A World of Possibilities - William Jewell College

Letter from the Chair
Vicki Meek, MS, RN, CNE
Chair/Associate Professor of Nursing
Dear Alumni, Students and Community:
May you find joy in reading the following pages which will provide an overview of what students and
faculty have been doing this past year and what plans are in place for the future. It is an exciting time to be
in nursing, and nursing on The Hill is vibrant. You will see changes on the Quad with the anticipated Fall 2013
opening of the College’s Pryor Learning Commons.
In May, we graduated the largest number of students in our history (87); however, we continue our
commitment to maintain the highest quality of education for our future nursing professionals. In the
following pages, you will find information highlighting how our curriculum is continually reviewed and
enhanced. We now are offering a 3-year option for select students who have successfully completed
college hours prior to entering Jewell. The direction of our simulation experiences is phenomenal being
fostered with a collaborative partnership with Liberty Hospital to provide simulation proficiencies for their
nurses. We are planning to expand that outreach to our rural clinical agencies. Within Jewell, we have
aligned with the Theater Department to provide a mental health simulation. We plan to combine experiences
for simulations between our pre-med majors and religion majors (to emphasize ethical areas of practice)
this next year to enrich the offerings for students. This is the advantage of being on a liberal arts campus
surrounded by those who encourage critical reasoning.
In the past two years, students have produced impressive Quality Improvement projects, taking their
research to the clinical setting and into their first clinical practice positions. We are proud to have
pledged, along with over 500 nursing organizations, to support the Joining Forces Campaign to educate
future nursing professionals to treat soldiers and their families dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder,
traumatic brain injury and depression. You will read about the global outreach along with remarkable
accomplishments locally of our faculty and students. I hope you will be assured we are listening to the
needs of our community and patients and in concert with the IOM Future of Nursing report to provide
students with the skills needed in today’s healthcare arena.
This past year, we were one of seven schools in Missouri to receive a $149,673 grant from the Missouri State
Board of Nursing and Department of Higher Education. With this funding, we are increasing our Simulation
Center to include an Intensive Care room and a SimJr for use in our Family-Centered Nursing course. We are
also collaborating with rural clinical partners to expand clinical offerings for our students. As part of this
grant, funding is available for faculty to attend conferences and receive support for the pursuit of advanced
education.
I am humbled and grateful to present the 2012 Vital Signs for your reading pleasure. Please visit us when you
are in the area or drop us an email to keep us posted on your news. You continue to be a vital link to
our future.
Warmly,
Vicki L. Meek