Dr. Jean Bartels from Georgia Southern University Named President of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing

4/13/2004

From: Robert Rosseter of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 202-463-6930 ext. 231 or rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu

WASHINGTON, April 13 -- Jean E. Bartels, PhD, RN, professor and chair of the School of Nursing at Georgia Southern University, was elected to serve a two-year term as President of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Dr. Bartels assumed the presidency at AACN's annual meeting held late March in Washington, D.C.

"Jean Bartels is a visionary leader whose intellect, courage and passion for professional nursing education will serve the association well," said Kathleen Ann Long, PhD, RN, FAAN, Immediate Past President of AACN. "Dr. Bartels is committed to advancing AACN's mission of improving patient care by creating a more highly educated nursing workforce."

Dr. Jean Bartels has served on the AACN Board of Directors since 1995 in the roles of President-Elect, Secretary, Program Committee Chair, task force leader and columnist for the Journal of Professional Nursing. As the Chair of the Task Force on Education and Regulation for Professional Nursing Practice no. 2, she provided the guidance and leadership needed for AACN to move forward with the creation of a new nursing role called the Clinical Nurse Leader.

As a member of the Steering Committee for the Creation of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), Dr. Bartels helped to lay the foundation for CCNE to become the leading accrediting body for baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs. She has presented testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workplace, served as faculty for a national community-based education project funded by the Helene Fuld Health Trust, and is a frequent presenter before national groups, including the Sullivan Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce.

Prior to her appointment to Georgia Southern University in 1999, Dr. Bartels served in a variety of roles at Alverno College in Milwaukee, including Chairperson for nursing from 1990-1999. At the state level, she currently serves on the Georgia Board of Nursing Education Committee and is president of the Ogeechee Area Hospice Board of Directors. Dr. Bartels also provides regional, national, and international consultations on accreditation processes, community-based nursing education, outcome assessment, performance assessments, and in other areas.

A strong advocate for lifelong learning, Dr. Bartels has completed every level of nursing education from the diploma to doctorate. She earned a PhD in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; a Master of Science in Nursing from Marquette University; a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with honors from Alverno College; and a diploma from Columbia Hospital School of Nursing in Milwaukee. Dr. Bartels possesses practice expertise and has conducted research in the areas of nursing care for the adult, critical care, chronic care and community-based nursing practice. She has written a number of books, chapters and articles on topics ranging from outcome measurement in nursing education, critical thinking in nursing, nursing education for the 21st century, service learning and community- based nursing education.

"Professional nursing education and health care practice environments must inevitably and powerfully change if we are to prepare the next generation of nurses to participate as full partners in shaping an improved health care system," said Dr. Bartels. "As AACN president, I will strive to be a catalyst for positive change, an advocate for federal support for nursing education and research, and a champion for the pivotal role nurses play in health care delivery."

At the spring meeting, Jeanette Lancaster, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor and dean of the University of Virginia School of Nursing, was selected as AACN's President-Elect and will assume the presidency in spring 2006. Dr. Lancaster's service with AACN dates back to 1986, and she previously served on the Board of Directors from 1992-1995 and 2000-2003. Her distinguished career as a nurse educator in baccalaureate and higher degree programs includes the appointment as dean at the University of Virginia since 1989; dean at Wright State University (OH) from 1984-1989; and faculty roles at both the University of Alabama in Birmingham and Texas Christian University. Dr. Lancaster currently serves as Associate Chief Nursing Officer at the University of Virginia Medical Center and is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.

Incumbent Board member Kathleen Potempa, DNSc, RN, FAAN, dean of the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) School of Nursing, was elected to serve as Secretary of the AACN Board. Dr. Potempa has been an educator in professional nursing programs for more than 25 years and was recently promoted to Vice President of OHSU in 2002. Prior to her current deanship, she was interim dean and associate dean at the University of Illinois at Chicago and director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center in Nursing and Midwifery. Within AACN, Dr. Potempa has chaired the Task Force on Distance Technology in Education, served on the Nominating Committee, and was a member of the Task Force on the Hallmarks of Professional Nursing Practice Environment.