Janice Holmes, professor of nursing and allied health, and Camille Wendekier, IUP nursing doctoral candidate and professor of nursing at St. Francis University, have been selected by Sigma Theta Tau International to participate as one of 16 mentor–student pairs in its 2012 Nurse Faculty Leadership Academy.
Camille Wendekier (left), nursing doctoral candidate, and her mentor, Janice Holmes, professor of nursing and allied health (right)
The purpose of the academy is to develop nursing educators' teaching and leadership skills through mentorship over the course of the 22-month program. Holmes and Wendekier are one of only 16 mentor–student pairs chosen for the leadership academy. Participants are from 29 universities in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Thailand.
Holmes will mentor Wendekier on incorporating advanced teaching methods into a nursing curriculum. They will be required to attend two workshops with fellow academy participants in Indianapolis in February 2012 and 2013. They'll also meet face-to-face and online to collaborate on an educational project. Wendekier's project involves revising the nursing curriculum evaluation plan at St. Francis University, where she has been a professor for three years.
“I'm learning things that tie in excellently with my curriculum project,” Wendekier said of the mentorship.
“It's a time to be able to give back, to get some of the mentoring opportunities I missed,” Holmes said. “It's nice to be involved in a structured mentorship program.”
Holmes received funding for her participation from Sigma Theta Tau and the Elsevier Foundation, a global publisher of scientific, technical, and medical information products. She is president of IUP's chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International.
Founded in 1922 and headquartered in Indianapolis, Sigma Theta Tau has more than 125,000 active members in 86 countries. IUP's chapter, which is planning its 30th anniversary celebration this year, has 200 members. Inductees include undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students and professional nurses from the community.