By Joan C. McKinney, director of university communications

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - Laura Bishop always wanted to be a nurse. Campbellsville University's Dual Credit Program is furthering her dream of becoming a nurse.

Bishop, who will graduate from Green County High School in spring 2008, will have 18 college credit hours before she enters Campbellsville University in fall 2008.

Her Dual Credit courses at Campbellsville University, taken while a high school student, have allowed her to “accomplish that extravagant goal” of studying to become a nurse.

Bishop is among a growing number of students who get the jump on college by enrolling in college classes while they are still in high school. Becoming part of the Campbellsville University Dual Credit program allows students to:

• Attend college classes during high school hours with no added travel
• Graduate from college in less time - in Bishop's case, she will have the prerequisites for nursing completed so she can apply to the School of Nursing
• Save up to 90 percent over the cost of a regular college course
• Enjoy campus events and facilities with their own college I.D.
• Learn what to expect from a college professor's requirements
• Enroll in an exciting process open to all students who qualify.

“The overall mission of CU is to help students find their calling,” said CU president Michael V. Carter. “The Dual Credit program really supports that mission by helping students get an early start on their future while saving money on the cost of college.”

The best aspect of Dual Credit is that each student actually gets help and support toward college success throughout the semester from both high school leaders and CU admissions, said Dave Walters, vice president for admissions and student services.

“We host a special event each year specifically for Dual Credit students to come on campus because we value these students as our own,” he said.

CU's Dual Credit program has experienced rapid growth since its inception several years ago. In 2005, Campbellsville University enrolled more Dual Credit students than any other independent college in Kentucky, Walters said. The program set a school record in fall 2006 with 518 students entering the program from 22 different school systems across the state.

Bishop has taken U.S. History, English 4 and Pre-Calculus, all honors classes, and a summer class at CU called Computer Concepts and Applications. She plans to take psychology before she graduates from high school and plans to take anatomy in summer 2008.

Her plan is to hopefully be accepted to CU's School of Nursing the same fall of the year she graduates from high school.

“During my Computer Concepts class, I had met the dean of the nursing school, (Jo Ann Wever) who is a wonderful woman, and I was fortunate to speak with her about completing the classes required for nursing school,” said Bishop.

Bishop said, “Dual credit has prepared me for college; it has allowed me to see how a college classroom will be before I get there.

“I believe that you can never have too much or any wrong education, and dual credit has allowed me to study in many different fields while achieving my main goals.”

Bishop said, because she took dual credit courses, she has all of the required courses completed, and this will allow her to apply to the nursing program during her first year of college.

“That would have to be the greatest achievement that dual credit has helped me with,” she said.

Bishop said she was aware, in high school, there were some courses at CU to take as dual credit. “I didn't know very many details, but I was sure that would be a brilliant way for me to start my college experience,” she said.

She said the GCHS guidance counselor, Tammy Thompson, informed the students about the details and fundamentals to dual credit.

She said Sharon Gowin, assistant to the director of admissions who works with the Dual Credit Program, came to Green County High School and “told us about how much it would cost, how many credit hours we would earn and when the deadlines were.”

She said Gowin also talked personally with her in her office on campus and explained the program to her.

“My teachers were also a big asset andI would like to thank them, not only for giving me the opportunity to learn, but also taking time to complete such high levels of education so that my generation can better themselves more efficiently,” Bishop said.

Bishop said her mother, Debbie Murray, who is employed in CU's Office of Information Technology, has “really helped me.”

“If I had any questions about my class work, she was there to help. Also, if I didn't know something about the financial things my mom would most definitely be there to help me answer those,” she said.

Families and teachers who have not been exposed to the opportunity need to know that Dual Credit can ease the top concerns of a high school student, according to Walters.

For information on Dual Credit at Campbellsville University, call (270) 789-5220.

Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,310 students who represent 100 Kentucky counties, 32 states and 28 foreign nations. Listed in U.S.News & World Report's 2008 “America's Best Colleges,” CU is ranked 22nd in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the South and eighth in the South for “Great Schools, Great Prices.” CU has been ranked 15 consecutive years with U.S.News & World Report. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his ninth year as president.