Excelsior College Provides Multi-Year Sponsorship of National League for Nursing Scholar-in-Residence Program

Program Part of NLN Center for Innovation in Simulation and Technology

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC, April 11, 2014 — The National League for Nursing Center for Innovation in Simulation and Technology, one of the new seven centers that comprise the DC-headquartered NLN Home for Transformative Excellence in Nursing Education, will benefit from a five-year sponsorship by Excelsior College of NLNs Scholar-in-Residence Program. The NLN Excelsior College Scholar-in-Residence will facilitate career advancement for nurse educators with doctoral degrees, bringing them professional development opportunities and exposing them to the latest evidence-based scholarship.

Excelsiors support of the NLN Center for Innovation in Simulation and Technology represents an extension of its mission and values in promoting the nursing profession; these resonate with those of the NLN.

"The League is profoundly grateful to the leadership of Excelsior for their vision and generosity. The NLN Excelsior College Scholar-in-Residence will bring critical knowledge and experience to the NLN Center for Innovation in Simulation and Technology, supporting the NLN mission to create a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the nations health," noted NLN CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN.

Added NLN President Marsha Howell Adams, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF and senior associate dean of academic programs and professor at the Capstone College of Nursing at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa: "The four core values that permeate the NLN and guide its mission - caring, integrity, diversity and excellence - are reflected in transformative strategies the League implements to lead in advancing excellence and innovation in nursing education. Thanks to Excelsior College, the NLN is poised to maximize the potential for advancing excellence in nursing education through new and expanding programming in the increasingly sophisticated field of simulation and technology. The sponsorship couldnt be more timely."

"As an NLN Center of Excellence in Nursing Education, we have an obligation to share our knowledge and experiences with other schools of nursing," said Excelsior College president John F. Ebersole. "As a transformative organization ourselves, sponsoring the Scholar-in-Residence Program means that we can help support the professional growth of the larger nurse educator community and benefit from the advances participants will achieve for the nursing profession."

The new simulation scholar-in-residence will have multiple and varied responsibilities at the NLN. The scholar will provide direction to all ongoing NLN simulation activities; collaborate with other NLN professional leadership to develop and execute simulation research; increase the NLN faculty development simulation and technology program offerings, expand the Simulation Innovation Resource Center (SIRC) website and related simulation activities; support participants in NLNs Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators through conference calls and one-to-one meetings; and provide guidance to NLNs Advancing Care Excellence for Seniors (ACES) Project through unfolding cases and simulations; plan simulation events at the NLN Education Summit, Technology Conference and other NLN professional development programs; and collaborate with companies involved with simulation to provide resources and updates of simulation research advances, studies, and research.

Excelsior College has been an NLN Center of Excellence since 2005. That year, the college earned the distinction in the category Creating Environments that Promote Student Learning and Professional Development. Known for its innovative programs, Excelsior has been a recognized leader in providing educational opportunities for adult learners and those historically underrepresented in higher education since its founding in 1971. Its School of Nursing, introduced in 1975, has been a pioneer in non-traditional higher education, providing a competency-based, outcomes-assessment program through a distance education format that draws on the expertise of faculty from across the nation.

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 40,000 individual and more than 1,200 institutional members, comprising nursing education programs across the spectrum of higher education and health care organizations.

Excelsior College is a regionally accredited, nonprofit distance learning institution that focuses on removing obstacles to the educational goals of adult learners. Founded in 1971 and located in Albany, NY, Excelsior is a proven leader in the assessment and validation of student knowledge. It offers more efficient and affordable access to degree completion through multiple avenues: its own online courses and college-level proficiency examinations, and the acceptance in transfer of credit from other colleges and universities as well as recognized corporate and military training programs. Excelsior College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Excelsiors School of Nursing is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and is a three-time designee as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing.