Spring Break
Nursing faculty members receive prestigious fellowship
Alex Lawson
Issue date: 1/17/08 Section: News
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The Nurse Educator Fellowship Award was bestowed upon Sandi Burke and Mary Dyck last December. The award is given to ensure the retention of well-qualified nursing faculty at institutions of higher learning that award degrees in nursing.
Dean Sara Campbell expressed great pride and enthusiasm upon hearing that two of her faculty had been awarded with such a high honor.
"I was delighted to hear that two of our faculty received the Illinois Board of Higher Education Nurse Educator Fellowship Awards," Campbell said. "They are two of only 15 awards that were given across the state of Illinois."
Along with the prestige, the fellowship also gives $10,000 to each recipient. The money will support projects that were identified by the faculty in their application for the award.
Both professors have definitive plans for what they will do with their money. Dyck's research focuses on nursing home quality and the money given to her via the fellowship will help her complete rigorous research she has been conducting to improve the way nursing homes are operated
"I have a couple studies that were almost done and finished, but I just needed a little assistance from, say, a statistician or some secretarial support to complete the work that I needed to do with those," Dyck said.
Dyck said the college has taken steps forward into developing a doctoral program in nursing at ISU and that her credibility as a researcher is an important part of that.
Burke did not think that she would even have a good chance at winning the award.
"Given the budget difficulties in the state this year, I didn't think there would be funds available for the award, so I was extremely pleased," Burke said.
Burke's plan for the money involves traveling to two research conferences this year.
The first is the Midwest Nursing Research Society in Indianapolis, which discusses the state of nursing science and research throughout the region.
In the summer, Burke, whose specialty is diabetes research, will attend the American Diabetes Association Scientific Session in San Francisco.
"That's my specialty and it is one of the premiere meetings in the country, so I'm very excited to be able to attend that," Burke said.
Burke went on to describe a research project she will conduct with the remainder of the money after her two conference visits.
"It's investigating a new methodology of teaching research at the undergraduate level," Burke said.
Campbell stressed that these fellowships are significant not only to the particular faculty members that received them, but also reflects well on the program as a whole.
"The significance of this recognition across the state is tremendous and highlights Mennonite as a leader in nursing education," Campbell said. "Our students, the community and the nursing profession as a whole will benefit from the work that Burke and Dyck will be doing."
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