From the Desk of the Dean
Autumn is my favorite season in Montana. It marks the beginning of a new academic year, the shift to cool nights and crisp mornings, and first snow on the Gallatin Range.
For the college of nursing, the start of fall semester also marks the one-year anniversary of receiving the historic $101 million investment from Mark and Robyn Jones. In this newsletter, I share just a sample of the activity that has occurred over the past twelve months. Suffice to say, the faculty and staff of the newly named Mark & Robyn Jones College of Nursing (MRJCON) have been productive. Here’s a preview:
Faculty are implementing a major refresh of both the traditional BSN and accelerated BSN curricula starting this Fall semester after two years of careful planning, approvals, and preparation led by Dr. Susan Raph, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Dr. Ann Galloway, Chair of the faculty workgroup that designed the new curricula. The group ensured that the new curricula aligns with the just-released 2022 AACN Essentials for Entry Level Professional Nursing Education. High-fidelity simulation learning is integrated across each semester and students are responding with enthusiasm to the changes and active learning opportunities.
The Caring for Our Own Program (CO-OP) is celebrating a historic number of participants: 63! This includes 29 pre-nursing, 29 bachelor’s, and 5 Doctor of Nursing Practice students. Overall, the MRJCON has the highest number of Native American students among Montana State University’s colleges. Dr. Laura Larsson, newly named the inaugural recipient of the Kathleen Chafey Nursing Professorship, is the director of CO-OP.
Research and other grant funding across the college has exploded under the leadership of Dr. Molly Secor, our Associate Dean for Research. Over 40 grant applications have been submitted so far in 2022 (with three months to go). The MRJCON had almost $7 million in research expenditures in 2021. You will read about some of the exciting work being done by our nurse scientists.
Faculty and students are serving Montana in ways large and small. As the nation and world emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, our college continues to provide service to underserved communities across the state.
Thank you for your interest in – and support of – Bobcat Nursing. You can sum up our college in just six words: Five Campuses, One College, Serving Montana. Without our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and donors, we could not accomplish all we do. Again, thank you and Go Cats!
MSU nursing college announces recruitment of endowed professors
Montana State University’s nursing college is recruiting nationwide for five new endowed professors thanks to recent support from Mark and Robyn Jones.
Six eNDOWED pROFESSORSHIPS
- Kathleen Chafey Nursing Professorship - Focus on the Caring for Our Own Program. Dr. Laura Larsson PhD, RN, FAAN currently directs the Caring for Our Own Program and is the inaugural recipient of the endowed professorship.
- The Jean C. Roberts Nursing Professorship - Focus on nursing care excellence. Currently recruiting for this position.
- The Jodi L. Jones Nursing Professorship - Focus and expertise is on innovations in nursing care. Currently recruiting for this position.
- The Anna Marian Shannon Nursing Professorship - Focus is related to mental health. Currently recruiting for this position.
- The Sarah E. Shannon Nursing Professorship - Focus on professionalism in health care. Currently recruiting for this position.
- The Waded Cruzado Nursing Professorship - Focus on rural health, equity or health policy. Currently recruiting for this position.
“Endowed professorships create the opportunity to recruit top caliber faculty to Montana State University. An endowed professorship brings prestige to both the university and to the individual who holds the position, in addition to added financial support for the endowed professor’s scholarship and salary." - Sarah Shannon, dean of the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing.
MSU NURSING FACULTY DISCUSSES YOUTH MENTAL ILLNESS AT WHITE HOUSE, CAPITOL
A faculty member in Montana State University’s Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing has been invited to Washington, D.C., to discuss “Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness,” a new documentary from Ken Burns, Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers.
Stacy Stellflug, Associate Professor with the MSU nursing college’s Billings campus, attended a screening June 22 at the White House for President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, as well as a screening today at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center for members of Congress. Following both screenings, Stellflug is participating in discussions about the film. Stellflug is a nurse practitioner, does research on nursing workforce issues, specializes in pediatric/adolescent health and is the principal investigator for two grants whose purpose is to increase the nurse practitioner workforce in rural Montana. Stellflug’s colleague Kee Dunning, a licensed clinical professional counselor in Billings, also consulted on and is featured in the documentary.
“Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness” tells the story of the mental health crisis among American youth. The film follows more than 20 young Americans from across the country, including two students from Montana, Maclayn Clark and Gabe Peaslee. The film premiered on PBS stations nationwide June 27 and June 28 2022.
Health care students start free foot clinic for the homeless
Health care students in Billings have partnered with the Community Crisis Center to offer free foot care clinics to the homeless.
Physician’s assistant and occupational therapy students from Rocky Mountain College, nursing students with Montana State University (under the supervision of Jordan Teller) and local medical students will give foot baths, exams and nail trimmings to those in need with preceptor supervision every Monday evening from 7 to 9 p.m.
Called the Best Foot Forward (BFF) clinic, the student-run program operates under Gratitude in Action’s nonprofit status, ensuring a funding model and opens up the clinic to donations from the community, said third-year medical student Maclean Turner.
students connecting with Tribal communities
One Community in Health: School-Based Health Clinics
The Mark & Robyn Jones College of Nursing is working with the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Health Department and local school boards to establish school-based health clinics (SBHCs) at the Lame Deer and Busby Head Start programs, Lame Deer K-12 schools, and Northern Cheyenne Tribal School.
The clinics will be operated by nurse practitioners who are also faculty at the MRJCON. Coverage in the beginning will be 1 week a month with the hope of expanding services to every day that school is in session. Dental services, such as treatment, cleaning, fluoride varnish, and silver diamine fluoride applications will be provided by Smiles Across Montana (SAM) dentists and hygienists. Medical services may include assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of minor and acute illnesses, first aid for minor injuries, chronic disease management, physical examinations for well checks, sports physicals, or pre-employment clearance, and health screenings.
The SBHCs will also serve as a clinical site for nursing and nurse practitioner students. Supervised students will be able to complete some of their required clinical hours in pediatrics. This is a wonderful opportunity for both undergraduate and graduate nursing students to work with pre-school-12th grade children.
A kick-off event happened in early August when free sports physicals were offered to student athletes on the Northern Cheyenne reservation. Eighty-two physicals were performed in 3 days by volunteer nurse practitioners and nurses. A SAM dental hygienist was there and provided dental services as well. The event was well received.
blackfeet nation immersion course
Fifteen MRJCON Great Falls Campus Accelerated students had an intense and true immersion week on the Blackfeet Reservation. The days were filled with talks from respected elders, a traditional herbalist who had students make their own teas, and dance and pow-wow etiquette guidance with drum group. They witnessed a very moving naming ceremony for a prodigal daughter, were served traditional foods from children involved in a society teaching cultural concepts, had a personal tour of a fascinating local museum where local artists were also sharing their crafts, enjoyed Indian tacos at the ranch of the Blackfeet I.H.S. Hospital Director of Nursing and they actually even had clinical experiences at both the busy I.H.S. Hospital and with tribal clinics. Students had many opportunities to exercise flexibility and positivity as the schedule often changed! All came away greatly appreciative of the experience and it will influence their future practice as caring, dynamic Bobcat Nurses.
fort peck community and the heart project
10 students will travel to the Fort Peck community in November for a cultural immersion service learning experience where they will be working with children in school based health centers to deliver primary, acute and care or chronic illness. They will interact with tribal community members including elders . In addition students will be working with a tribal health employee to deliver maturation classes to middle and high school students. Lastly all 10 students will be interacting with Dr. Julie Alexander-Ruff to implement the HEART project to 4-6th grade students and their children - approximately 200 children in the Wolf Point school district. This project is designed to allow children to learn about health and wellness with an emphasis on mental health.
Awards, Excellence, and recognition in the Mark and robyn Jones College of Nursing
Awards received during the 2022 Western Institute of Nursing Conference
A student and a faculty member from Montana State University’s Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing were recognized the WIN regional nursing conference.
Student Samantha Old Elk received the Western Institute of Nursing’s Ann M. Voda Conference Award, while nursing professor Laura Larsson received the Anna M. Shannon Mentorship Award. Larsson and Old Elk were recognized at the Western Institute of Nursing’s annual conference, which was held April 6-9, 2022 in Portland, Oregon. The Western Institute of Nursing connects nurse scientists, leaders and educators from across 10 Western states around research, practice and education.
The Ann M. Voda Conference Award is given annually to an Indigenous scholar to support their travel to and participation in the Western Institute of Nursing’s annual conference. The award aims to promote nursing student/clinician engagement with the Western Institute of Nursing’s community of scholars and to increase diversity and improve networking related to health disparity research, practice and education.
The Anna M. Shannon Mentorship Award recognizes exemplary and sustained mentorship of nurses in the West. The award is given annually to an individual who serves as a role model for leadership and professionalism; actively supports the professional development of nurses and/or nursing students; emphasizes advancement of the nursing profession rather than self-advancement; and communicates a vision of nursing that inspires others.
American Academy of Nursing Recognizes Trailblazers with Prestigious Awards
Peter Buerhaus, PhD, RN, FAANP(h), FAAN, Professor of Nursing and Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Health Workforce Studies at the College of Nursing, Montana State University, will be presented with this Academy’s Civitas Award. The award recognizes an individual who exemplifies extraordinary dedication to excellence in promoting quality care. Dr. Buerhaus is a prolific writer and healthcare economist, known for his research on the nursing workforce in the United States. His research program focuses on employment, education, and demographic trends in the nursing workforce, forecasting nurse and physician workforce supply, developing and testing measures of hospital quality of care, determining public and provider opinions on the delivery of health care, and assessing the quantity, quality, and costs of health care provided by nurse practitioners. Among his 170 publications, five publications are designated as “Classics” by the Federal Government’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In 2003, Dr. Buerhaus was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and he served on NAM’s Committee on the Future of Nursing 2020-2030. Story from American Academy of Nursing Recognizes Trailblazers with Prestigious Awards (September 13, 2022).
MSU nursing faculty and partners selected for prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program
Three individuals who work together to address health disparities in the Latino community in the Gallatin Valley have been selected for a prestigious three-year program that aims to develop interdisciplinary research leaders.
Sally Moyce, assistant professor in Montana State University’s Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing; David Claudio, a faculty member at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and former associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering in MSU’s Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering; and Elizabeth Aghbashian, health promotion specialist with the Gallatin City-County Health Department, have been selected for the Interdisciplinary Research Leaders program supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The fellowship comes with $350,000 over the course of three years.
The three will use the fellowship to interview Latina women who have been referred to the Montana Cancer Control Program, a free cancer prevention program that Aghbashian administers. They plan to examine differential trends in access to care and follow-up referrals for both white and Latina women enrolled in the program. Through an analysis of processes and procedures, they hope to identify specific policies and practices that can be adjusted to improve access for all women in the program.
Elizabeth Johnson won first place in the 2022 Virtual Nurse pitch
Elizabeth Johnson won first place in NursePitch. NursePitch is an interactive event that features nurses who want to share their creative solutions and innovations around: a medical device or technology; an organizational or process improvement; a care delivery model; a business, program, service; research; or an educational intervention. NursePitch is hosted by the American Nurses Association. Elizabeth presented her wearable technology for patient safety in clinical trials.
Elizabeth Johnson received second place for her TrialWear during MSU's third annual 50K Venture Competition
Six entrepreneurial ventures took home a share of $75,000 in prize money from Montana State University’s third annual $50K Venture Competition, which was held April 27 in Inspiration Hall on the MSU campus.
The event featured 10 finalists in traditional and social venture categories, all of whom had connections to MSU or the University of Montana as students, faculty, staff or alumni. The event was hosted by the MSU Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship and the MSU Blackstone LaunchPad.
The event started with an announcement that the available award funds had increased to $75,000 this year.
During the competition, the finalists pitched their ideas to a panel of four judges and then answered questions. The judges were Eric Ladd, founder and chairman of Outlaw Partners, L&K Real Estate, Outlaw Real Estate Partners and Boundary Expeditions; April LaMon, CEO and co-founder of Alosant; Garrett Leach, an MSU alumnus and analyst at Next Frontier Capital; and Scott Peterson, MSU alumnus and vice president of development for United Properties.
MRJCON 2022 Homecoming Awardees
Each year, the 9 colleges of MSU select very special people to recognize during MSU Homecoming celebrations. I am pleased to announce our Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing 2022 Homecoming Awardees!
Alumni Achievement – Janice Ostermiller
Ms. Janice Ostermiller is a 2011 (BSN) and 2014 (MN) graduate of MSU MRJCON. Janice has had a successful career first in her tenure at Billings Clinic and now in a new role at St. John’s United. She has been a tireless advocate for the MSU MRJCON including service on the Dean’s Advisory Council since 2015. Janice and her family are actively engaged in the Billings community helping make Montana a great place to live. The MRJCON is delighted to be able to count Ms. Janice Ostermiller as an alumni twice over!
Distinguished Faculty – Peter Buerhaus
Dr. Peter Buerhaus is nationally recognized as a leader in healthcare workforce research, particularly the impact of nurse practitioners on quality and cost of health care. He is a prolific author, recently served on the National Academy of Medicine’s committee on the Future of Nursing 2020-2030, and is the frequent recipient of national awards. Peter has consistently taught health policy on the Bozeman campus and receives exemplary evaluations from students who appreciate his expertise as well as his neutrality which allows students to discern their own opinions. For these and countless more reasons, Dr. Peter Buerhaus is very deserving of the 2022 Distinguished Faculty Award.
Distinguished Staff – Sharon Poore
Ms. Sharon Poore is an administrative assistant on the MRJCON Billings campus. She is well respected by all as a team player who works well with faculty, staff, and students. Sharon has exceptional initiative always looking for better ways to accomplish duties or tackle challenges. Her organizational thinking helps to make others work more efficient and her friendly ‘can-do’ attitude contributes to a positive team. The Billings Campus and the entire MRJCON is delighted to present Sharon Poore with the 2022 Distinguished Staff Award.
Honorary Alumni – Allison Ziegelman
Ms. Allison Ziegelman is a Senior Director of Development at the MSU Alumni Foundation and the primary liaison for the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing. Allison was instrumental in securing the Jones gift as well as countless other donations for the college. She focuses on cultivating lifelong relationships with alumni and securing private support to advance MSU and the MRJCON. Allison has been devoted in learning about nursing and communicating the MRJCON’s mission and vision externally. She has truly earned the recognition of being an Honorary Alumni of the MRJCON.
Valued MSU Partner – Jen Ward
Ms. Jen Ward is the Director of Financial Stewardship at the MSU Alumni Foundation. In her role, she is an invaluable partner to the college in every aspect of awarding scholarships to our students from initial budgeting to setting up funds in the CAT$ Scholarships platform to awarding the actual scholarships. Jen is an excellent communicator in her behind-the-scenes role ensuring that scholarship funds make it to deserving students efficiently. We are grateful to Jen Ward for her hard work on behalf of MRJCON and its students and are delighted to recognize her with the 2022 Valued MSU Partner Award!
Alumni Diversity Legacy Award – Laurie Glover
Ms. Laurie Glover is the consummate public health nurse who embraces the ideals of the MRJCON’s newest award, the Alumni Diversity Legacy Award. As a graduate from MSU (BSN, 1979; MN, 2003), Laurie’s more than 40-year career in professional nursing practice has been distinguished by a history of serving marginalized, at-risk, and underserved individuals through a lens of caring for the whole person. As a nurse educator, Laurie embedded the values of diversity, equity and inclusion into clinical and didactic learning experiences BSN nursing students on the Great Falls Campus long before it was common. Ms. Laurie Glover truly embodies the ideal of the Alumni Diversity Legacy Award.
GENEROUS LAND DONATIONS FOR NEW NURSING EDUCATION BUILDINGS
Thank you to our partners for their generosity! Benefis Health System, Billings Clinic, Logan Health, and St. Vincent (now Intermountain Healthcare) we appreciate your support.
Benefis Health System
Benefis Health System has signed a letter of intent to donate land for a new nursing education building in Great Falls to be built with a portion of a $101 million investment by philanthropists Mark and Robyn Jones to Montana State University.
Billings clinic and st. Vincent healthcare
In Montana’s largest health care hub, Billings Clinic and St. Vincent Healthcare (now Intermountain Healthcare) are collaborating on a strategic donation of land for a new Montana State University nursing education building in Billings. The new nursing facility will be built on property adjacent to each medical center campus with a portion of a $101 million investment by philanthropists Mark and Robyn Jones to MSU.
logan health
Logan Health has signed a letter of intent to donate land for a new nursing education building in Kalispell to be built with a portion of a $101 million investment by philanthropists Mark and Robyn Jones to Montana State University.
The new nursing education building in Bozeman will be built in a central location on the MSU Campus. The new nursing education building location is still being decided in Missoula.
MSU offers new doctoral program in Indigenous and rural health
As part of its efforts to address the health and wellness of Indigenous and rural communities in Montana and beyond, Montana State University is offering a new doctoral program in Indigenous and rural health.
Alison Harmon, dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Development, which houses the program, said it will develop scholars, educators and practitioners to address pressing needs. Faculty members from a number of MSU colleges — including the College of Agriculture, Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing, Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship and College of Letters and Science — will teach program courses.
Students enrolled in the program may take courses at the MSU campus in Bozeman or at a distance via remote learning technologies.
MSU nursing college receives $3.9 million to deliver medical, dental and behavioral health care in five rural Montana communities
Montana State University’s nursing college has received a grant totaling $3.9 million that will enable MSU and its partners from across Montana to deliver quality medical, dental and behavioral health care to kids in rural and underserved areas while providing exceptional educational opportunities for MSU students. The four-year grant, which began July 1, is from the U.S. Health Resources Services Administration.
The grant funds the Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention-Mobile Health Training Program, which allows teams of students from the MSU Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing to work alongside community health care providers to provide care via mobile clinics in five different Montana communities.
According to Laura Larsson, a nursing professor who is leading the grant, each of the MSU nursing college’s five campuses will be matched with a rural or tribal community to provide health care. Its Billings campus will partner with the Crow Nation; its Bozeman campus will partner with the Northern Cheyenne Nation; its Great Falls campus will partner with the Blackfeet Nation; its Missoula campus will partner with Ravalli County; and its Kalispell campus will partner with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation.
Over the life of the grant, more than 600 nursing students are expected to participate, Larsson said, adding that nursing professors will travel to the sites with the students to guide learning.
Alumni spotlight
JOYCE KAWULOK BERRY (ApriL 1927-january 2022)
NURSING STUDENT DURING WWII
Recently the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing was contacted by Tim Berry, the son of Joyce Kawulok Berry, a nursing alum who had recently passed away. Tim shared memories and pictures of his mother from her time at MSU for the Alumni Spotlight
Joyce was born in Peerless, Wyoming where her grandmother was the attending midwife. Upon graduation from Campbell County High School in 1945, she was admitted to what was then Montana State College in Bozeman, Montana. WWII was in progress and there was a high demand for nurses. Joyce entered the United States Cadet Nursing Corp and completed her classroom studies and began her rotations at various hospitals in the region including the Veteran’s Administration hospital in Sheridan, WY; Bozeman Deaconess Hospital in Bozeman, MT; the hospital in Billings, MT; Warm Springs State Hospital, Warm Springs, MT; Galen, MT; and Shodair Hospital in Helena, MT.
In April of 1947 Joyce met the love of her life, Robert S. Berry, and after a whirlwind romance they were married on June 6, 1947 and made their home in Helena, MT. At the end of the war the demand for nurses subsided and Joyce left nursing to become a full-time homemaker and raise their family.
Meet the MRJCON academic programs team
Susan Raph, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Paul swift, director of Academic programs and evaluation
Nicole krueger, program coordinator recruitment and retention
debbie mccray, undergraduate program manager
riley finch, academic advisor
anna moore, academic advisor
Meet Mrjcon's new campus director in MISSOULA
Tracey Koch, MIssoula Campus Director
meet the mrjcon's new assistant campus directors
AMANDA MAUWS, ASSISTANT CAMPUS DIRECTOR, GREAT FALLS CAMPUS
sarah wangerin, assistant campus director, kalispell campus
meet the simulation co-coordinators
St. Vincent Healthcare to give $3 million to MSU nursing college in support of nurse midwifery
St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings is helping propel health care forward in Montana with a $3 million gift to Montana State University’s Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing, which will establish the St. Vincent Certified Nurse Midwifery Endowment to support nurse midwifery education, according to hospital and university officials.
“We are deeply grateful to our partners at St. Vincent Healthcare for their commitment to nursing education and maternal health across Montana. Their generosity will help ensure that mothers and their babies across our state, particularly in rural and remote areas, will receive the health care they need and deserve.” - MSU PRESIDENT WADED CRUZADO
MSU nursing professor recognized for technology to help improve safety of patients in clinical trials
When Elizabeth Johnson worked as a research nurse in Houston with pediatric patients in clinical research trials, too often, she said, she would see a patient get injured or be removed from a study because of a breakdown in communication between clinicians and researchers.
Since recognizing this problem Johnson has been devoted to improving the safety of patients participating in clinical trials. She has created a wearable device that she describes as a bridging technology to help clinicians and researchers communicate about safety related to a clinical trial.
The device – which looks like a simple wristband – has a USB connector that can be plugged into a computer, which then takes the user to a software system that provides a wealth of information about medication side effects, details about a particular trial’s guidelines and more. The technology also connects the clinician with the researcher via text, so that they can more easily communicate with one another and ask and answer questions.
Five campuses, one college: Inside Montana State University's plans for its college of nursing
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle wrote a lovely article detailing the future of the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing. The story details the College's plan for the Joneses gift that was announced in August 2021. The money is dedicated to constructing new buildings for the five existing campuses, creating five endowed professorships, a scholarship fund for nursing students and a new nurse midwifery program.