AACN Mourns Passing of former Dean and Staff Member Betty Johnson

Dr. Johnson is shown here during her time working for AACN.

Dr. Betty Johnson, former dean at two schools and former staff member at AACN, passed away on December 11, 2018. She was 87.

Dr. Johnson earned her BSN at the University of Minnesota, her MSN at the University of Colorado, and her PhD in nursing at the University of Wisconsin. She served as Dean of the College of Nursing at the University of South Carolina from 1975-1980) and was the founding dean of the Department of Nursing at the University of Virginia's College at Wise, where she continued to work as an adjunct faculty member in her later years.

Dr. Johnson was an invaluable staff member for AACN in the 1980s, instrumental in coordinating the work groups that produced the initial Essentials of College and University Education for Professional Nursing, published in 1986. She later worked as an advisor to the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), helping that autonomous arm of AACN get off the ground in the late 1990s.

Reacting to Dr. Johnson's death, former AACN Chief Executive Officer Polly Bednash said, "Betty Johnson was a wonderful person who played a big role in the establishment of the first Essentials and in the work of CCNE. She was an important player in AACN's history."

Memorial contributions in Dr. Johnson's name may be made to the University of Virginia's College at Wise, School of Nursing, 1 College Avenue, Wise, VA 24293.