Written by Jessica Ardrey
Dr. Cathleen Shultz, the dean of the College of Nursing, was recently installed as the president of the National League for Nursing.
Shultz, a prominent figure in nursing in Arkansas since the 1970s, earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of South Carolina, her master’s degree in nursing from Emory University and her doctorate from Vanderbilt University.
Shultz started teaching at Harding University in 1976. She was also made the first dean of the College of Nursing in 1980.
Established in 1893, the NLN is the oldest nursing organization in the United States.
“It’s a very supportive organization, one that embraces all nursing programs,” Shultz said. “The organization is complex.”
The NLN works with a variety of positions, from licensed practical nursing programs to nursing doctorates. It is also involved with national policies like health care reform.
The NLN is headquartered in New York City and has 1,200 institutional members and 28,000 individual members.
Shultz has been part of this organization for more than three decades. She has been part of various committees throughout the years, including advisory councils on the national level.
In 2005, Shultz was the first Arkansan to be added to the NLN Board of Governors, where she served as treasurer.
For the past two years, she acted as president-elect, which meant after the president’s term was complete, Shultz would take the position of president. The president’s term also lasts two years, and the members of NLN elect the position.
As president of the organization, Shultz works with the state-level Constituent Leagues, but also spends lots of time in the public eye.
She represents NLN at public venues, is the chairwoman at Board of Governor meetings and recently helped host the Tri-Council for Nursing, which was held in Little Rock and was the first time the group had ever met in Arkansas.
This Friday, Shultz will be appearing as the keynote speaker at the Wisconsin League for Nursing’s annual meeting in Wisconsin.
As if that were not enough, Shultz also finished a book this summer as part of a seven-year project. The book, “Building the Science of Nursing Education,” focuses on evidence-based teaching and learning.
Scheduled to be released in 2010 is her more recent project, “Giving Through Teaching: How Nurse Educators Are Changing the World.” The proceeds from the book will support the National League for Nursing.
Shultz was congratulated with a celebratory dinner at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion.
