Porter and Chester Institute told board Enfield campus was taught out; board presses for formal notice to DPH

Porter and Chester Institute representatives told the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing on Dec. 18 that the school closed instruction at its Enfield campus after a multi‑year teach‑out and that all enrolled students completed their programs.

Sherry Greifsue, PCI director of nursing, and colleague Julie Trasky summarized a timeline of notices, meetings and student communications beginning with enrollment suspensions in 2021. PCI said it stopped enrolling in the day program in April 2021 and in the evening program in October 2021, ran a teach‑out through 2024 and that the last two students completed their programs in October 2024. PCI said roughly 70 students were taught out in Enfield and reported high board‑exam pass rates: presenters cited about 55 day‑program students and 27 evening‑program students, with the day program’s pass rate described as about 91% and the evening program’s pass rate described as about 79%; the presenters also said many students obtained reciprocity to Massachusetts.

PCI acknowledged an administrative oversight in failing to provide a formal, signed closure notice directly to the board. “We truly apologize for that,” Greifsue said in presenting the chronology and said PCI had kept the Office of Higher Education informed throughout the process. The school told the board that records and corporate copies were being routed to its corporate office and that the campus lease ends in January 2025.

Board members thanked PCI for presenting the timeline, expressed appreciation that students were not displaced and that they had passed licensing exams, but pressed for clearer formal notification in future closures. Board member Mary Dieitman said she found the absence of a signed formal notice “a little disturbing” and asked whether the Department of Public Health would assess ramifications; department counsel responded that the regulations do not prescribe additional board action on program closure but that DPH can conduct site visits and follow up as needed.

The board treated the presentation as informational (FYI) and took no formal enforcement action at the meeting. PCI offered to provide the board with the underlying documentation and student‑notification materials on request and the chair said she would follow up with DPH and department counsel if any additional information or action were required.