Category: leadership development

Lifting as We Climb: A Reflection on Mentorship, Growth, and Leadership in Nursing Education – Faculty Focus

I had the privilege of attending a nursing conference at Creighton University. From the moment the first keynote speaker began to share, I felt deeply inspired. Her words focused on the foundational role nursing theorists and their frameworks play in shaping our professional identity. As someone with more than 30 years in this field, her reflections stirred something meaningful in me. It reminded me that the journey to becoming a strong nurse—and an enthusiastic, confident educator—is never a solo effort. We are shaped and supported by those around us: our families, mentors, peers, administrators, and communities.

Our mentors model excellence and cheer us on, encouraging us to aim higher and trust our abilities. Our peers walk beside us, offering camaraderie, support, and shared wisdom. A strong administration gives us the resources, trust, and space to innovate—to build thoughtful curricula and design meaningful assessments. Together, they help us grow in ways we may not always recognize in the moment but deeply appreciate in hindsight.

Be an Advocate

One of my earliest mentors showed me that being an educator is about more than teaching content—it’s about showing up and being a reliable advocate. She was the first to model what it means to truly be there for students, during both their triumphs and their hardest moments. Her open-door policy wasn’t just a phrase—it was a way of life. Through her, I learned that advocacy means listening, guiding, and supporting with consistency and compassion. It’s a daily practice of presence and empathy, and it’s where true impact begins.

Set the Bar High

“Set the bar high, and students will strive to reach it.” Those words, shared with me by a mentor years ago, continue to guide my philosophy. She believed in the boundless potential of every student and taught me that high expectations, paired with strong support, yield incredible growth. I have seen this in action countless times. When we show students that we believe in their capabilities, they rise—not just to meet the challenge, but often to surpass it.

Be a Cheerleader

One of the most joyful lessons I learned from a mentor was to bring genuine enthusiasm into the classroom. A smile can shift the energy in a room. She encouraged me to use affirmations and call-and-response interactions to build confidence and connection. Small moments, like telling students, “You are capable, confident, and ready,” go a long way. With her influence, I learned to energize a room and help students believe in themselves through positivity and encouragement.

Be Innovative

I was lucky to be mentored by educators who challenged me to move beyond traditional teaching methods. They encouraged me to embrace active learning, to create space where students become participants rather than passive listeners. These mentors inspired me to design experiences that reflect the real world our students will step into—fast-paced, complex, and collaborative. They also reminded me to have fun, to bring my full self into the classroom, and to enjoy the creativity and spontaneity that comes with teaching.

Find Your Theme

One mentor encouraged me to find my scholarly “theme”—an area that aligned with my passion and values. She emphasized that impactful scholarship isn’t just about output; it’s about focus, authenticity, and purpose. Through her mentorship, I found my academic voice. She pushed me to take chances, refine my work, and stay aligned with what truly matters to me. Because of her, I continue to approach writing and research with purpose and pride.

Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

Growth often begins with discomfort, and one mentor was instrumental in helping me embrace that truth. She encouraged me to try new teaching strategies and take risks, even when they felt uncertain. Her example helped me see failure not as defeat, but as an essential part of learning. She taught me to model resilience and curiosity—traits I now pass along to my students.

Be Confident

Confidence as an educator doesn’t come overnight, and for me, a peer played a key role in building that. She guided me in designing exam questions that challenge critical thinking and reflect real-world application. Her belief in my abilities helped me believe in myself. Thanks to her, I now approach assessments as a vital, thoughtful part of the learning process.

Meaningful Connections

Over the years, I’ve formed lasting connections with peers who have become dear friends. Even while teaching at different institutions, our collaboration has remained strong. We share resources, brainstorm, and support each other. These partnerships are more than professional—they’re deeply personal, and they remind me how important it is to foster connection in our work.

Work-Life Balance

Recently, a peer helped me realize the value of setting boundaries and honoring my well-being. She taught me that time for rest, family, and joy is essential—not a luxury. Her example helped me reframe self-care as a necessity for sustained excellence. Today, I prioritize balance, and it’s made me a more effective, fulfilled educator.

Spirituality and Compassion

A mentor once reminded me that spirituality is an essential part of holistic nursing. She taught me that kindness, compassion, and a joyful heart—especially one filled with color (purple, in her case!)—are just as important as clinical skills. Her teachings helped me understand that healing involves the whole person, and that our energy, presence, and spirit deeply affect those we serve.

Joy and Motivation

One of my greatest sources of daily encouragement is my son. His love, his kind words, and his constant support fuel my motivation and joy. He reminds me to live fully, to stay grateful, and to appreciate each moment. Knowing he’s proud of me pushes me to be my best, every single day.

Without Limitation

A dear friend once told me that I deserve all the good things life has to offer—and that I should never doubt my worth. Her belief in me helped me overcome self-imposed limits. Because of her, I’ve stepped into new opportunities with courage, knowing I am capable and deserving.

Cultural Respect and Humility

One of the most impactful lessons I’ve learned came from a mentor who emphasized cultural humility. She taught me to approach every person as a unique individual, with their own story, values, and needs. In both education and care, respect and humility create space for genuine connection and better outcomes. I strive to carry this mindset into every classroom and clinical setting.

My Foundation

At the start of my journey, a mentor believed in me when I struggled to believe in myself. She urged me to pursue my graduate degree and never let me settle for less than my full potential. Her faith in me laid the foundation for the educator I’ve become. I carry her lessons with me daily and hope I’ve made her proud.

An Honor to Witness

Every day, I learn from my students. Their empathy, dedication, and curiosity inspire me. They cheer each other on, advocate for others, and bring fresh perspectives into the classroom. It’s an honor to witness their growth and to be part of their journey. They are already showing the compassion and leadership that will define their futures in nursing.

Future Leaders

The students I mentor often think I’m guiding them—but the truth is, they inspire me. Their passion and eagerness to become nurse educators push me to reflect, evolve, and reach higher. They remind me why I chose this path: to make a difference and help others do the same. They are the future of nursing education, and I’m proud to be a part of their development.

The Sigma conference was more than an event—it was a heartfelt reminder that growth in nursing and education is a shared journey. The keynote speaker’s message brought me back to the many people who have walked with me these past three decades. I am who I am today because of their mentorship, encouragement, and belief in me. As we move forward in our profession, may we all strive to lift others as we have been lifted—to teach, lead, and advocate with purpose, passion, and heart.

Dr. Maureen Hermann earned her BSN (1995), MSN (2011), and DNP (2016), with an emphasis in leadership, from Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing in Peoria, IL. Dr. Maureen Hermann is an Associate Professor at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska.

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June 13, 2025
Five Resources to Level Up Supervisor Training and Leadership Development – CUPA-HR

by Julie Burrell | July 2, 2024

Supervisor training and leadership development are top priorities for HR — and it’s no wonder why. Skilled supervisors are critical to increasing employees’ job satisfaction. A solid leadership pipeline ensures that both institutional knowledge and talented employees remain at a college or university. And higher ed employees have a strong desire for professional and leadership development, which affects how they view their jobs.

How can institutions support supervisors and those who might move into that role? How can HR mitigate supervisor burnout? What about encouraging career development for employees who want a more fulfilling role, but not necessarily as a supervisor? Several higher ed HR practitioners have shared with CUPA-HR how they are tackling these common challenges.

10 Roadblocks to Supervision (and How to Surpass Them) (Watch Now) and Roadblocks to Supervision: Clearing a Path for Peer-To-Supervisors, New Supervisors and Hybrid Team Supervisors (Read Now)

While it might be evident that a supervisor is struggling, diagnosing the reason why is more complex. That’s exactly what this pair of valuable resources is designed to help with. Based on supervisor trainings at the University of North Carolina System, this webinar and companion article break down supervisor struggles into an adaptable list of roadblocks that prevent supervisors from flourishing. These range from interpersonal skills (such as misaligned communication styles), to systemic workload issues (supervisors being too busy), to communication across divisions (leaving HR out of the loop when a problem arises).

Building Leaders From Within: UT Rio Grande Valley Blends Leadership Development With a Master’s in Higher Ed Administration (Read Now)

The need for an internal talent pipeline at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley was clear. So was the need to retain valuable employees, who sought career development opportunities. (The desire for promotion or more responsibility is the third most-cited reason for higher ed employees seeking new jobs.) To address both challenges, HR teamed up with administrative and academic leadership to create an innovative — and mostly free — Master of Arts in higher education administration program for current employees. Learn how they built and executed this initiative, which welcomed 100 employees over the past few years.

BRIGHT Leaders Program at UT Dallas (Watch Now)

Recipient of the 2023 CUPA-HR Innovation Award, the BRIGHT Leaders program at the University of Texas at Dallas speaks to the needs of today’s employees, who desire flexible professional development programs. This webinar explains how BRIGHT Leaders encourages everyone on campus to lead from where they are. UT Dallas’s “all-access pass” model means any employee can take any leadership training session at any time. No matter their position or leadership level, all staff and faculty (and even students) are welcome to attend, and there’s no selective process that limits participation.

Investing in People: How to Create a Coaching Culture on Your Campus (Read Now)

Gone are the days when coaching was either for executives only or a remedy for poor performance. In fact, coaching can increase employee engagement and job satisfaction as well as boost retention and job performance. But coaching looks different from campus to campus. This article delves into how three institutions — Vanderbilt University, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the University of California, Berkeley — created cultures of coaching on their campuses. This data-driven resource not only outlines these unique coaching programs, but also offers resources and tips to help you convince leadership that coaching is an essential element of creating future leaders.

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July 2, 2024
UT Dallas’s BRIGHT Leaders Program: An All-Access Approach to Leadership Training and Career Development

In 2020, the human resources team at the University of Texas at Dallas was set to launch its leadership and professional development program, the culmination of 18 months of dedicated work. As the pandemic took hold, the question confronting Colleen Dutton, chief human resources officer, and her team was, “Now what do we do?” In their recent webinar for CUPA-HR, Dutton and Jillian McNally, a talent development specialist, explained how their COVID-19 pivot was a blessing in disguise, helping them completely reconstruct leadership training from the ground up.

The resulting, reimagined program — BRIGHT Leaders — received a 2023 CUPA-HR Innovation Award for groundbreaking thinking in higher ed HR. BRIGHT Leaders speaks to the needs of today’s employees, who desire professional development programs that are flexible and encourages everyone on campus to lead from where they are.

An All-Access Pass for Career Development

UTD innovated by first addressing the needs of remote and hybrid employees. Recognizing that “our workforce was never going to be the same after COVID,” Dutton says, they transformed their original plan from an in-person, cohort model into an accessible, inclusive training program they call an “all-access pass.” Any employee can take any leadership training session at any time. No matter their position or leadership level, all staff and faculty (and even students) are welcome to attend, and there’s no selective process that limits participation.

Their new, all-access approach inspired a mantra within HR: “Organizations that treat every employee as a leader create the best leaders and the best cultures.” This open-access philosophy means that parking attendants and vice presidents might be in the same leadership development session. Employees attend trainings on their own schedules, whether on their smart phones or at their home office. UTD also offers three self-paced pathways — Foundations, Leadership and Supervisor Essentials, and Administrative Support Essentials — that employees can complete to earn a digital badge. They’re also encouraged to leverage this training when applying to open positions on campus.

Some of the Microsoft Teams-based programs UTD established in their first year include: Lessons from Leaders series, BRIGHT Leaders Book Club and Teaching Leadership Compassion (TLC). They also partner with e-learning companies to supplement their internal training materials.

Dutton and McNally note that sessions don’t always have to be conducted by HR. Campus partners are encouraged to lead trainings that fall within the BRIGHT framework: Bold, Responsible, Inclusive, Growing, High Performing and Transformative. For example, an upcoming book club will be led by a team consisting of the dean of engineering and the athletic director.

Making UTD an Employer of Choice

In line with UTD’s commitment to workplace culture, the BRIGHT Leaders program speaks to the needs of a changing workforce. Early-career professionals don’t want to wait five years to be eligible for leadership training, Dutton stresses. “They want access to these leadership opportunities and trainings now.”

UTD’s flexible professional development training approach helps confront a concerning trend: almost half of higher ed employees (44%) surveyed in The CUPA-HR 2023 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey disagree that they have opportunities for advancement, and one-third (34%) do not believe that their institution invests in their career development. Offering robust, flexible professional development and leadership opportunities is part of UTD’s commitment to be an employer of choice in North Texas.

For more specifics on the BRIGHT Leaders program, view the recorded webinar. You’ll learn how HR built cross-campus partnerships, how they’ve measured their return on investment and how they’re building on their successes to train future leaders.

The post UT Dallas’s BRIGHT Leaders Program: An All-Access Approach to Leadership Training and Career Development appeared first on CUPA-HR.

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March 20, 2024