Dr. Teresa Shellenbarger, a member of the Nursing and Allied Health Professions faculty, is one of five nursing educators in the nation selected for a competitive mentorship program.
Shellenbarger was chosen to serve as a mentor in the Faculty Leadership Mentoring Program of the National League for Nursing and the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future.
The program, which started in 2007, pairs five early and mid-career faculty members with five fellows of the National League for Nursing Academy of Nursing Education who are recognized leaders in nursing education.
The competitive and selective application process matches protégés and mentors based on their interests and experience.
“I am very proud that Dr. Teresa Shellenbarger, a fellow of the prestigious Academy of Nursing Education, received this honor from the National League for Nursing,” Dr. Carleen Zoni, dean of IUP's College of Health and Human Services, said.
“Dr. Shellenbarger is a nationally recognized leader who consistently demonstrates her commitment to excellence and innovation in nursing education. She is most deserving of being selected for this esteemed mentoring program.”
Protégés and mentors will work together through 2010 on individual leadership development and a group project to be presented at the 2010 National League of Nursing Education Summit in Las Vegas.
The mentorship program was designed to help transform the future of nursing education by creating leadership opportunities for nurse educators and building diversity in the nurse educator workforce, mentorship program officials said.
“The program is a great opportunity to network with other national nursing leaders and to influence emerging leaders in nursing education,” Shellenbarger said.
Shellenbarger came to IUP in 1994. She currently serves as the doctoral program coordinator and teaches courses primarily in the graduate programs focusing on the nurse educator role.
Shellenbarger obtained her Ph.D. from Widener University, her master's degree in nursing from Southern Connecticut State University, and her bachelor's degree in nursing from Pennsylvania State University. She is a member of the National League for Nursing Academy of Nursing Education and is a certified nurse educator.
Earlier this fall, master's and bachelor's degree programs in the Department of Nursing and Allied Health Professions were approved for unconditional ten-year accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
IUP students continue to excel on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®). IUP has an overall annual passing average of 92 percent, compared to the national average of 88 percent and Pennsylvania average of 86 percent for first-time test takers during the testing period from October 1, 2008, to September 30, 2009.
The Department of Nursing and Allied Health Professions at IUP includes undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs. Allied Health Professions programs include respiratory care, clinical laboratory service, nuclear medicine technology, and a gerontology certification program. There are two different tracks in the master's degree programs in nursing and seven bachelor's degree programs in Nursing and Allied Health (including all tracks).
IUP's Nursing and Allied Health Professions has approximately 850 students in undergraduate programs and almost eighty students in its graduate programs.
In January 2008, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education approved IUP's doctoral program in nursing. The first cohort of this program began study during the Fall 2008 semester. A second cohort is to be admitted in Fall 2010.