AACN selects five new Minority Nurse Faculty Scholars through national scholarship program

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 with aspirations to teach in our nation's schools of nursing.

“We are grateful to the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for joining with AACN and taking decisive action to help diversify the nurse faculty population.”

Joining the 38 scholars previously selected for this prestigious honor (and a similar program offered by AACN and The California Endowment) are the following students who are all enrolled in doctoral nursing programs:

• Willie Mae Abel, PhD candidate, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• Lisa Carter-Harris, PhD candidate, University of Louisville
• Carolyn Hickman, PhD candidate, Arizona State University
• Jimmy Andres Reyes, DNP and PhD candidate, University of Iowa
• Beverly Waller, PhD candidate, University of Michigan

"AACN extends a hearty 'congratulations' to 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 Kathleen Potempa. "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 an application review committee (see below), and awards in the amount of $18,000 each will be disbursed this fall. All scholarship recipients are expected to attend an annual faculty development program and meet regularly with an identified mentor who will assist in preparing Scholars to assume leadership roles in academia.

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 more than 10 years. AACN has effectively leveraged its resources to address this national priority given the strong connection between a diverse healthcare workforce and the ability to offer quality, culturally competent patient care. 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. The organization's work to embed new standards related to cultural competency in the Baccalaureate and Master's Essentials will help to better equip future nurses to care for an increasingly diverse patient population. Additionally, AACN's work as program administrator for The Robert Wood Johnson New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program has opened the door for nearly 2,000 new nurses to enter the profession, all of whom come from ethnically diverse and/or disadvantaged backgrounds.

"AACN's work to change the face of nursing is having a real impact, and we are proud that our collaborative efforts and strategic partnerships have resulted in more than $20 million in scholarship funding for minority nursing students since 2006," added Dr. Potempa. "As the recognized 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 in need."