2015 Centers of Excellence 1
Duke University Duke School of Nursing has four programs (ABSN, MSN, DNP & PhD). We have a history of innovation in teaching, service and research. We pride ourselves in knowing our students and partnering with them in all programs to meet not only their educational goals but advancing their professional goals as well. We have grown in enrollment significantly in the last 10 years and moved into a new state-of-the-art building but what has not changed is our commitment to excellence and to our students and our community. We hold both our NLN designations with pride for everyone associated in making our programs student centered, effective and our graduates who we believe represent excellence and our contribution to the profession of nursing. The COE designation is the outward validation and recognition of the excellence we strive for in all our programs. The designation recognizes the community of learners that are present at our school who work everyday to ensure our students have the best educational experiences. Our mission is educating nurses, teachers, leaders and researchers of tomorrow. Building on our 85 year history this second designation recognizes that students have always been and continue to be at the center of all we do at Duke. 2
Louisiana State University LSUHSC School of Nursing has a strong C-PRIDE faculty mentoring program that builds on the core values that ensures faculty are excellent nursing educators. MUSES program (Mentoring Undergraduate Students for Excellence in Scholarship) is a honors program build on the school's core values to develop future scholors at the undergraduate level. Interprofessional education and practice are cornerstone activities utilizing human patient simulation, clinical education experiences, and nurse managed clinic experiences to prepare students for an interprofessional collaborative practice environment. 3
The College of New Jersey TCNJ School of Nursing, Health, and Exercise Science is very student centric. Students are involved in shaping our programs, participating in community engaged learning throughout their academic program, and are encouraged to work with faculty on MUSE-Mentored Undergraduate Student Experiences that are funded. These activities are all part of the College's Signature Experiences and embedded in the College's strategic plan. The strong faculty commitment to high educational standards is a cornerstone of the School s philosophy. The COE designation affirms that the School promotes positive student learning environment and teaching excellence. 4
Thomas Jefferson University The impact of the Jefferson College of Nursing s excellence initiatives on creating environments that enhance student learning and professional development is demonstrated in several ways. The faculty s creation of a student-centric learning environment is evident in innovative approaches, such as the use of tablet technology and simulation, to achieve enhanced student learning and academic excellence. A second example is demonstrated in creating a new model for baccalaureate education that addresses the challenges and demands placed on the health care system and providers in the 21st century. The curriculum is based on Health is All We Do and the curriculum for health is H.E.R.E humanistic, evidence-based, reflective, and excellence in clinical nurse leaders. A third example of the impact of JCN s excellence initiatives is reflected in the quality, quantity, and impact of student and faculty scholarly work accepted for publication and/or recognized as worthy for funding. 5
Union County College The Practical Nursing program at Union County College provides a rigorous, while supportive and empowering curriculum to a diverse population of students. Their outcomes are consistently exceeded and demonstrate a commitment to excellence and educational opportunity. Over $5 million in grants have been secured to support the program and its students, including a new initiative for a LPN to BSN articulation. All of their faculty members have at least a master's degree in nursing, and they act as extraordinary role models in the classroom and clinical area. For more than a decade, their graduates have exceeded a 90% first-time pass rate on the NCLEX-PN, and employers constantly seek them out for their ability to provide high quality patient care. 6
University of Texas - Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington s College of Nursing and Health Innovation provides an exceptional learning experience for its 19,000 students in BSN, RN to BSN, MSN, DNP and PhD programs. The Center of Excellence designation recognizes that at every level, in campus-based and online programs, a unique set of student-centered supports drive interactions of the highest quality among students, and between individual students and faculty. Members of the faculty view this interaction as essential to the work of developing students values and socializing them to new roles. 7
Western Governor's University The nursing programs at WGU employ competency-based learning to develop contemporary skills in working adults, whether as new BSN prepared RNs or currently licensed RNs seeking bachelors or masters degrees. As a non-profit university committed to improving access (financial and geographic) to higher education for working adults, WGU is recognized as a top provider of education to minority nurses and a leading innovator in distance education. The nursing programs are designed and delivered with a student-centric approach, which also fosters the development of person-centered skills in WGU BSN and MSN graduates. 8
Continuing Designees 9
Collin College The Collin College nursing program offers a stimulating environment for student learning with faculty committed to excellence. Exemplary cornerstones of the program include a concept-based teaching strategy that actively engages students in the learning process; an empiricallearning simulation experience; and extensive community involvement through service learning. The program has attained and sustained a standard of excellence as reflected in a first-time pass rate for the NCLEX-RN licensure rate average of 92.36%, a current retention rate of 99%, and a program growth rate of 30% over the past three-year period. NLN designation as a Center of Excellence distinguishes the program and faculty as leaders in nursing, consistently committed to delivering the highest quality education. The educational environment is maintained by providing excellence in the development of a current, relevant, and effective curriculum and through the implementation of the curriculum by faculty educators to the nurses of tomorrow, their peers, and the community. 10
Duquesne University The Duquesne University School of Nursing, a NLN Center of Excellence, provides a challenging and supportive learning environment that emphasizes innovation, ethical practice, community service, with a commitment to social justice. The School offers cultural immersion opportunities, and technology-based instruction via e-books, i-pads, and simulation methodologies. Efforts to ensure innovative coursework include ongoing, comprehensive revisions to all curricula and new programs including Biomedical Engineering/BSN and RN-BSN. Students and faculty are encouraged to be actively engaged in community service including Pittsburgh neighborhood initiatives and the interdisciplinary Community of Scholars program. As a NLN Center of Excellence, Duquesne University School of Nursing is proud of its efforts to create new levels of excellence where students and faculty thrive and in which outstanding, quality, future-oriented nursing education emerges. The School s learning environment supports and fosters the discovery of new knowledge and its effectiveness on nursing practice. The Center of Excellence designation enhances Duquesne s efforts to provide excellence in nursing education and to create a strong and diverse nursing workforce that will advance quality health care. 11
East Carolina University The East Carolina University College of Nursing's excellence initiatives demonstrate a commitment to nursing education that provides students with the knowledge, skills and professional attitudes necessary to lead in a changing healthcare system. We believe our destiny lay in development of nursing education that transforms healthcare each of our excellence initiatives focus on creating environments that enhance student learning and professional development. The mission of the East Carolina University College of Nursing is to serve as a national model for transforming the health of rural underserved regions through excellence and innovation in nursing education, leadership, research, scholarship, and practice. The college actualizes its mission through carefully crafted and developed evidence-based nursing curricula, interprofessional collaboration, and community engagement that affords and assures the development of professional nurses who impact the design and delivery of healthcare in our region and world. 12
Regis College Regis College is recognized for the third COE designation because of the dedication to excellence in serving students. The nursing programs are unique in that they encompass multiple education levels from AS through DNP. This provides quality educational opportunities with varying entry and exit points to sustain a program of academic progression. As a designated Center of Excellence nursing program,a major and sustained focus of excellence has been on creating and sustaining learning opportunities through health initiatives, both locally and globally. The stated goals of the nursing programs which flow from the institution s mission include preparing students for roles of leadership and service in the modern world, and promoting the integration of theory and practice in such a way that students will be aware of the needs and problems of a changing society 13
Trinitas School of Nursing Trinitas has remained committed to its long term goals of open access and of increasing opportunities for the educational mobility of a culturally diverse student body. Through a series of strategic plans, Trinitas has been able to sustain initiatives that enhance the students learning environment and promote their professional growth. Faculty development programs, partnerships with institutions of higher learning, faculty commitment to full integration of technology and a robust and caring support system that provides students with the tools to help them succeed and advance to the next level of nursing education are in place. 14