AACN Selects New Minority Nurse Faculty Scholars

AACN Selects New Minority Nurse Faculty Scholars through Joint Program 
with the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 9, 2014 – Today, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is pleased to announce that five new Minority Nurse Faculty Scholars have been selected through a national scholarship program funded by the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future. Launched to address the faculty shortage and enhance diversity among nurse educators, this AACN-administered program provides generous financial support, mentoring, and leadership development to graduate students from minority backgrounds who aspire to teach in our nation’s schools of nursing.

Joining the 58 scholars previously selected for this prestigious honor (and a similar program offered by AACN and The California Endowment) are the following students, all of whom are enrolled in doctoral nursing programs:
 

(Pictured from left to right)

• Doris Addo-Glover, George Mason University
  
• Eboni Harris, University of South Carolina
  
• LaKeetra Josey, University of Pennsylvania
  
• Marie McBee, University of Alabama Birmingham
  
• Patrick Muturi, Washington State University

“AACN would like to congratulate this year’s faculty scholars whose impressive academic and professional backgrounds will make them excellent nursing leaders and inspirational role models for the next generation of nurses,” said AACN President Eileen T. Breslin. “We are grateful to the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for joining with AACN and taking decisive action to help diversify the nurse faculty population.”

The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future–AACN Minority Nurse Faculty Scholars Program was launched in September 2007 to support full-time minority students with an interest in teaching. This program invites applications from students in doctoral and master’s programs who will serve as nurse faculty after completing their degree programs. Scholarship recipients were selected by a 10-member review committee (see below) with awards in the amount of $18,000 each disbursed in the fall. All scholarship recipients are expected to attend AACN’s annual faculty development conference in February 2015 and meet regularly with an identified mentor who will assist in preparing Faculty Scholars to assume leadership roles in academia.

Leading Efforts to Diversify Nursing Education

As a central component of AACN’s core values and strategic plan, enhancing diversity in nursing faculty and student populations has been at the forefront of the organization’s advocacy work and programming for almost two decades. AACN has effectively leveraged its resources to address this national priority since preparing a culturally diverse nursing workforce is essential to meeting the healthcare needs of the nation. By providing scholarships and leadership development opportunities to minority students pursuing graduate degrees, AACN is creating a cadre of future nurse educators and leaders of the profession. Additionally, AACN’s work as program administrator for The Robert Wood Johnson New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program has opened the door for more than 3,500 new nurses to enter the profession, all of whom come from ethnically diverse and/or disadvantaged backgrounds.

“As the leading voice for professional nursing education, AACN will continue to use its national platform to advocate for more programs and federal resources to assist schools of nursing with their efforts to remove financial barriers to nursing education and faculty careers for all populations under-represented in the profession,” added Dr. Breslin.  

For more information on issues related to diversity in nursing education and AACN’s efforts to address this critical issue, see http://www.aacnnursing.org/diversity.

The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future – AACN Minority Nurse Faculty Scholars Program Selection Committee

Susan Baker, PhD, RN
Dean, School of Nursing, St. Petersburg College

Michael P. Cary, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor, Duke University School of Nursing

Daisy Cruz-Richman, PhD, RN
Dean, College of Nursing, SUNY Downstate Medical Center

James A. Fain, PhD, RN, BC-ADM, FAAN
Professor of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Medical School

Carolina G. Huerta, EdD, RN, FAAN
Nursing Department Professor and Chair, University of Texas-Pan American

Teri Pipe, PhD, RN
Dean and Professor, Arizona State University College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation

Bobbie K. Reddick, EdD, RN
Chair, BSN Program, Winston Salem State University

Norma Martinez Rogers, PhD, RN, FAAN
Associate Clinical Professor, University of Texas Health Science Center

Yvonne Stringfield, EdD, RN
Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Delaware State University

Lin Zhan, PhD, RN, FAAN
Professor and Dean, Loewenberg School of Nursing, University of Memphis