Fourth Cohort of NLN Jonas Scholars Named

Grant from New York-Based Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence Helps Advance the Science of Nursing Education Through Doctoral Studies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC, October 31, 2013 — Five doctoral candidates were selected as the fourth cohort of Jonas National League for Nursing Scholars. This prestigious honor will support them for the academic year as they work to complete rigorous research studies for their dissertations.

Now housed in the new NLN/Chamberlain College of Nursing Center for the Advancement of the Science of Nursing Education, the NLN Jonas Scholars Program was established in 2010 with a $75,000 grant from the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence. It addresses a core formal goal of the NLN: Promote evidence-based nursing education and the scholarship of teaching. The initiative includes a comprehensive mentoring component that engages scholars in peer-to-peer interactions, as well as nurturing relationships between scholars and faculty mentors.

"The Jonas Center grant facilitates the NLNs dedication to faculty development and to the creation of opportunities for leadership and career advancement," noted NLN CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN. "We are proud of the fact that a number of previously named NLN Jonas Scholars have gone on to serve as faculty mentors, which is one of the expectations of the program."

Added Marsha Howell Adams, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF, president of the NLN and senior associate dean of academic programs and professor at the University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing: "The NLN is appreciative of the critical support provided by the Jonas Center to expand the number of doctorates among nurse educators, thus promoting academic progression and life-long learning in nursing education. Thanks to the Jonas Center, these emerging leaders may serve as exemplars and role models to advance the science of nursing education through their scholarship."

"The Jonas NLN Scholar program has afforded us an effective tool to address the shortage of nurse educators, long cited as one root cause of the nationwide nursing shortage," asserted Darlene Curley, MS, RN, executive director of the Jonas Center. "With the centers support, scholars are able to focus on their research and dissertations, make swift progress toward graduation, and land faculty jobs at top schools of nursing. The key to a well-prepared nursing workforce is top-notch faculty."

Scholars are selected through competitive review. Funds are distributed through the NLN Foundation for Nursing Education and include financial support for research through the 2013-14 academic year, as well as travel expenses to meetings with mentors at the NLN Education Summit. A number of scholars in previous cohorts have since graduated and joined the ranks of doctoral-prepared nurse faculty, fulfilling the grants stated purpose to advance the science of nursing education through evidence-based research. Others are still in the process of working towards the completion of their degrees.

NLN Jonas Scholars - Cohort 4 (2013-2014)

• Loretta Bilder, MSN, CRNP, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
• Amy Luckowski, MSN, CCRN, Widener University
• Jo Ann Burns Platko, MSN, CRNA, BC, Villanova University
• Claire Tilley, MN, RN, University of Washington
• Elizabeth Zimmerman, MSN, RN, Case Western Reserve University

For additional information about current and past NLN Jonas Scholars, please contact Elaine Tagliareni, NLN chief program officer, at 202-909-2481 or etagliareni@nln.org.

Editors and reporters: For interview opportunities, please contact NLN chief communications officer, Karen R. Klestzick at 202-909-2483 or kklestzick@nln.org.

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 professional development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 39,000 individual and 1,200 institutional members. NLN members represent nursing education programs across the spectrum of higher education, and health care organizations and agencies.

The mission of the Jonas Center is to advance professional nursing through grant-making and programs that improve nurse recruitment and retention; increase ethnic diversity among the nursing workforce; promote innovative practice models; and improve practice settings in New York City and beyond.