NLN Foundation Announces 2013 Nursing Education Scholarship Program Promoting Academic Progression

Awards to Support Faculty Pursuing Advanced Degrees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY — February 14, 2013 — "A top priority for the NLN and the NLN Foundation is to attract seasoned and ethnically diverse nurses to nursing education by making the pursuit of advanced degrees required of nurse educators more affordable," said NLN CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN.

In 2013, scholarships ranging from $3,000 to $6,000 will again be awarded to three outstanding nurse educators who are currently enrolled in accredited masters or doctoral programs related to nursing education. Once their studies are complete, according to the terms of the scholarship, they are expected to seek full-time faculty employment at a school of nursing.

"The NLN Foundations scholarships promoting educational opportunities for faculty dovetail with the NLN's four core values of caring, integrity, diversity, and excellence," noted Nancy Langston, PhD, RN, FAAN, chair of the foundation board and dean and professor at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing and executive director for academic nursing at VCU Health System.

Added Judith A. Halstead, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF: "The Faculty Scholarship Program is one resource for qualified applicants, but the need for more external funding remains critical to expand the general capacity of nursing schools to increase the overall number of qualified nurses in the workforce, prepared to meet patient demand and advance the nations health."

The three nurse educators named the 2012 FNE scholarship awardees are: Brenda Washington; Denise Johnson Dawkins; and Sandra S. McNeely. See below for bio-sketchs.

Scholarships are limited to League members, and candidates must be be enrolled in an accredited program for their application to be considered. For additional details and to download the application form, please visit www.nlnfoundation.org/Scholarship_Awards.cfm. The deadline for applications is close of business on April 30, 2013.

For more information about the scholarship program, please contact Sandra Deller at 212-812-0406 or nlnf@nln.org.

The mission of the NLN Foundation for Nursing Education is to raise, steward and distribute funds that promote excellence in nursing education to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the nations health.

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. The NLN offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 37,000 individual and more than 1,200 institutional members, comprising nursing education programs across the spectrum of higher education and health care organizations.

Denise Johnson Dawkins
Ms. Dawkins focused attention on encouraging minorities to enter the health care field. "The need for diversity in the nursing workforce has been well documented, but the minority nurse population has not kept pace with the minority patient population. As an African American nurse educator, I want to be a role model for my students, my community, and my family," Ms. Dawkins related. Director of the simulation/skills lab and part-time clinical instructor at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB), she teaches the nursing simulation and hospital clinical courses in medical/surgical and critical care nursing and nursing fundamentals, medical/surgical, and critical care nursing in the hospital setting. She aspires to be a change agent for nursing, beginning in her corner of the world on the West Coast; one goal, she said, is to make her simulation center a regional center and put the CSUB nursing program on the map as an NLN Center of Excellence. Ms. Dawkins is enrolled in the CSU Fresno/San Jose DNP program and will use her award to defray the costs of her doctoral studies as she looks forward to applying for a full-time, tenure-track position following graduation.

Sandra S. McNeely
"My pursuit of the PhD is motivated by love of learning, teaching, career goals, and the desire to contribute to the science of nursing," Ms. McNeely asserted. Her research interest has always been in best care practices, with an emphasis on gerontology nursing. Currently an assistant clinical professor at University of Houston-Victoria and teaching in the second degree BSN and RN to BSN programs since 1995, she has taught in both community college and university settings. Ms. McNeely is completing her third year of doctoral study at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Her dissertation explores end-of-life care for immigrants to the US, a topic timely and relevant to nursing practice today.

Brenda Washington
"I intend to use my education and experience to educate future nurses to excel in the delivery of patient care," said Ms. Washington. Experienced in both academic and clinical settings, she has worked in long-term care facilities, as well as in community and public health agencies. In the clinical arena, her experience includes obstetrics, pediatrics, pain management, medical, surgical, substance abuse, and critical care nursing. Ms. Washington currently teaches nursing theory and practice at two community colleges, while enrolled in a doctoral program in educational studies in nursing at Eastern Michigan University. She stated that her degree will increase her knowledge of the needs of underprivileged and disadvantaged urban patient populations, insight she believes will aid in her search for a full-time faculty position. Among her long-term aspirations is to contribute to positive change in nursing curricula to include cultural awareness and delivery of competent care to a culturally diverse population.