The Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award was presented to Jennifer Taylor, assistant professor, for her energetic, adaptable, and deeply committed approach to student success. Faculty nominators praised her for developing targeted resources, collaborating with teaching teams to close learning gaps, and designing innovative simulations that enhance understanding of foundational nursing concepts.
The Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award was presented to Kimberly Taylor, associate professor, for her passion for teaching, innovative strategies, and unwavering dedication to student success. She has transformed the student experience in the Healthcare Leadership program by streamlining clinical projects, enhancing documentation processes through Lean Six Sigma, and improving both efficiency and learning outcomes.
The Outstanding DNP Project was presented to Sarah Clement, assistant professor. Her project on RN retention offers timely, practical solutions for improving job satisfaction across a multigenerational workforce - an especially pressing issue amid South Carolina’s looming nursing shortage.
The Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation was presented to Anna Kell, assistant professor. Her dissertation breaks new ground in nursing research, advancing health equity through a focus on culturally deaf and hard of hearing young adults. Her innovative educational tools are already shaping future Nurse Practitioner training. Together, their work reflects a deep commitment to evidence-based practice and real-world impact.
Additional 2025 college awards presented:
- Outstanding Staff Member of the Year, Becca Arevalo, Grants Manager
- Outstanding Clinical Faculty Award, April Rish, Clinical Nurse, Prisma Health Children's Hospital
- Excellence in Preceptorship Award, Susan Lyons, Clinical Nurse, Prisma Health Children’s Hospital
- Outstanding Health Agency Award, SC Department of Mental Health
We also celebrated faculty and staff for reaching important state service milestones:
20 years:
- Swann Adams, Professor
- Ann Scott, Associate Professor
10 years:
- Robin Dawson - Associate Dean for Academics
- Shelli Gibbs - Director, Family Nurse Practitioner Program and Associate Professor
- Sheryl Mitchell - Department Chair, Advanced Professional Nursing Practice & Leadership and Professor
- Bernardine Pinto - Associate Dean for Research, Inaugural Health Sciences Endowed Professor
- Heidi Waltz, Director of Student Affairs