MCN pilots 12-month B.S.N. program for previous college grads

ara Lancaster ’00, who earned a bachelor’s degreein graphic design from Illinois State University, is

one of the 10 college graduates who will pursue abachelor’s degree in nursing in one compressed year ofclasses from Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN).

Mennonite has accepted Lancaster and nine othersinto the pilot year of the Accelerated B.S.N. Program,which, under funding from the U.S. Department ofLabor, will take place from January through December2007. Future programs will depend on funding. Afterfour consecutive 12-week semesters in the space of 12months, the pilot program students will have complet-ed 14 courses and will graduate with degrees and beready to prepare for nurse licensing exams. In the reg-ular program, the same courses are spread out overfour 16-week semesters separated by breaks.

Lancaster always planned to be a graphic designer,but the magazine in Peoria that employed her went outof business shortly before her marriage to J.D. Lancast-er ’00 and ’03. She took the only job she could find,which was working as a dental assistant for a practicein Normal. “I really ended up liking the job,” she said,and she stayed with it for four years, until her son,Rowen, was born. She enjoyed educating the patients,answering their questions, and making their experi-ence of going to the dentist more pleasant.

When she became a mother she decided she need-ed a career that paid better and was flexible enough tocreate a schedule compatible with her family’s needs.Nursing was a logical choice. Lancaster, who lives inMackinaw, looked into nursing degree programs in thearea and found most had waiting lists up to three yearslong. She started taking the six prerequisite coursesshe lacked at Illinois Central College. After she appliedfor the traditional program at MCN, which didn’t havea waiting list, she received a phone call from KelliTillery Hill, coordinator of the Accelerated B.S.N. Pro-gram, suggesting it would be a good option since Lan-caster had already earned a bachelor’s degree. “I’mglad she called me, because I would never have known

MCN pilots 12-month B.S.N. programfor previous college gradsBy Elaine Graybill

S U M M E R 2 0 0 6

about it,” Lancaster said. She was among nearly 50people who applied for the program, and she was oneof 10 who received an acceptance letter.

At 28, Lancaster hits the average age for the cohort,which has a range from 21 to 47 years old. The cohorthas one male, one member of a minority group, eightpeople with bachelor’s degrees, and two with master’sdegrees. Their previous careers are inthe areas of animal science, art, biolo-gy/microbiology, human develop-ment/family studies, medical technol-ogy, music, psychology, and Spanish.

Nine of the students have perma-nent addresses within one hour ofBloomington-Normal, which makes itlikely they will enter the nursing pro-fession in Central Illinois. New nurs-ing graduates are a valuable commod-ity to any community, considering a projected need formore than a million new and replacement registerednurses in the United States by 2012, according to theBureau of Labor Statistics. Accelerated B.S.N. pro-grams such as MCN’s, seen as one way to meet theneed, have increased in number since 1990. That year,31 such programs were offered in the United States,and by 2005 the number had grown to 168, with near-ly 50 additional programs in the planning stages.

MCN at Illinois State University had talked foryears about offering an accelerated B.S.N. program,but did not have the resources until the LaborDepartment grant came through in December 2005.The grant, totaling a half-million dollars, is to help

“Do we want to inject the health-care system with questioning, demanding nurses? I think the answer is yes!”

T

Learn moreabout the Accelerated B.S.N. Program.www.mcn.ilstu.edu

Continued on page 3

Message from the deanIn keeping with our

vision of Producing the Pre-ferred Graduate, the 2006graduates have completedtheir studies and have goneon to join the ranks of reg-istered nurses, nurseadministrators, and nursepractitioners. Graduation

this year was especially symbolic as we graduated theClass of 2006 on May 12—Florence Nightingale’s birth-day. Following the path charted by Nightingale, Men-nonite students, faculty, and staff have accomplishedgreat things and are on the road to changing theworld. Our programs are growing so much that wehave undergone extensive remodeling of Edwards Hallto accommodate all the new members of the Mennon-ite College of Nursing faculty and staff.

There are so many wonderful things happening atthe college. We received funding from the Departmentof Labor for the B.S.N. Accelerated Program, whichwill begin in January of 2007. This past spring, visitingscholars Professor Sarah Kagan and Dr. William

2 The Flame

Thomas brought vision and enthusiastic energy to thecampus and inspired us to continue our innovativeapproaches to nursing. I am especially proud of all ourstudents. In this issue you will read about a nursingstudent who volunteered her time over break to helpwith the hurricane relief.

All of these accomplishments are possible becauseof you. We have had the very best annual fund cam-paign this year. Thanks so much to all of you who sup-port us financially. We are very grateful. Because of thegenerous gifts of people like you, we are able to contin-ue to Produce the Preferred Graduate.

Nancy Ridenour, Ph.D., RN, APRN, BC, FAANRobert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse FellowDean and professorTelephone: (309) 438-2174E-mail: [email protected]

Summer 2006Published periodically

www.mcn.ilstu.edu

Illinois State UniversityMennonite College of NursingCampus Box 5810Normal, IL 61790-5810

(309) 438-7400

Newsletter editor: Amy Irving(309) [email protected]

The Flame

Welcome new faculty and staffIsaac Akins, multimedia Web developer for the Teaching Nursing Home Project

Sandra Burke, Ph.D., RN, assistant professor*

Annrika Campbell, secretary for the Teaching Nursing Home Project

Melissa Moody, MS, academic advisor

Beth Objartel, B.S.N., RN, project RN for the Teaching Nursing Home Project

Wendy Woith, Ph.D., M.S., RN, assistant professor*

Pi-Ming Yeh, Ph.D., RN, assistant professor**beginning fall 2006

RetirementsEileen Fowles, Ph.D., RNC, retired as an associateprofessor in May of 2006, after 12 years ofteaching and research at Mennonite College ofNursing. Fowles primarily taught parent-childnursing and research courses. Fowles’ researchfocused on factors that influence healthy eatingpatterns in low-income pregnant women andexamining the relationship between educationand childhood obesity.

After 20 years of teaching and service, CamilleLittle, M.S., CS, retired as an instructional assis-tant professor in May of 2005; however, sheserved as part-time faculty for the RN-B.S.N.online program through the spring of 2006.Little taught many courses, including the RN-B.S.N. sequence, leadership and management,health assessment, and adult nursing. Little was also involved with developing the TeachingNursing Home Project.

Summer 2006 3

Progress notesWe welcome updates from alumni for The Flame publication. We want to know about your activities, career news, family news, and other significant activities (weddings, births, honorsand awards, promotions, changes in employment, personalaccomplishments). Thank you for sharing your news withother alumni. Please fill out this form and return it so yournews will be published in the next issue. Mail to Illinois StateUniversity, Mennonite College of Nursing, Campus Box 5810,Normal, IL 61790-5810, or e-mail to [email protected].

NAME

MAIDEN NAME (IF APPLICABLE) DATE CLASS YEAR

MAILING ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

TELEPHONE

E-MAIL

PRESENT OCCUPATION/EMPLOYER

NEWS/COMMENTS

train underemployed workers in Central Illinois,with part going to MCN for the accelerated programand the rest going to small business developmenttraining through the McLean County Small BusinessDevelopment Center located in the Illinois State Uni-versity College of Business.

The following month, January 2006, MCN hiredKelli Tillery Hill to coordinate the program. Hill waswell known to MCN administrators because of herwork with them through a non-profit agency. “The needis there” for such a program, Hill said, offering the factthat in 10 weeks of publicizing the program throughword of mouth and a Web site, nearly 50 applicantshad come forward. At a national conference she attend-ed this spring for accelerated B.S.N. programs, shelearned that employers elsewhere seek out graduates ofthose programs, who tend to be mature, committed,and have the perspective of another career. The applica-tion process for the accelerated program at MCNalready is more selective because of “the unique consid-erations for this program,” Hill said, and includes aninterview, unlike the regular program. MCN inter-viewed the top 20 applicants for the new program toexplore academic qualifications and to gauge whetherthey had the personal and financial support to makeschoolwork their priority for one whole year. The costis the same as the regular program, but the scheduledoes not permit students to work.

Employers may be a source of support for individ-ual students in the accelerated program. DeborahSmith, assistant administrator patient services andchief nurse executive at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center(SJMC) in Bloomington said, “OSF St. Joseph has sev-eral employees who have been eagerly awaiting justsuch a program, currently working in other health-carespecialties. We look forward to assisting them in com-pleting their desire to become a nurse. These will benurses who already have an established history atSJMC and engagement in the Mission of the Sisters in

serving with the greatest care and love.”Instructional Assistant Professor Gail Petro, curricu-

lum coordinator for the pilot program, said she is excit-ed about the caliber of students and the size of thecohort. Faculty teaching in the program “are privilegedin a way with this because they have 10 students. Thiswill be a chance for them to try some innovative thingson a small scale.” Petro spent the summer adapting thecurriculum and Assistant Professor Pam Lindsey,undergraduate program director, worked out the sched-ule logistics for faculty who will be teaching in both theaccelerated and regular programs simultaneously.

Faculty often find older students with career expe-rience come to class with different attitudes than thoseof younger undergraduates. Hill heard a speaker at theaccelerated B.S.N. program conference describe whyturning these independent-minded students into nurs-es in such a program is a “win-win.” Dean Gloria F.Donnelly of the College of Nursing and Health Profes-sions at Drexel University said in her speech, “Do wewant a nurse who questions, seeks out, has high stan-dards, has a plan, knows what he or she wants? Do wewant to inject the health-care system with questioning,demanding nurses? I think the answer is yes!”

Accelerated B.S.N.… continued from page 1

4 The Flame

Charlene Aaron

Cathy Belcher

Sara Brink

Jaime Cash

Bonnie Coburn

Karen D’Souza

Stephanie Dunlap Moore

Marissa Emerson

Amy Green

Laura Hackworth

Bethany Hanson

Elisabeth Hodapp

Lindsey Hunt

Nicholas Idle

Paul Jokisch

Carrie Jones

Jennifer Leigh

Dana Lewis

Rebecca Masino

Lori McCulley

Amy Monical

Elizabeth Objartel

Lauren Park

Kevonya Powell

Colleen Schaidle

Becky Schmieding

Julie Schiera

Jaymie Schmidt

Dina Shehab

Ingrid Shingledecker

Rebecca Spencer

Janessa Stimpert

Megan Thompson

Catherine Troyer

Jean-Marie Tyner

New inductees for the2005–2006 academic year

Xi Pi Chapter newsBy Marcena Gabrielson,M.S.N., RN, C,Xi Pi president-elect

Web pageXi Pi has its own Web page on the MCN Web site! You can find important links as well as informationabout upcoming events and meeting times. Visit theWeb page at www.mcn.ilstu.edu/current_students/organizations/xipi.shtml.

Xi Pi TeaOn February 14, 2006, Xi Pi hosted a well-attended teafor new and old members as well as anyone interestedin Xi Pi. The tea was held in the Founders Suite inEdwards Hall. Marcena Gabrielson gave those in atten-dance an orientation to Sigma Theta Tau, presentinginformation of particular importance to new members.Special thanks to Wendie Medina for organizing thisgreat event.

Other eventsOn February 22, 2006, Xi Pi co-sponsored a seminarwith Theta Pi on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan Uni-versity. The seminar, “Changes in Graduate NursingEducation: The CNL and DNP, ” featured guest speak-er Lucy L. Marion, Ph.D., FAAN, dean and professor ofthe Medical College of Georgia.

On March 9, 2006, Xi Pi co-sponsored a receptionfor and presentation by Sarah H. Kagan, Ph.D., RN,FAAN, of the University of Pennsylvania, entitled“Communication, Partnership, and Collaboration forour Ageing Society.” Students and faculty of MennoniteCollege of Nursing and the Department of SpeechPathology and Audiology conducted poster presenta-tions during the reception. Xi Pi conducted an annualbusiness meeting prior to this event for the election ofnew board members for 2006–2007.

On April 11, 2006, Xi Pi co-sponsored a receptionfor and presentation by Dr. William Thomas, thenationally known author of What are Old People For?:How Elders Will Save the World. Dr. Thomas discussedhis book and the important role that senior citizensplay in our society as well as changing our future per-ceptions about aging.

Upcoming eventsChapter Leader Academy

September 28–30, 2006, Indianapolis, Indiana Please contact the Xi Pi board if you are interested inattending or want more information.

Alzheimer’s Memory Walk

October 7, 2006, Constitution TrailXi Pi will have a team for this important event. We’dlike to invite not only Xi Pi members, current faculty,and students to participate in the morning fund-raiser,but we’d also like to challenge alums to come walk. Wewould like to make this an opportunity for alums tomingle with current students, to touch base with for-mer classmates, and remember a special time in yourlives while supporting those who struggle to remem-ber. Consider forming teams with your classmates orwalk as part of the college team. We would love toencourage alums to come and remember, enjoy seeingone another, and interact with our current studentswho would welcome the chance to interact and minglewith other nurses. Please help us to make this walk aspecial memory. For more information, please contactMary Cranston at (309) 438-2381 or [email protected].

Alumni notesKelli (Finck) Peterson ’96 and her husband, Mark, welcomed Kaylin RaePeterson into the world on December 30, 2005. She was also welcomed byher sister, Averi Lyn, age 2. Kelli is an RN at Memorial Hospital in Col-orado Springs in the Co-Emergency Department.

Jean (Peterson) Abbott ’97 and her husband, Russ, welcomed Andrew Ken-neth Abbott on October 20, 2005. He was also welcomed home by his sib-lings, Jordan Matthew and Sophia Rose. Jean is a full-time mother.

Jennifer (Rednour) Duhon ’97 is the assistant director of the associate’sdegree nursing program at Illinois Central College. She is also a certi-fied Nurse Assistant Program Director, and was published in the May2006 issue of RN magazine. Jennifer and her husband, Michael, havetwo children, Caleb, age 3, and Isaac, age 1.

Heather (Messman) Johnson ’99 and her husband, Darian, welcomed theirfirst child Braden Michael Johnson into the world on December 9, 2005.Heather currently works as an ER nurse

Jamie (Witmer) Carlock ’01 and her husband, Kyle, welcomed their firstdaughter, Ella Sophia, on August 2, 2005. Jamie is an RN at RockfordMemorial Hospital.

Kate (Jajkowski) Strejcek ’02 married Ted Strejcek on December 17, 2005.Kate completed her master’s degree in the Family Nurse Practitioner pro-gram at the University of Illinois at Chicago in May 2006. She is a staffnurse on the hematology/oncology unit at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Summer 2006 5

Nomination forml Distinguished Alumni Award l Outstanding Young Alumni Award l MNAO Service Award

NOMINEE’S NAME YEAR OF GRADUATION

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

REASONS YOU SUPPORT THIS NOMINEE

YOUR NAME

MAILING ADDRESS CITY

STATE ZIP E-MAIL

Attach an additional sheet of paper if necessary.

Return nominations to Illinois State University, Mennonite College of Nursing, Campus Box 5810, Normal, IL 61790-5810.

Mennonite Nurses Alumni Organization Board of directors

PresidentDonny Bounds ’97

Director and awards committee chairKaren (Roop) Magers ’79

DirectorsSarah (Kaiser) Lindsey ’00Larae Wagener ’02Sonia (Hetman) Wernsman ’98

Past presidentAlice (Kumler) Deavers ’52

Advisory membersNancy Ridenour, dean,Mennonite College of NursingJamie Sennett, assistant director,Alumni RelationsJenny Ward, director of development,Mennonite College of Nursing

6 The Flame

Rebuilding the hopeBy Amy Irving

While most students return home or go on a vacationduring the holiday season, senior nursing student ErinFarris volunteered to help with the relief efforts forHurricane Katrina victims. In the spring of 2006, Far-ris was a guest speaker in Marcena Gabrielson’s “Com-munity Health” class, and shared her experience withfellow nursing students.

In 2005, the Gulf Coast was devastated by not one,but two, category 5 hurricanes. The second, HurricaneKatrina, was the costliest and one of the deadliest inAmerican history. This hurricane caused catastrophicdamage along the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi,and Alabama. Senior nursing student Erin Farris trav-eled with 27 other volunteers from Grace Bible Churchin Normal to Mississippi in January of 2006. As theydrove by the Mississippi coastline, they saw where thelevees were destroyed and water poured into the com-munities. Homes were displaced or destroyed, treeswere uprooted, and litter was everywhere.

Farris and her group stayed at the Bible FellowshipChurch in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where Fred Muf-fet and his wife organize volunteers to help hurricanevictims in this area. They call their project “Rebuildingthe Hope.” Ever since the hur-ricane destroyed this area,groups have been staying at

this church. Sometimes there areonly six or seven people; othertimes there are many more. Theirmission is to clean, repair, orrebuild in order to meet the needs

of the community. “We met one woman who broke herarm and was so embarrassed at how her yard looked,”Farris said. “So we told her we were here to help herand cleaned up the debris in her yard. She was sothankful.”

There were no street signs or addresses. In orderfor them to give directions, the group used an upside-down Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)trailer as their “point of reference” to get to places. Thegroup visited a brand-new school that was just builtbefore Hurricane Katrina, but now the school standsempty as there are no students in the area to attend.There were signs that FEMA had been in the PassChristian area. According to home and business own-ers, FEMA dropped off trailers and covered roofs withtarps and then left. The home and business ownerswere on their own until they heard from FEMA again.

Some homes looked fine on the outside, but whenthe volunteers went inside, it was a different story.Water lines were up to the ceiling fans, and blackmold was becoming a problem. Residents who have abackground in construction were able to rebuild theirown homes, but many of the residents depended onvolunteers to help them.

“The worst part of this experience was how over-whelming the damage is. I left feeling like we had bare-ly made a dent and that there is still so much to do,”Farris said. “The best part was getting to know peoplepersonally involved. In the newspaper I read about

people who are hurting and saw disasters on TVand felt like there was nothing I could do. Thistime I was given the opportunity to do some-thing. We went door to door and were able to askpeople their needs. Even if it was simply to praywith them, we were able to help.”

Farris advises that if people want to volunteertheir time after a disaster to look for area churches,volunteer organizations, or not-for-profit organiza-tions, as they often coordinate trips for groups ofpeople. She also suggests not to go by yourself, but

to find at least one friend or familymember to join you. When asked if shewould want to volunteer again, Farrissaid, “Absolutely. It was a blessing to beable to go and help. I just wish I couldhave done more.”

Summer 2006 7

2006 degree candidates

Bachelor of Science in Nursing(B.S.N.)Kelly AdamsLaura BadeKarla BassettiMichelle BawdenJessica BimmKelly BorgMary BraunschweigSara BrinkJennifer BrownWendy BurkJeanne CarltonJaime CashRachel CoxAmber CruzAshley DammermanKaren D’SouzaJonathan EberhardtMegan EdwardsMarissa EmersonErin FarrisCaitlin FryKatherine GodingMelissa GouldAmy GreenStaci HandelmanNicole HackerBethany HansonAllison HarmsErin HarveyHillary HausemanElisabeth HodappKristen HughesSara HuinkerLindsey HuntNicholas IdleKaitlyn JohnsonNicole KeilmanHolly KingdonErin KirbyKathryn KuhnDana LewisCarly LindenmeyerGina MaltaseRebecca MasinoDana MatskoLori McCulleyErin McEldowneyJason McFerrenTrisha McKinnie

Catherine McNalisTara MendrallaChristine MirochnaNichole MitchellJennifer MondekAmy MonicalNatalie MorganBenjamin MyersNicole NaidenSarah NeilKelley J. NovakLauren ParkMelissa PeckKristin PhillipsBrianna PietCynthia PlacenciaLauren PloszekKevonya PowellAndrea PuzzoDiane ReedMelena RoyColleen SchaidleJulie SchieraJaymie SchmidtBecky SchmiedingIngrid ShingledeckerKira SmootsMorgan SnyderRebecca SpencerErin SpicklerAshley SpiveyJanessa StimpertJennifer StoufferLinda StrohMegan ThompsonTeresa TurnerMeghan VandelogtJessica WagnerElizabeth WardKaren WilliamsKathleen YongAnn Yording

Registered nursesreceiving Bachelorof Science in Nursing (B.S.N.)Richard BakerCathy BelcherStephanie BreedloveSusan CarlLeslie CarmackKrista Cebuhar

Rosemary HerzbergerMichelle HooperRuth JohnsonCherie KochAlicia LindbergKarin MaybanksEdith PerdewLinda SampsonKeith SchumacherAlicia SmithCasey SwiftLisa VinsonJennifer WalkerAllison WeirRegina WhiteSue Winger

Candidates forFamily Nurse Practitioner (FNP)master’s degreeJennifer BakerBonnie CoburnGinger DenneyLaura HackworthJennifer LeighCarmilyn LesemannPatricia ReichardElizabeth Vose

Candidates forNurse EducatorGraduate CertificateBonnie CoburnPatricia Reichard

Candidate forpost-master’s FNP CertificateLisa Shepherd

Candidates forNursing SystemsAdministration(NSA) master’sdegreeCharlene AaronStephanie DunlapElizabeth ObjartelSandra ScheidenhelmDeborah Stenger

Collaborative doctoral program opens new doors for studentsBy Megan Hopper

A new era will begin this fall as students admitted tothe Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN) and the Uni-versity of Iowa (UI) College of Nursing collaborativedoctoral program in Nursing in Aging embark on theirfirst full year of study.

Teri Saxton, instructional assistant professor atMCN, is one of the students accepted to the program.“This program is going to open a lot of doors for me,”said Saxton. “I’m hoping the program will help me toestablish myself as a researcher as well as help me tobecome a better teacher.”

Another student preparing to begin her first fullyear in the program is Geri Kirkbride, director of nurs-ing services at St. Vincent Memorial Hospital in Tay-lorville and instructional assistant professor at MCN.“I’m excited to be a part of a new program and I thinkit is a great way to continue my nursing career,” saidKirkbride. “I don’t see this program as an endpoint,but as just another step in my journey as a nurse.”

When researching doctoral nursing programs, bothSaxton and Kirkbride looked at other schools in andoutside of Illinois. What sets the collaborative doctoralprogram apart from others, said Saxton, is not only itseasy access, but also that the program offers a Doctorof Philosophy degree and a focal area in aging.

For Kirkbride, the collaboration between MCN andthe UI College of Nursing made the collaborative doc-toral program an easy choice. “I think UI brings agood foundation to MCN to build upon in the Ph.D.program and I think that, as a student, I will benefitfrom that foundation,” she added.

In addition, Kirkbride said the progressiveness ofusing Polycom, a distance-learning technology, putsthe collaborative doctoral program on the cutting edge.

Marcena Gabrielson is currently enrolled in thecollaborative program. “This is an excellent way ofacquiring great knowledge. I can easily combine myjob with getting my Ph.D. with no travel time andmore time to study,” said Gabrielson.

Mennonite College of Nursing has scheduled apanel discussion for Thursday, September 7, 2006,from 4 to 5:30 p.m., to share information aboutbecoming a student in the collaborative doctoral pro-gram. For more information about this event, contactJennie Collings in the collaborative doctoral programoffice at (309) 438-7210.

8 The Flame

Student Nurses’ Association (SNA)Mennonite College of Nursing would like to thank the2005–2006 SNA officers for their leadership and com-mitment to community service: Colleen Schaidle, pres-ident; Jennifer Stouffer, vice president; Mary Braun-schweig, secretary; and Rebecca Spencer, treasurer.This past year, the SNA officers have been active inpromoting health-related and community service proj-ects on campus. As part of their commitment to well-ness, they offered blood pressure screenings on severaloccasions each semester at Illinois State’s RecreationCenter. SNA participated in several community-basedprojects, including the Relay for Life’s Heart Walk, theAlzheimer’s Memory Walk, Russell Rush’s Roof Sit forSIDS, and they also played bingo with residents atManor Care Nursing Home. They participated in theAdopt-a-Family program last December and arranged aholiday party for the residents at El Paso Healthcare.In order to reduce costs of the SNA spring formal, theyheld a Kiss-a-Pig fund-raiser.

Additionally, the SNA officers attended the NationalStudent Nurses’ Association Conference in Louisville,Kentucky; encouraged members to participate in thehomecoming parade and tailgate activities; and baggedgroceries at the local Cub Foods and Jewel-Osco toraise money for the Alzheimer’s Association.

To the officers and members who worked behindthe scenes to make these events happen, MCN thanksyou for all of the time you have invested to promotegood citizenship, leadership, and community service.

2006–2007 SNA officersCongratulations to the following Student Nurses’ Association officers for the 2006–2007 academic year:

Traci Sucharski, presidentKatie Wendt, vice presidentBrittany McNichols, treasurerJennifer Walas, secretary

Mennonite College of Nursingstudent awardsSpring 2006Geriatric Nursing Excellence Award in Clinical PracticeAmy Green

Dr. Tiedeman Memorial AwardKathleen Yong

Outstanding Graduate Student(s) Achievement AwardJennifer Baker and Sandra Scheidenhelm

Senior Excellence AwardColleen Schaidle

Alumni Award for Clinical ExcellenceJaime Cash

Student receives honorable mention awardIn March 2006, prelicensure student LaurenPark received an honorable mention award atthe Midwest Nursing Research Society Confer-ence in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for her poster“Determining the Relationship Between Con-dom Self-Efficacy and Condom Use AmongWomen Attending an STD Clinic.” Her posterwas in the top six undergraduate posters pre-sented at this meeting.

Graduate students providephysicals at elementaryschoolsOn April 26, 2006, Associate Professor DeniseWilson and students from the Family NursePractitioner IV course performed 37 physicalsat Irving and 33 at Sheridan ElementarySchools. This service allowed these students to stay in school.

From the director of developmentCongratulations graduates!

Summer 2006 9

It is the end of another academic year at MennoniteCollege of Nursing. The Class of 2006 has held itsgraduation. One hundred students received bache-lor’s degrees in nursing and 13 received master’sdegrees. Wow! As I sat with my young son at thecommencement ceremonies, I was astounded at thenumber of high achievers in our college. My sonannounced each corded graduate: “Cum laude!Magna cum laude! Summa cum laude!” More thanone-quarter of the graduating class received thesedistinctions. The day was even more special as itoccurred on May 12, the birthday of FlorenceNightingale.

I was amazed on Friday after graduation to see oursenior class officers on campus. Indeed, they were stillworking hard preparing for their licensure exams. Iappreciate the leadership of these officers and theircommitment to make the world better. As FlorenceNightingale reminded us, “Were there none who werediscontented with what they have, the world would neverreach anything better.”

The Class of 2006, led by president Colleen Schai-dle, decided not to be content with the status quo, butto begin giving back to the college before even leaving.On behalf of the Class of 2006, the SNA officers pre-sented Dean Ridenour with a gift of $552 at a candle-lighting ceremony. Their gifts will be put to good use,to aid the college in providing the best education pos-sible for the classes that follow. Thank you!

Mennonite College of Nursing’s fiscal year is alsodrawing to a close, and our annual fund drive is alsodrawing near. For those who missed the calls of ourpre-nursing students, look for a mailer, or give me acall. Thank you to all of our alumni across the yearswho have donated to the Mennonite College of Nurs-ing this year. Your gifts do make a difference— theyhelp our nursing students and our program make thisworld a better place. Alumni support this year sur-passed our expectations! Student support in the formof scholarships continues to be a top choice for ouralumni, though other popular choices are the general

fund and simulation technology.Thank you to all of Mennonite College of Nursing

donors for the confidence you show in our college, toentrust in us to use your funds wisely, and to make

this world a better placefor patients and theirfamilies.

“Were there none who were discontented withwhat they have, the world would never reach anything better.”Jenny WardDirector of development Mennonite College of NursingTelephone: (309) 438-7178E-mail: [email protected]

Body WorldsIn August of 2005, theMennonite NursesAlumni Organizationsponsored a bus trip tothe Museum of Scienceand Industry to viewthe Body Worlds exhib-it. Twenty-nine alumni,staff, and guestsattended this event.

10 The Flame

IDPH press conferenceDr. Eric Whitaker held apress conference at Men-nonite College of Nursing on March 8, 2006. Headdressed faculty, staff, andstudents about GovernorRod Blagojevich’s initiativesfor nursing.

Marfan Syndrome lectureOn February 20, 2006, MeredithLovelass ’73 talked with nursing stu-dents about Marfan Syndrome, aheritable condition that affects theconnective tissues including theskeleton, eyes, heart, nervous sys-tem, skin, and lungs.

NCWHS Future Healthcare ClubThe Normal Community West High School(NCWHS) Future Healthcare Club studentstoured Mennonite College of Nursing on March2, 2006. There were 34 students who rangedfrom freshmen to seniors, and all haveexpressed an interest in health care. CherylNafziger, MCN clinical simulation lab coordina-tor, worked with Ann Hamer, NCWHS schoolnurse, to arrange this visit. Students wereshown demonstrations of SimMan and the IVsimulator, as well as Polycom interactionbetween the labs.

Second-annual long term care career fairThe second-annual Joe Warner Teaching Nursing Home LongTerm Care Career Fair took place on January 24, 2006, at theBone Student Center at Illinois State University. This eventgave long-term care organizations the opportunity to shareinformation about their programs and services. Participantswere also able to attend lectures by Judy Bass, LTCP, MHP,FLMI, ACS, ALHC, HIA, of State Farm; Anna Ortigara, M.S., RN,FAAN, vice president of Campaign for Cultural Transformation

at Life Service Network in Hinsdale; and Janet Pringle Specht, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, associate professor ofadult and gerontological studies at the University of Iowa.

Nursing students from England visit MCNIn March 2006, Mennonite College of Nursing welcomed two nursing studentsfrom England through the college’s transcultural nursing program. MichelleMcCormick, from Henfield, West Sussex, and Michelle Dennis, from Brighton, EastSussex, observed a variety of clinical placements in the community during their

two-week stay. Many thanks to thestudents and alumni who allowedthese students to job shadow! The stu-dents learned a great deal about theUnited States health-care system andthey had positive things to say abouttheir observations. If you would beinterested in hosting visiting studentsfrom England for the day in a clinicalsetting or serving as a host family dur-ing their stay, please contact JaneenMollenhauer, associate director of theundergraduate program, at (309) 438-2417.

Gallery of spring 2006 events

Pfizer Visiting ProfessorMennonite College of Nursing and the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology collaborat-ed and received a grant by Pfizer Inc. to host Sarah H. Kagan, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, for a visiting profes-sorship at Illinois State University in March of 2006. Professors Brenda Jeffers (MCN) and Rita Bai-ley (Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology) were the PI and co-PI, respectively. Kagan

was the guest speaker for severalclasses. She also conducted com-munity presentations at the Com-munity Cancer Center and theBone Student Center.

Summer 2006 11

Candlelighting ceremonyOn April 25, 2006, the StudentNurses’ Association hosted theannual candlelighting ceremo-ny. Candlelighting is a time forfaculty, staff, and nursing stu-dents in the graduate program,

RN–B.S.N. sequence, and prelicensuresequence to share special experiences they have encountered in nursing. This ceremony has traditionally been viewed as the “Passing of the Flame” from thosestudents who are graduating in May tothose students who are returning in the fall.

Nurses WeekIn May 2006, theMennonite NursesAlumni Organizationwere on campus todistribute ice cream tonursing students andwish them luck ontheir finals.

Teaching Nursing Home national speaker eventIn April 2006, the Expanding Teaching Nursing Home Projecthosted Dr. William H. Thomas, author of What Are Old Peo-ple For?: How Elders Will Save the World, for the annualnational speaker event. The Mennonite Nurses Alumni Orga-nization and Xi Pi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau Internationalwere co-sponsors.

T’was the Night Before Graduation 2006

By Mary Braunschweig, SNA secretary

T’was the night before graduation when all through MCNWe were smiling and laughing for soon it’s the end!

My stethoscope was packed in my bags with careIn hopes real quick, you’d listen, I have some memories to share:

In the past two years I have made so many friendsWhile visions of wounds and needles danced through our heads

And Nicole looking stylish and I in my scrubsHad just settled down for one of Michelle’s backrubs

When four in the morning there arose such a clatterWe sprang from our beds to clinical we scatter

Away to Springfield we flew like a flashHillary flies down the highway but she’ll never crash.

The moon still so high and tons of snowThis is what we have to do to know what we know

When what to my wondering eyes should appearBut a clinical teacher and 10 girls in nursing gear.

With Colleen always so lively and so quickI want to know what is her trick!

More rapid and stricter the teachers they cameThey whistled and shouted and called us by name!

Now Rachel! Now Amy! Now Liz and Kristen!On Katie on Christine on Karla and Ingrid!

To the ATI lab and pass the NCLEX they call!Now work away, work away, work away all!

As Amy Green does research we all know she’ll passOh Carly! Our Carly…you never came to class!

As Cathi yells, “I am a ventricle” and she chantsI know one week I saw Erin Irish dance!

Then second semester I saw the twinkling of a few engagement ringsOh wait, and have you noticed that Jeannie just loves beautiful things

Megan and Cynthia worked hard in that labAnd Jen said quit working when I was a crab!

Mostly it was fun but at times we’d all go insaneThen I’d run into Shelly Lauren and Katie all at Germaine’s!

Dana’s diagnostic postings…geez! You always wonWe all nominated Caitlyn as the completely sweet one.

And as Gail always said we must know our normalsWe also danced and laughed at our nursing formal!

My poor roommates have now seen me at every emotionThey listened laughed and dealt with me…and that takes devotion!

And when the going gets tough and we keep on tryingColleen, Staci, and I went sky diving!

Soon we’ll be throwing our caps in the airWe’ll be on cardiac, labor and delivery, or even intensive care.

But here I exclaim before we drive out of sightHappy graduation to all, I LOVE YOU! And to all a good night!

Mennonite College of Nursing eventsThe following are tentative events for spring 2006. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.mcn.ilstu.edu or the University Calendar at www.calendar.ilstu.edu.

Mennonite Collegeof NursingCampus Box 5810Normal, IL 61790-5810

Non-Profit OrgUS Postage

PAIDIllinois StateUniversity

An equal opportunity/affirmative action university encouraging diversity

UNIVERSITY MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

07-0004 printed on recycled paper with soy ink

Saturday, October 7

MCN and Sigma Theta Tau, Xi Pi Chapter—Alzheimer’s Memory Walk, Constitution Trail

Xi Pi will have a team for this importantevent and all members and friends of Xi Piare invited to join us. See page 4 for moreinformation, or contact Mary Cranston at(309) 438-2381 or [email protected].

Saturday, October 14

Homecoming Awards Ceremony and Luncheon, Doubletree Hotel

Please mark your calendars and call yourclassmates to attend homecoming with Mennonite College of Nursing!

10:30 a.m.: Registration at the DoubletreeHotel (formerly the Radisson), 10 BrickyardDrive, Bloomington

11 a.m.: Dean’s welcome, reunion classrecognition, presentation of 2006 awards,and reunion class photos

12:30 p.m.: Luncheon

2 p.m.: Open house, Edwards Hall

Registration brochures will be mailed in September. For more information, please contact Amy Irving at (309) 438-7418 [email protected].

Saturday, October 28

Xi Pi Induction Ceremony and Family DayWeekend Open House, Capen Auditoriumand Edwards Hall

Thursday, November 30

Mennonite College of Nursing Holiday Open House, Ewing Cultural Center