AACN Mourns the Loss of Past Board Chair Carole Anderson

Dr. Carole Anderson, an important figure in the history of AACN and former dean at The Ohio State University, passed away June 5, 2023, at her home in Columbus, Ohio.

Dr. Anderson served the association as a member of the Task Force on the Future of Nursing in 1999 and on the Board of Directors (BOD), holding the offices of Secretary, Chair-elect, and Chair (1996-1998). During her BOD tenure, she helped build consensus and make difficult decisions while membership struggled with accreditation issues, culminating in the vote to form a new national accreditation body for nursing education, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. In recognition of her service to the association, she was honored with Emeritus Membership.

Dr. Anderson earned her BSN, MS in psychiatric nursing, and PhD in sociology from the University of Colorado (UC). She taught at UC and served as associate dean at the University of Rochester School of Nursing for 9 years before her appointment as dean at The Ohio State University in 1986.

Those wishing to honor her legacy can donate to the Carole A. Anderson Graduate Fellowship Endowment Fund at The Ohio State University (give.osu.edu/caroleanderson).

(Read Remembering Dr. Carole A. Anderson by Dr. Bernadette Melnyk, dean of The Ohio State University School of Nursing.)