College of Nursing Faculty Scholarly
Activity Has Top-10 Ranking
Faculty scholarly activity at the University
of Kentucky's College of Nursing is ranked ninth in the nation
among both public and private universities, according to the
2005 Faculty Scholarly Activity Index, which ranked 7,300
doctoral programs nationwide. The index was published in the
Jan. 12, 2007 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education.
“The College of Nursing faculty is extremely
pleased with our 9th ranking for faculty scholarly output," said
Jane M. Kirschling, dean of the UK College of Nursing. "Hard
work and a strong commitment to nursing research have resulted
in a substantial increase in externally funded research monies,
especially over the last three years. In 2005, the College
generated $2.33 million in external funding. The research
intensive Ph.D. program, initiated in 1986, was the first
program in the region. Sixty-five students have graduated thus
far and the program continues to grow with a current enrollment
of 56.
"UK’s commitment to prepare nurse scientists
is essential for the discipline but more importantly for health
care in the Commonwealth," said Kirschling.
Lynne Hall, associate dean for research and
scholarship for the College, adds, "Faculty and students are
making discoveries in nursing science that will prevent illness
and improve health outcomes.
"For example, Professor
Ellen Hahn's research has
demonstrated that smoke-free laws have no effect on turnover
among restaurant employees and are associated with a decline in
emergency department visits for asthma. The work of Professor
Patricia Burkhart showed a
decrease in asthma episodes when children with asthma monitored
their peak expiratory flow using a peak flow meter. The use of
affirmations and other simple methods of reducing negative
thinking was linked with fewer depressive symptoms and better
self-esteem in low-income single mothers, according to the
research of Professor Ann Peden."
The index is created by Academic Analytics, a
company partially owned by the State University of New York at
Stony Brook, and ranks 7,294 individual doctoral programs in 104
disciplines at 354 institutions. Institutions are categorized as
large research universities (those with 15 or more Ph.D.
programs) and small research universities. For a program to be
included in the 2005 index, it must have 10 or more faculty
members, or, if it has fewer, it must have one-half the median
number of faculty members for a program in that discipline.
The productivity of faculty members is measured based on as many
as three factors, with the preponderance of weight given to the
most important variable(s) in each discipline. Categories
examined included: publications, including books and journal
articles published as well as citations of journal articles;
federal grant dollars awarded; and honors and awards.
Read the article from the Lexington
Herald-Leader
here.
In striving to become a Top 20 public research institution,
the University of Kentucky is a catalyst for a new Commonwealth
– a Kentucky that is healthier, better educated, and positioned
to compete in a global and changing economy. For more
information about UK’s efforts to become a Top 20 university,
please go to
http://www.uky.edu/OPBPA/Top20.html
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