Campus and UH Main Campus. In 2015, the Traditional BSN track was added and in 2021, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program was added.  

The College’s growth and ability to educate more nurses to fill the gap has grown in step with its reputation for excellence. 

“For a decade, the Andy and Barbara Gessner College of Nursing has been a beacon of excellence, compassion and innovation in nursing education,” said UH President Renu Khator. “This milestone is a testament to our commitment to addressing critical health care needs and preparing the next generation of compassionate, highly skilled nurses who will shape the future of health in Texas and beyond.”  

In 2024, based on program reports provided by Mountain Measurement, Inc., the Gessner College of Nursing was ranked No. 1 in the nation — in several categories — derived from first-time pass rates of the NCLEX-RN® Examination, the standardized test that nursing graduates must pass to become a registered nurse in the U.S. and Canada. 

Based on that passing rate, the reports rank Gessner College first out of 123 programs in Texas, first out of 1,124 bachelor of science programs in nursing nationwide and first out of 2,228 nursing programs nationwide. 

“The rankings highlight our strong curriculum, dedicated faculty and staff, outstanding clinical partners, effective administration and generous donors,” said Tart.  

Beyond rankings the College has the only two accredited simulation centers in the Greater Houston area. In 2024, both the HCA Houston Healthcare Nursing Simulation Center located at the UH Katy campus and the Methodist Sugar Land Hospital Nursing Simulation Center located at the UH Sugar Land campus earned the national accreditation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.  

Both simulation centers feature state-of-the-art mannequins and tools for multi-disciplinary, hospital-based training in a realistic environment. In these dynamic environments, students practice, observe and are evaluated in various settings such as maternity, hospice, emergency room and at the bedside. 

History 

In December 2007, a School of Nursing was approved for the University of Houston-Victoria and operated there until fall 2015 when it transitioned to the UH Sugar Land campus with a singular vision: Nursing. Excellence. Period. 

Just over a year later, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board reclassified the program to the UH College of Nursing, opening opportunities for graduate and doctoral level programs along with fundraising and naming opportunities.  

Expanding the college’s footprint was something Dean Tart always had her eye on. 

“I want us to be in the communities where UH has a footprint. Being a UH college allows the UH Sugar Land campus to be the primary site by the Texas Board of Nursing with the UH Katy campus and the UH main campus as teaching sites.” 

Milestones came quickly for the new college — some even before the end of the program’s first year and not just when every single student passed the NCLEX-RN® Examination, although that surpassed the College’s goal of 80% of students passing. That year - and every year since – every Gessner student passed the national certification exam for the Family Nurse Practitioner degree.  

Every. Single. Student.  

Nursing. Excellence. Period. 

In those early days, the community was already deeply aware of the nursing shortage and Dean Tart spearheaded a workforce-pipeline philosophy, leading more nursing students to work and train in area hospitals. Today, students at the Gessner College complete seven to eight clinical rotations at local health care institutions, drawing from 111 clinical affiliations across the Texas Medical Center and Houston area. 

Gessner College of Nursing now offers a range of degree tracks, from entry-level to doctorate, combining rigorous education with real-world experience and a foundation in empathy, shaping students to lead with skill and heart in every corner of the health care industry.  

Nursing degrees available 

Undergraduate degrees

Traditional BSN  (A nurse) 

For UH pre-nursing students who want to apply during their junior year to become a registered nurse.  

Second Degree BSN (A career change) 

For those holding bachelor’s or master’s degrees in other fields who want to become a registered nurse.  

RN to BSN (Advancing careers) 

For working RNs who have completed their associate degree in nursing and RN licensure to advance their professional qualifications. 

Graduate degrees 

Master of Science in Nursing (The Master nurse) 

Graduates function in an advanced practice role as a Nurse Administrator, Nurse Educator or Family Nurse Practitioner.  

Post Master's Certificates (Specialty fields) 

Adding Nursing Education or Nurse Administrator to an MSN degree. 

Doctor of Nursing Practice (The highest level) 

Graduates practice an advanced nursing practice specialty or advanced practice nursing role and complete scholarly work.  

Recognition from gracious supporters 

In 2023, the rising stature of the College drew the attention of two prominent Houston philanthropists, UH alumnus Andy Gessner and his wife, Barbara, who donated a transformative $20 million to support nursing education, research, scholarships and endowments. 

“We were raised by nurses. We believe in that tender, compassionate care that nurses provide,” said Barbara Gessner, whose mother and mother-in-law were both nurses.  

“My legacy would not be what we did, but what this gift has done,” said Andy Gessner. “The true, true story is me, you, everybody here in the room – they're going to need a nurse at some time.”  

Thus, the college was renamed the Andy and Barbara Gessner College of Nursing. 

A family of care 

Like the Gessners, Dean Tart comes from a family of compassionate individuals and dedicated health care providers.  

Her grandfather was a surgeon and so is her daughter. Her father was a Lutheran minister, and so is her husband. Clinical care and emotional support seem rooted in Tart’s DNA, and that familial passion for helping others distilled itself to perfection in Dean Tart. 

“Nurses are so fortunate because we are there at every step of the way for people. We get to see people in their most vulnerable positions, and we can be their advocates and help them move forward to their best possible self throughout their whole lifespan,” said Tart. 

Her compassion extends beyond patients in her care to the students in her college. One particular student, Ryan Moore, was just completing his master’s in 2023 at the Gessner College to become a nurse educator when the administration began recruiting him, before he had graduated. 

Despite a stellar academic record, boasting straight A’s, Moore had no idea why they wanted him. But Dean Tart did.  

"You know when you see those lights going on in people's eyes? And you know they found their happiness?” Tart asked. “I saw somebody who wanted to teach, who was so smart, who could put everything together, and I knew that he was going to be an excellent educator for the future generations of nurses.” 

Moore was elated.  

“When I was getting my master’s at Gessner, I saw the standards the College has and I was proud to be part of that organization that was not just trying to graduate students because we want the numbers, we were graduating students who would be good nurses, and I wanted to be a part of that,” said Moore, who is now Professor of Practice at the Andy and Barbara Gessner College of Nursing.  

At the bedside 

No matter how much a nurse accomplishes academically, the heart of the job is at the bedside of the patient, said Tart. When she ushers nursing students into a hospital for their rounds of practical experience, she tells them to think of the artistry of nursing care. 

“Inside every room is a patient with their own story, and their care must reflect that individuality,” advises Tart. “We are creating an artistic masterpiece in that room—a portrait of care tailored to that person.”  

Highlights of the Gessner College 

-- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education accreditation (2023 - 2033) 

-- Society for Simulation in Healthcare accreditation (2024 - 2029) 

-- $20,000,000 naming gift for the Andy and Barbara Gessner College of Nursing (5/8/2023) 

-- 114% increase in pre-nursing enrollments from fall 2020 to spring 2025 

-- Lowest median debt of any university nursing program in Texas 

-- Opened a nurse-managed clinic to serve the homeless and underserved in downtown Houston 

-- Graduated its inaugural cohort of students in 2024 from the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program 

-- 111 active clinical affiliation agreements for student clinical learning 

Nursing the Future 

As the Gessner College of Nursing moves into the future it will continue to focus on student success, social responsibility, sustainability and growth and raising the profile of the nursing profession around the world. 

 In 2024, with guidance from the Gessner College, two universities in India — MGM Institute of Health Sciences in Mumbai and Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences — introduced the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, expanding advanced nursing education in the country.  

 It is the first time any university in India has offered the degree. 

 “It takes time and so much effort to put this program in place, but the outcome – raising the bar for nursing education and helping fill the leadership shortage – makes all the effort worthwhile,” said Tart. “We continue to press forward and answer the call to help solve the global nursing shortage.”