Dear Governor Perdue, We are the students enrolled in Excelsior College’s Associate of Science in Nursing program and we want to say thank-you! Thank-you for taking a public stance against the Georgia Board of Nursing’s interpretation of HB 1041 and in favor of bona-fide nontraditional education in Georgia. Most of us are actively employed as LPNs, respiratory therapists or paramedics and rely on programs such as Excelsior’s to keep us competitive in the nursing profession in our own state of Georgia. It’s recognized programs like these that allow us to work full-time while supporting families that we could never do in a traditional institutional setting. Excelsior’s graduates have been recognized for licensure in Georgia for over 25 years. They’ve also been recognized by the National League of Nursing as one of only eleven “Centers of Excellence” in nursing education in the entire United States. So how could the Georgia Board of Nursing possibly decide to exclude a nursing program with pass rates on the National Council of State Boards of Nursing licensure examination (NCLEX-RN) exceeding the national average by over 2.5% What possible motivation could there be for killing a bona-fide cure for our nursing shortage where no objective evidence exists that Excelsior nursing graduates fail to perform in their profession at least as well as graduates of traditional nursing programs We know the budget will be front-and-center for you and the General Assembly as the 2009 legislative session begins in mid-January. You’re bold public stance on this issue has given us hope that the right decision will be achieved through legislation. The financial crisis in Georgia and the United States obviously has implications closer to home for us; unemployment. Georgia now ranks 37th out of 50 with unemployment at 7.0%--well above the national average losing over 61,000 jobs in 2008. To secure our place in this global economy we must remain competitive through advanced degrees which can then be employed in our great state. As much as we love living in Georgia, an unfavorable decision on the reversal of the decision of HB 1041 may require many of us to move to our neighboring states where Excelsior College is still recognized as a proven model of nursing education providing access for groups underserved by traditional campus-based nursing education. Thank you again for your support. Sincerely, Thankful Excelsior Students