Nursing school dean Jan Strom elected to AACN board
By Sandra Jones | March 04, 2020
Jan Strom, dean of Aurora University’s School of Nursing, has been elected to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Board of Directors.
Strom will serve a two-year term as a board member at large. She begins her term on March 23. The votes for board members were cast by more than half of all member deans from the nation’s nursing schools with baccalaureate and higher-degree programs.
The AACN, based in Washington D.C., is the national voice for academic nursing, representing 840 schools of nursing nationwide. It establishes quality standards for nursing education and influences the nursing profession to improve health care.
“It is an honor to have been elected to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Board of Directors,” said Strom. “I look forward to serving as a board member at large while representing Aurora University on the national level.”
Strom has been dean of AU’s nursing school since 2017, where she has overseen the expansion of the nursing program beyond AU's main campus in Aurora, Illinois, to the George Williams College campus in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. She has worked with the nursing faculty to ensure that the program prepares a diverse population of professional nurses for ethical practice, transformational leadership, and lifelong learning. She has also worked with the local communities to establish nursing advisory councils at both campuses.
Before coming to AU, Strom held top academic nursing roles at Northern Illinois University and at Elmhurst College. Her work in the community extends to serving in several leadership capacities with the Illinois Association of Colleges of Nursing — including as president and chair from 2016 to 2018 — and on the Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital Medical Ethics Committee.
A dedicated member of the AACN community, Strom has served on the government affairs and membership committees, and as a state grassroots liaison and a lead presenter at new deans mentor sessions.
Strom also serves as a member of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education’s Accreditation Review Committee and is an accreditation site visitor and team leader.