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Master of Science in Nursing program earns accreditation from Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program at IU Southeast has earned full accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

The accreditation for new programs such as the MSN is for five years.

The CCNE accreditation process entailed a rigorous self-examination that involved an in-depth evaluation of program quality and effectiveness, according to Carla Hermann, MSN program director.

A self-study report that addressed how the IU Southeast MSN program met four standards and key elements pertaining to mission and governance, institutional commitment and resources, curriculum and teaching, and assessment and program outcomes was prepared over a several month period.

Following submission of the self-study report, an onsite evaluation visit by three individuals assigned by the CCNE took place over a three-day period in September 2019. Final accreditation was granted during the May meeting of the CCNE Board of Commissioners.

“The CCNE accreditation affirms the high quality of the MSN program and the tremendous effort and expertise of the IUS School of Nursing faculty who teach in the program,” Hermann said. “MSN students and graduates can have utmost confidence they are well prepared to enter into advanced practice as a nurse educator or nurse administrator to model excellence and function as a leader.”

Melissa Fry co-authors article on coronavirus’ impact on most vulnerable

Melissa Fry, IU Southeast associate professor of sociology and director of the Applied Research Education Center (AREC), has co-authored an article detailing how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the lives of some of society’s most vulnerable individuals: those with substance use disorders.

The article, in the online issue of The Conversation, builds on research undertaken as part of the Indiana University Grand Challenges grant received by Fry and her colleagues, primary investigator Melissa Cyders of IUPUI and Kevin Ladd of IU South Bend. Critical contributions are being made by Katie Shircliff ’18, an IU Southeast Chancellor’s Medallion recipient and study coordinator at IUPUI.

The project looks at challenges facing those recovering from opioid addiction. The research team expanded the project’s original focus to seek to understand how people with these substance use disorders are managing their recovery during the coronavirus pandemic, complete with its massive lifestyle changes.

The team found that the coronavirus pandemic is adding to already daunting challenges for these individuals.

For one, they are more vulnerable to infection from COVID-19 and its complications, due to preexisting conditions such as chronic respiratory illness, and to heightened risk factors such as joblessness, homelessness, incarceration and stress.

When the pandemic became a full-blown public health crisis, Shircliff and IUPUI graduate students were already performing intake and follow-up interviews with those receiving services at project partner sites, Fairbanks in Indianapolis and LifeSpring in southern Indiana. Together with Cyders, Shircliff developed a new questionnaire to capture impacts of the virus. Their study team spoke with 45 adults between the ages of 28 and 73 during March and April of this year. Follow-up interviews continue to add to the data set.

Fry sees immense value in using the current moment to build knowledge that can help in recovery today, as well as in strategizing for recovery in less trying times ahead.

“We knew we needed to document the impacts or probable impacts of the pandemic on our multi-year study, but we also saw a very immediate need to use our relationship with the population to shed light on the particular needs of the recovery community during the pandemic,” Fry said.

The Grand Challenge opioid recovery research project will continue for several more years, and Fry expects the information derived from the questionnaire and interviews to contribute significantly to the reach and impact of that study.

Photo of Melissa Fry

IU Southeast names Kelly Ryan executive vice chancellor for academic affairs

Indiana University Southeast announced recently that Kelly Ryan, current dean of the School of Social Sciences, will assume the role of executive vice chancellor for academic affairs (EVCAA) on July 1, 2020.

Ryan was selected after a nationwide search to find the top candidate to assume the duties of the chief academic officer. The position became vacant when Uric Dufrene announced his intention to return to the School of Business faculty, where he will teach undergraduate and graduate students and also retain the endowed Sanders Chair in Business and Entrepreneurship.

Ryan, a professor of history, holds a doctorate degree from the University of Maryland, a Master of Arts from Boston College and a Bachelor of Arts from George Mason University. She has served as dean of the School of Social Sciences since 2016, and she has also served in various other administrative roles in the school.

“Dr. Ryan brings a wealth of experience to this position. Having worked collaboratively with the other academic deans and directors to improve our educational models, she will hit the ground running. I am very pleased she has been selected for this second-in-command position, and I look forward to working with her,” said Wallace.

Photo of Kelly Ryan

Grenadier student-athletes achieve highest department academic-year GPA in history

Indiana University Southeast student-athletes overcame the abrupt changes to their education in the spring semester and recorded the highest department GPA for the academic year in history at 3.2. A record-setting fall GPA of 3.3 for the department and a 3.1 GPA for Spring 2020 resulted in the highest academic year GPA on record.

Sixty-six percent of IU Southeast student-athletes earned recognition on the spring 2020 Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. To earn recognition, student-athletes must achieve at least a 3.0 grade point average during the semester. Below is an index of each student-athlete who is earning Athletic Director’s Honor Roll recognition this semester. Seventy-nine IU Southeast student-athletes were named to the honor roll this semester.

Five Grenadier athletic programs recorded GPAs of 3.0 or higher. Women’s Basketball led the way with a 3.48 GPA, followed by women’s tennis at 3.46, softball at 3.40, volleyball at 3.06 and baseball at 3.05.

“Our Grenadier student-athletes have overcome many obstacles to achieve their goals this semester,” Director of Athletics Joe Glover said. “I am so proud of all their hard work in these challenging times. They continued to be successful even as their seasons of competition were ended prematurely, but they focused on what was important and excelled academically.”

By the Numbers: Commencement