Mount Carmel College of Nursing’s Journey to Transformation – our strategic plan – is designed to accommodate enrollment growth and other positive changes anticipated as a result of Mount Carmel Health System’s $46 million investment toward improvements to the Franklinton campus.
The comprehensive strategic plan, which began in 2017 and was completed in 2019, started with a complete environmental assessment and information-gathering survey among 5,000 alumni, faculty, staff, students, board members and community stakeholders.
Implementation of the Plan brought MCCN full circle to our Vision, established by the Sisters of the Holy Cross – to be the innovative academic center preparing nurses as the most trusted partners in health care – by focusing on enrichments to programs and services to enhance the outcomes and preparedness of our graduates.
The plan was based on six strategies or foundational pillars: Education, Research, Clinical Practice, Supportive Environment, Valued Partners and Financial Stewardship. Initiatives to address each of these were prioritized, and strategic and tactical actions continue to bear fruit.
The Education pillar – the main focus with excellence in nursing education being the foundation of our mission – was ranked by the planning team as of paramount importance. However, MCCN recognized the interdependence of the six pillars for our overall success.
As as we continue to recognize the high priority of Education, we are also continually rolling out tactics that include retaining outstanding educators, staff and students; developing innovative programs that position MCCN graduates as leaders; equipping faculty to educate a highly-skilled, ethical and compassionate nursing workforce; and enhancing student advising and mentoring services.
An outstanding addition to our faculty – Kathleen Williamson, PhD, RN, who joined us in January 2019 is helping us advance Education overall.
Our Research pillar, which goes hand-in-hand with Education, is where we mindfully advance the integration of evidence-based practice into our teaching. This continues to reinforce an infrastructure that supports research and scholarship of our faculty as we secure resources to underpin those endeavors.
Our emphasis on Supportive Environment means we have a culture that values and respects the contributions of all stakeholders and that we have a safe, active, inviting and vibrant campus for everyone – students, faculty, staff and alumni. Part of making sure we are being supportive is acknowledging and celebrating diversity, which has long been a hallmark value at Mount Carmel, dating to 1949. That’s when Mount Carmel was the first school of nursing in Columbus to admit African American students. In fact, one of our Distinguished Alumni, Regina Sallee Williams, PhD, RN, FAAN, was among the first African American students to graduate in the Class of 1952 and she went on the earn her doctoral degree, retiring after teaching for many years and serving as an executive nurse at Eastern Michigan University.
A formal acknowledgement of the value of Diversity includes in our list of Core Values. As our more recent alumni know, Kathy Espy, who is now director of Community Engagement for Mount Carmel Health System, became in 1990 the first African American to join the MCCN Board of Trustees. She led our diversity effort at the College for many years, helping increase minority enrollment to 20 percent.
MCCN’s Journey to Transformation is realized by all of the Pillars working in concert. Much like the architectural support system of a bridge, every buttress must remain at full strength to allow the structure to stand. Therefore, in addition to continual enhancement and refinement of our educational degree programs and student services, our Journey also includes attention to sustainable Clinical Practice models, collaborative partnerships and, of course, Financial Stewardship to ensure the College is meeting the needs of students and graduates who will journey with us into our bright future.
Methodology for Strategic Plan
The College partnered with AMC Strategies, Strategic Consultants to Academic Medical Centers, that worked closely with a Steering Committee, which included representatives from the College faculty and staff; leadership representing Mount Carmel Health System, and College Board of Trustee members. The close collaboration of these entities ensured that Mount Carmel College of Nursing’s comprehensive strategic plan was – and continues to be – supported and “owned” by all.