US Congress hails opening of International University of nursing on St.Kitts

by The Communications Unit/Caribseek

Posted: Jun 17, 2005 19:16 UTC

BASSETERE, St.Kitts (CUOPM) -The U.S. House of Representatives is supporting Wednesday's opening of the American-owned International University of Nursing on St. Kitts.

Founder of the International University of Nursing, 86-year-old Dr. Robert Ross, was presented with the plaque bearing the citation by Director, Chairman's Council of Citigroup in Palm Beach, Florida, Mr. Lawrence A. Greenberg during the official opening of the US$15 million facility.

Greenberg said the news of the opening of the International University of Nursing has reached the halls of Congress and read a message from the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.

"Dear Dr. Ross, Congratulations on the grand opening of your International School of Nursing on St. Kitts. With the acute nursing shortage in America, and the pressing needs to recruit and educate trained professionals, your School, will be an important part in filling a most important demand. Not only will America benefit, but so too, will many of our neighbors in the Caribbean and South and Central America.

Floridians will be grateful for the new influx of nurses that will be coming here. Hospitals can fill a void. Kind nurses can reduce their double shift and patients will get more attentive care.

Your long career in educating doctors has brought good medical care to many thousands throughout the world. Now as your attention turns to building a world-class nursing institution, we can expect more of the same. Thank you for your service to humanity.

E. Clay Shaw Jr. Member of Congress, United States House of Representatives."

Congressman Shaw, a Republican, has represented the people of South Florida since 1981.

Introducing Dr. Ross, who is also the Founder of Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts, Dean of Students Affairs at the International School of Nursing, Professor Frank Wagner noted that as early as his teens, Dr. Ross engaged in many entrepreneurial activities that laid the foundation "for what we now see around us."

A man of great vision throughout his life, he constantly listened and observed... looking always for the untapped market... the opportunity waiting to be developed... the dreamer waiting for a dream maker.

Like many, he served in WWII with the 69th Division in the European Theater. But this is where the similarity to other men ends. Unlike them, he was first in many fields:

In 1946, he was the first to introduce Television to the Midwest and Southeast United States and California... and TV broadcasting hadn't even started yet! He sold consumers a dream of being able to watch baseball, football and boxing in their living rooms and bars... And their dream came true!

In 1950, he was the 3rd largest manufacturer of germanium transistors, an industry so fraught with difficulty that failure was more likely to occur than success!

In the mid-60s, the New York Department of Commerce, recognizing his skill and foresight, invited him to go to Western Europe with William Casey. As many of you will remember, Mr. Casey later became the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, ran Ronald Reagan's Presidential campaign in 1980 and was Director of the United States' Central Intelligence Agency. During that trip abroad, Mr. Casey and Dr. Ross chatted about President Nixon's desire to open trade with Russia... a subject that would make normal men quake. But instead, Dr. Ross obtained the first Russian order for the IBM 360 computer and established business offices across Eastern Europe. He traded ore, petroleum and industrial commodities. Divisions of his Eastern Europe Inc. imported and exported lumber, plastics, grains, fertilizer, textiles, electronics, aluminum and other metals. By the late 70s, he was the sole sales agent in the U.S. for the Soviet auto and electronics industries and Rumanian auto and petroleum exports. In fact, he introduced a $3,195 Jeep-like Rumanian vehicle, the Aero, into the U.S... as well as German, Romanian and Russian motorcycles.

An employee approached him in 1976, complaining that his son was having trouble getting into medical school. It seems that 16,500 medical school applicants were rejected annually and deserving students were denied the chance to fulfill their dream of helping others. Most men would have found the idea of starting a medical school ridiculous, but Dr. Ross listened! And...

In 1979, Ross University School of Medicine was started in the Commonwealth of Dominica with 11 students in a humble hotel called The Castaways. In 1981, Ross University started another medical school here on St. Kitts for approximately 10 dreamers who wanted a chance to practice veterinary medicine. There were trials and tribulations along the way and most would have called it quits long ago, but Dr. Ross' perseverance over the last 20-some years has resulted in more than 6000 graduates currently treating 7 million patients per year…. and through them, Dr. Ross has touched the lives of more than 50 million patients!

Most men retire after middle age, but Dr. Ross' vision continues...

Today, there is a shortage of 125,000 nurses in the United States alone. The United States Department of Labor estimates that that number will increase to over a million in the next 10 years.

Dr. Ross saw yet another need... students with dreams that could not currently be fulfilled... and suffering patients badly in need of care but receiving none. And so he developed the International University of Nursing where students will spend one year in St. Kitts and eight months in US partner schools... all culminating in an associate degree in nursing and a license to practice as a Registered Nurse.

By 2006, IUON is projected to have 900 students but Dr. Ross never thinks of the short term... he is always looking to the future and the number of students is projected to grow so that by 2007, there will be 1200 students on this campus and 1500 by 2008! It is Dr. Ross' goal that this University will be the largest nursing university in the world offering the associate degree.