College of Nursing designated NLN Center of Excellence

The designation recognizes leadership in enhancing student learning and professional development

Beverly Malone, PhD

Beverly Malone, PhD

The University of Cincinnati College of Nursing’s commitment to excellence, innovation and collaboration to enhance student learning and professional development has earned it the designation as a National League for Nursing (NLN) Center of Excellence in Nursing Education.

The NLN’s Center of Excellence designation program recognizes nursing schools and health care organizations nationwide that demonstrate sustained, evidence-based and substantive innovation in a specific area; conduct ongoing research to document the effectiveness of such innovation; set high standards for themselves; and are committed to continuous quality improvement. UC College of Nursing was one of 17 organizations to receive the four-year Center of Excellence designation in 2020.

"NLN Centers of Excellence help raise the bar for all nursing programs by role-modeling visionary leadership and environments of inclusive excellence,” says NLN CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, UC NURS '70, A&S '82. “These environments help nurture the next generation of a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the health of the nation and the global community.”

UC College of Nursing was designated an NLN Center of Excellence in the area of Creating Environments that Enhance Student Learning and Professional Development—one of four areas for which the NLN offers the Center of Excellence designation.

“This recognition means so much to us as a college as it validates the very purpose of our existence—to educate the students in the best way possible,” says Dean Greer Glazer, PhD.

The application for NLN Center of Excellence designation in its particular area required the college to provide evidence and data-driven outcomes of a shared vision to develop students’ values and socialize them to new roles, ongoing professional development and creativity, along with a commitment by faculty to develop dynamic, innovative learning environments and collaborate with each other, students, clinical partners and the community.

“Guided by our strategic vision to creatively leverage technology, innovation and inclusive excellence to lead and impact the transformation of health care, we continually strive to advance educational excellence,” says Gordon Gillespie, PhD, professor, associate dean for research and PhD program director. “We act on many fronts to push the boundaries of nursing education and endeavor to impact the future of health care, both locally and globally, through the excellent education of future nurses from pre-licensure to the advanced practice and doctoral levels.”

Formal recognition of this prestigious designation will be made at the 2020 NLN Education Summit, which will be held virtually in September.

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