The Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing has been designated as a Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing (NLN). The school's designation recognizes its sustained efforts to enhance student learning and professional development. Emory is one of only 16 schools selected for the honor this year. Representatives will accept the honor at the NLN Educational Summit held in San Diego, Calif.

The Center of Excellence designation is presented to schools that have demonstrated a commitment to excellence and invested resources over a sustained period, while distinguishing themselves in specific areas related to nursing education. NLN Centers of Excellence are expected to exemplify the League's core values: caring, integrity, diversity, and excellence, bear a responsibility to share their experience, knowledge, and wisdom for the benefit of everyone in nursing education, and provide guidance and availability as sounding boards to other nursing programs that aim to achieve COE status.

"We are honored to receive this prestigious recognition by the National League for Nursing," says Linda McCauley, PhD, RN, dean and professor at the Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. "This designation offers external validation of the strengths of Emory's nursing academic programs as we strive to transform nursing education, patient care and research to improve human health and meet the domestic and global health care workforce demands."

The School of Nursing strategic goals involve the expansion of the school's research enterprise, clinical partnerships and increased diversity among the faculty and student populations. Offering undergraduate, graduate and doctoral nursing programs, graduates of the school continue to become national and international leaders in patient care, public health, government and education.

"Earning the highly-competitive, Center of Excellence designation is a reflection of the exceptional efforts that faculty in all our school's programs have made to creating environments of genuine learning that prepare visionary nurse leaders and scholars, who graduate ready to profoundly shape their profession and the care of patients and families at home and abroad," says Angela Amar, PhD, RN, associate dean for undergraduate education, who led Emory's NLN Center of Excellence committee. 

In addition to its many strides toward continued excellence, the school recently ranked 4th in the nation according to US News and World Report's 2018 America's Best Graduate Schools. The ranking is a jump from 8th last year and commemorates the first time in Emory's history that any school has ranked among the top five.

Emory will carry the Center of Excellence designation for four years and will serve as an adviser to other nursing programs seeking to gain the Center of Excellence distinction.