2008 Annual Meeting

Faculty members and students face many challenges in collegiate nursing programs. There is no “quick fix” for the challenges. However, these can become opportunities for faculty and student growth.

The Program Committee of the SREB Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing invites you to the Council's 2008 Annual Meeting - October 5-7 - in Atlanta, Georgia. The JW Marriott Buckhead Hotel (3300 Lenox Road, N.E.) is the location for all activities. The purpose of the meeting is to inform nurse educators about activities that can help increase student graduation rates. The presentations will help nurse educators to:

• Develop effective strategies to increase graduation rates in collegiate nursing programs.
• Identify predictors of a student's potential for success.
• Evaluate strategies used to establish admission criteria.
• Create environments that enhance a student's timely progression and graduation.
• Use graduation rates to make appropriate curricular change.
• Use technology and other support services to meet student and faculty needs.
• Inform policy-makers and other stakeholders of the necessary K-12 preparation that students need for successful completion of collegiate nursing programs.

The “Hot Topic” this year centers on effective teaching strategies for managing large classes in nursing education. A boxed lunch will be available at 11:30 a.m. for those who have registered for the session. This session will end by 4 p.m.

The annual meeting of the SREB Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing will be held at the JW Marriott Hotel at Lenox (3300 Lenox Road N.E.) in the heart of Atlanta's Buckhead community. The hotel is connected by an enclosed promenade to the shopping and dining areas of Lenox Square. Visit www.shopsimon.com  for information about shopping and dining in Buckhead.

• The JW Marriott has complimentary transportation within a two-mile radius of the hotel. The car is “on call” (no reservations) and accommodates up to five people.
   
• The Buc (http://www.bucride.com) free shuttle also transports people around Buckhead.
   
• A MARTA subway station (http://www.itsmarta.com) is across the street from the hotel and provides convenient access to and from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and many other major attractions in Atlanta.
   
• Taxi service is available outside the hotel 24 hours/day. The cost is a minimum of $7 around Buckhead and $35 to the airport. Prices vary according to the number of passengers.
   
• An airport shuttle, Atlanta Link (http://www/theatlantalink.com), picks up passengers on the hour. See the Web site for specific hours of operation. The cost is $20.50 (one way) and $37 roundtrip.

The JW Marriott has reserved a block of rooms for participants at $182 per night (single or double occupancy). Hotel rooms are subject to applicable Georgia taxes (currently 15 percent). Please call the hotel for reservations at (800) 228-9290 or at (404) 262-3344 and request the SREB group rate. The cutoff date for the group rate is Monday, September 15, 2008. Participants are responsible for all travel arrangements and costs.

Please make the check payable to the SREB Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing and send to Eula Aiken at 592 10th Street N.W., Atlanta, GA 30318-5766. You also may pay with a VISA or MasterCard by contacting staff at (404) 879-5567.

Registration fee for member institutions only
The fee is $325. If more than one person from your institution attends, the fee is $225 for each additional person.

Registration fee for non-members
The fee is $375. If more than one person from your institution attends, the fee is $275 for each additional person.

You may register online at here (coming), by U.S. mail or at (404) 872-1477. Staff will confirm all registrations by e-mail.

Registrants unable to attend (or send a substitute to) the meeting may obtain a refund minus $60 for processing. Please inform staff by e-mail or fax. No refunds will be given after September 22.

Contact: Eula Aiken, Ph.D. (eula.aiken@sreb.org  or (404) 879-5567)

• Registration Form (Word)

1 p.m.	Annual Business Meeting
	Moderator: President Patricia L. Starck, D.S.N., FAAN Call to Order Welcome Reports Board Finance Membership Bylaws Research Program Legislative Genetics Nurse Educator Consortium Workforce Diversity Unfinished Business New Business Adjourn
3 p.m.	Break
3:30 p.m.	Session I — Keynote Address Connie Curran, Ph.D., FAAN Executive Director, C-Change
4:30 p.m.	Break
5 p.m.	Hosted Reception Exhibitors Poster Presentations
7 p.m.	Adjourn

7:30 a.m.	Hosted Continental Breakfast Exhibitors Poster Presentations
9 a.m.	Session II — Graduation Rate Measurements Patricia L. Starck, D.S.N., FAAN University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
10 a.m.	Break
10:30 a.m.	Session III — Successful Retention/Graduation Strategies Gwen Sherwood, Ph.D., FAAN Beverly Foster, Ph.D. University of North Carolina Chapel Hill "It Takes Team to Graduate a Nurse: A System's Approach to Student Success" Anne Belcher, Ph.D. Linda E. Rose, Ph.D. The Johns Hopkins University
12:30 p.m.	Lunch (on your own)
1:30 p.m.	Session IV — Successful Retention/Graduation Strategies Mary Ann Camann, Ph.D. Kennesaw State University "Development of a Comprehensive Admission Process" Tammie Mann McCoy, Ph.D. Mississippi University for Women "Success: A Plan for Selection, Retention and Graduation"
2:45 p.m.	Break
3:15 p.m.	Session V — Successful Retention/Graduation Strategies Elizabeth Shelton, D.N.Sc. West Virginia University "Interviews in the Undergraduate Admission Process" Helen Taggart, D.S.N. Armstrong Atlantic State University "Project Success: Increasing Nursing Workforce Diversity"
4:30 p.m.	Adjourn

7:30 a.m.	Hosted Continental Breakfast
9 a.m.	Session VI — Successful Admission/Retention/Graduation Strategies Margaret Kroposki, Ph.D. Greenville Technical College "Making It to Graduation in an Associate Degree Program" Lucy Marion, Ph.D. Chairman, University System of Georgia Task Force on Nursing Education "A System-wide Plan for Nursing Education in Georgia"
10 a.m.	Break
10:30 a.m.	Session VII — Successful Admission/Retention/Graduation Strategies Mary Jane Ashe, M.N. University of Texas at Arlington "Closing the Gap: Recruitment, Retention and Completion Strategies" Patricia L. Starck, D.S.N., FAAN President, SREB Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing Closing Remarks
11:30 a.m.	Adjourn Boxed lunches will be available for "Hot Topic" Attendees
12:30 p.m.	"Hot Topic" — "Teaching Large Classes: Tips, Tricks and Traps" Anita Stineman, Ph.D. University of Iowa
4 p.m.	Adjourn

For more information, please e-mail Eula Aiken at eula.aiken@sreb.org or call (404) 875-9211, Ext. 267.