In the 1950s and 1960s, Nevada experienced a nursing shortage, largely as a result of the lack of nursing schools in the state and rapid population growth. To address the problem, the Nevada Board of Regents approved the implementation of an associate degree program at the campus of Nevada Southern University (now known as the University of Nevada, Las Vegas) in 1965, and that fall the first students were admitted.

Maureen Matteson-Kane is Professor Emeritus of Nursing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). She taught at the UNLV School of Nursing from 1977 to 2004. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing.

Elaine Galatz was born September 1, 1939 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and studied English at the University of Wisconsin. In 1961, she married Neil Galatz and moved to Arizona. After attending the University of Arizona and Arizona State University for graduate studies and her teaching certificate, Galatz moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and taught at J.E. Manch Elementary. When her husband opened his own law firm in the mid-1960s, she served as the office manager and bookkeeper.