NSU Horizons Spring 2014

21 HORIZONS nursing program The Palm Beach campus also features two distinct nursing programs: The Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) and the M.S.N.—Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (A.P.R.N.), which prepares students to become family nurse practitioners. There are 260 students in the A.P.R.N. program and 40 in the D.N.P. program, said Andra Hanlon, Ph.D., A.R.N.P., CPNP, Doctor of Nursing Practice program director, and asso- ciate dean of graduate programs at the College of Nursing. Both programs focus on working with patients. The nurse practitio- ners focus on primary care and keeping people out of the hospitals, said Hanlon. Family nurse practitioners, who already have a bachelor’s degree and experience in nursing, may work in clinics, with underserved popu- lations, or in private practice. Students in the D.N.P. program are nurses who already have a master’s degree and experience in nursing. Each student designs a project that provides medical treatment in an innovative way. One group of students put together a church-based clinic to identify and reduce hypertension in African Americans. Another student devised a core-strengthening program to reduce the number of overuse injuries in young athletes. Some contact local hospitals—students are based all over the country, said Hanlon—and set up projects in conjunction with those hospitals. “A chief nursing officer may have a project, but not have (doctoral can- didate) nurses, so the hospitals love to have our students,” said Hanlon. Doctoral students work one on one with faculty mentors. Students and mentors are in frequent contact by phone and by email. “That’s what sets us apart, the close mentoring,” said Hanlon. “And every student is actually making a difference in health care.” n Hanbury New SSC President George L. Hanbury II , Ph.D., president and CEO of Nova Southeastern University, is the new president of the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) for the 2013– 14 and 2014–15 academic terms. Hanbury succeeds Kevin M. Ross, president of Lynn University, who just completed a two-year term. In his role as conference president, Hanbury will act as chair of the SSC Presidents Council. He will be working closely with conference commissioner Jay Jones and the presidents of the league’s eight other member institutions. n travisano gets glass ceiling award Jacqueline A. Travisano , M.B.A., CPA, NSU’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, has been named a 2014 recipient of the Glass Ceiling Award presented by the Florida Diversity Council. Travisano was 1 of 13 women honored during the Fourth Annual Florida Women’s Conference in March 2014. Recipients of the Glass Ceiling Award were honored for having demonstrated leadership excellence, maintaining a steady increase in responsibility throughout their careers, establishing a record of accomplishments in areas of expertise, providing a positive influence in the workplace, and demonstrat- ing integrity and high ethical standards. Travisano’s career encompasses more than two decades of service to higher education and nonprofit organizations in various capacities. Immediately prior to joining NSU, Travisano served as vice president for business affairs and chief financial officer at St. John’s University in Queens, New York. She holds an M.B.A. from Chatham University, a B.S. in Business Administration from Robert Morris University, and is a Certified Public Accountant. n around NSU The nursing programs at the Palm Beach campus emphasize working with patients.