Above: L to R: Cory Geffre, chief nursing officer, Altru Health System; Dr. John L. Hoffman, president, Bemidji State University & Northwest Technical College; Todd Forkel, CEO, Altru Health System.
A new partnership will help registered nurses in the Altru Health System earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Bemidji State University at no cost to themselves.
Cory Geffre, Altru’s chief nursing officer and executive vice president of hospital and primary care operations, said the partnership will strengthen the system’s care teams and the health of the regions it serves.
“When we invest in our nurses, we invest in better care for every patient who walks through our doors,” Geffre said.
The flexible, affordable degree completion program will begin in the fall of 2026. The partnership will allow Altru nurses to pursue a bachelor of science degree in nursing, advancing their careers and educations while continuing to serve patients in their communities. A combination of support from Altru and automatic scholarships from Bemidji State will cover tuition expenses for participating nurses.
Altru students will have five opportunities each year to start courses, which last eight weeks each and are offered 100% online. Nurses also have the option to enroll part-time if that best fits their schedules. The program can be completed in as little as one year.
Additional benefits include customized graduation plans for each student, access to tutors and peer support networks.
“Our RN-to-BS program was created with working nurses in mind, and this partnership with Altru Health System strengthens that mission,” Nicholle Bieberdorf, BSU’s senior nursing administrator, said. “Together, we are providing the opportunity for nurses to advance their education while continuing to provide exceptional care in their communities. We are excited about what this initiative brings for furthering nursing education”
Nurses who may need to complete general-education credits before starting a bachelor’s degree program can turn to Northland Community & Technical College. Northland’s participation in the partnership allows Altru nurses to take any needed general-education courses at a lower two-year college tuition rate, then transfer those credits to BSU.
Northland is also a partner in BSU’s Operation LEAD consortium, which offers benefits — including automatic admission into BSU’s bachelor’s degree in nursing program — for participating associate’s degree nursing graduates.
The partnership is part of Altru’s ongoing effort to create an industry-leading working environment for its nurses through its pursuit of Pathways to Excellence designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The designation recognizes health care organizations that demonstrate a commitment to a healthy workplace for their staff. There are currently just two providers in Minnesota with the Pathways to Excellence designation, and Altru would be the first designated provider in North Dakota.
“Alru’s commitment to the Pathway to Excellence designation is perfectly aligned with our values at BSU,” Bieberdorf said. “The designation reflects an environment where nurses thrive, feel supported and are true partners in achieving quality outcomes. This is the culture we want to prepare our graduates to lead in.”
BSU’s partnership with Altru was formalized at an October 30 signing ceremony at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, N.D.
Above: L to R: Kari Koening, associate’s degree nursing program director, Northland Community & Technical College; Ruth Eckstrom, BSU assistant professor of nursing; Dr. Christy Cook, BSU professor of nursing; Dr. Marci Maple, BSU professor of nursing.
The Benefits of a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing
Bachelor’s degrees create opportunities for RNs to expand their careers and their salaries. According to the American Nursing Association, nurses with bachelor’s degrees earn about $17,000 more per year than nurses with associate’s degrees — which, over a 30-year career, means a bachelor’s degree is worth more than $500,000. A bachelor’s degree opens doors to jobs such as charge or travel nurses, case managers, directors of nursing or chief nursing officers, clinical research coordinators and more. Bachelor’s degrees also allow nurses to pursue specialized role in critical care, oncology, pediatrics and emergency medicine.
About Altru
Altru is an independent, non-profit health care organization based in Grand Forks, N.D. Altru has an acute care hospital, a specialty hospital, a level two trauma center and 20 practice locations throughout northwest Minnesota and northeast North Dakota. With more than 300 providers and 65 specialties of care, Altru supported patients at nearly 430,000 clinic visits in 2024. Altru was the first member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, extending Mayo Clinic expertise to patients in the Altru service region. Learn more at altru.org.