College of Nursing Mission, Vision and Values
Explore This Section
The College of Nursing strives for excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, research, scholarship and health services to individuals, communities and populations across the lifespan. The college improves human health and quality of life for people in the state of South Dakota, the region, the nation and the world.
To be a national leader in accessible and quality undergraduate and graduate nursing education and be recognized across health disciplines, and to prospective students, alumni and nursing leaders as innovative scholars and researchers who improve human health through strategic partnerships and interprofessional collaboration that shapes new delivery models of quality health care and nursing education.
People-Centered
We recognize leadership is derived from service to others. We are committed to creating a culture where all thrive and are supported on their own personal and professional paths toward lifelong learning, growth and leadership.
Creativity
Creativity is our cornerstone to expand knowledge, develop human understanding and enrich quality of life. We believe that education and research/scholarship/creative activity reinforce one another and the best academic programs bring innovative teaching and rigorous research together.
Integrity
We act with organizational and personal integrity, through honest interactions, professionalism, transparent and accountable decision-making and respect for others.
Committed to Variety
We are committed to a variety of community and ideas. We believe in a supportive, collaborative and cohesive environment with a focus on access. We actively seek collaboration, and we respect individuals with differing perspectives, backgrounds and areas of expertise.
Excellence
Excellence is achieved through continuous improvement, assessment and accountability. We embrace bold action and adapt to an ever-changing environment. Individually, we are experts at what we do. Collectively, our impact is even greater.
Education
Education of nurses and other health care professionals is essential to the health and quality of life in the state, region and nation. Education is a self-directed yet interactive lifelong process that empowers learners to think critically and grow toward their potential as individuals and contributing members of the profession and society.
The essential components of professional nursing education include liberal education, professional values, clinical reasoning and role development. The role of faculty is to guide, direct, facilitate and evaluate learning while encouraging curiosity, creativity and independent thinking.
Undergraduate education prepares individuals for basic entry into nursing practice. This education provides the foundation for the development of professional knowledge, critical thinking, ethical decision-making, leadership skills and pursuit of high standards in health care to influence quality health outcomes. The health science minor offers nursing and other professional students knowledge and skills to promote health, prevent disease and protect the environment.
Master鈥檚 education prepares nurses for advanced practice in nursing or for specialty areas of nursing practice. The advanced professional nursing role relies on best practices and evidence-based research with a focus on evaluation of health outcomes and process.
Doctoral education prepares the Ph.D. nurse scholar to influence health care through leadership in education, policy, research, nursing theory and nursing knowledge development. Doctoral education prepares the nurse clinician (DNP) for advanced practice in a primary care role and to influence health policy.
Metaparadigm in Nursing
The nursing curriculum is based upon the metaparadigm of nursing, which includes the concepts of person, health, environment and nursing.
Person
Each person is a complex and unique multidimensional being, which includes physical, psychological, sociocultural and spiritual dimensions. Person encompasses the lifespan. The concept of person encompasses individuals within families and communities as well as groups and aggregates within populations.
Health
Health encompasses multidimensional states of developmental, cognitive, physical, psychological, social, cultural, genetic and spiritual balance throughout the lifespan. Health is a dynamic state that is individually defined within the environment.
Environment
Environment consists of dynamic internal and external factors that interact to influence a person鈥檚 health. The environment can be altered to positively affect a person鈥檚 health by changing or removing unhealthy factors and enhancing or providing health promoting resources. Persons are influenced by and responsive to their environments and can choose to alter their internal and external environments to influence their health.
Nursing
Nursing is a professional way of caring that uses both art and science to respond to and interact with all dimensions of the person and the environment to provide quality health care and promote quality of life in health, illness and end of life. Nursing is concerned with human experiences and responses to birth, health, illness and death within the context of individuals, families, groups and communities (American Nurses Association, 1995). Nurses, individually and in collaboration with other health care professionals, provide optimal health care and comfort of individuals and groups through the systematic application of knowledge from nursing and other disciplines. Implicit in the practice of professional nursing is accountability for professional growth and practice, demonstration of leadership and commitment to the development and application of nursing theory, nursing knowledge and research. Lifelong learning leads to the optimal development of both the individual practitioner and the discipline of nursing.
Pathway to Premier 2030
College of Nursing Strategic Goals
To be a national leader in accessible and quality undergraduate and graduate nursing education, recognized across health disciplines and to prospective students, alumni and nursing leaders are innovative scholars and researchers who improve human health through strategic partnerships and interprofessional collaboration that shapes new delivery models of quality health care and nursing education.
Achieve Excellence through Transformative Education
- Creatively adapt teaching strategies in new and evidence-based ways to engage learners, expand access, enhance student success and inspire current and future students.
- Develop and invest in innovative undergraduate, graduate and professional academic programs and continuing education opportunities with an emphasis on workforce and economic development.
- Maintain student success as a foundational college priority through advancement of innovative strategies and initiatives that meet the needs of all students, enhance student belonging and well-being, and support expanded access to higher education.
- Increase utilization of high impact practices across the college to include experiential learning, undergraduate and graduate research, international experiences and service learning to prepare graduates to become global citizens in an ever-changing and interconnected world.
- Inspire future students through a college-wide commitment to student engagement and recruitment efforts that showcase the college's unique opportunities, differentiating experiences and student successes.
Cultivate and Strengthen Community Engagement
- Develop and enhance opportunities to highlight the college's economic impact, research and scholarly activity, collaborations between the college and the communities we serve, with particular emphasis on improving human health and quality of life for people in the state of South Dakota, the region, the nation and the world.
- Expand partnerships and community engagement to foster outreach and educational opportunities throughout South Dakota and the region.
- Stimulate and support innovative methods and models of improving human health and health justice.
Foster Innovation and Increase Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity
- Support pursuit of a pathway to achieve designation as an R1 Research University by Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education.
- Develop research and scholarship activities to focus college-wide investment, recruitment and priorities.
- Nurture research and scholarship activity and enhance success by continually evolving, improving and leveraging infrastructure, technology, resources, policies and processes.
- Develop impactful undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral student research and scholarship.
Be a Growing, High-Performing and Healthy University
- Support university-level efforts to become a preferred employer holistically focused on employee well-being, professional development, career progression and workplace enhancements to support employee success at all levels.
- Foster a culture of leadership at all levels of the college focused on our core values, the ongoing pursuit of excellence, effective communication and advancement of the college in bold and innovative ways.
- Demonstrate effective fiscal planning, impactful fundraising, and financial investment, development of efficiencies, and alignment of resources with the strategic priorities and initiatives of the college.
- Execute an agile data informed College of Nursing Marketing and Recruitment Plan that is future oriented and strategically adapts to the changes in the prospective student demographic.
- Implement impartial professional development and training programs that enhance quality, opportunity and innovation in the college using state of the art delivery methods.
