American Association of Colleges of Nursing
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing is the national voice for academic nursing. AACN works to establish quality standards for nursing education; assists schools in implementing those standards; influences the nursing profession to improve health care; and promotes public support for professional nursing education, research, and practice. It was established in 1969, and represents more than 875 member schools of nursing at public and private universities nationwide.
News & Data
To view AACN's latest news, visit: https://www.aacnnursing.org/news-data.Board of directors
Chair: Jean Giddens, University of KansasChair-Elect: Julie Sanford, The University of AlabamaTreasurer: Judith Karshmer, Arizona State UniversitySecretary: Victoria Niederhauser, University of Tennessee KnoxvilleMembers-at-Large:
- Stephen Cavanagh, University of California-Davis
- Lorna Finnegan, Loyola University Chicago
- Eileen Fry-Bowers, University of San Francisco
- Mary Ellen Smith Glasgow, Duquesne University
- Rhoberta Haley, Pacific Lutheran University
- Valerie Howard, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Kimberly Hunter, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
- Shannon Bright Smith, Florida A&M University
- Julie Swann, Emory Saint Joseph Hospital
Graduate Nursing Student Academy
The Graduate Nursing Student Academy is a national division of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing that serves master's, doctoral, and post graduate nursing students. The GNSA functions as the national voice for graduate nursing students and promotes leadership, professional development, scholarly advancement, and advocacy engagement across graduate level programs in the United States.The GNSA provides webinars, leadership development programs, networking opportunities, academic support resources, mentoring, and career development programming tailored for graduate level learners. The academy’s mission includes strengthening the graduate nursing pipeline and preparing students to assume leadership roles in clinical practice, academia, health systems management, and public policy.
A signature initiative of the academy is the GNSA Advocacy Leader Program. This program selects graduate nursing students nationally to participate in structured policy training and health advocacy engagement. Advocacy Leaders collaborate with AACN’s government affairs division, meet with federal stakeholders, promote awareness of nursing policy issues, and represent student perspectives within national policy discussions.
The GNSA also manages recognition programs, travel support for national conferences, student leadership awards, and professional development funding opportunities. Membership is free for all students enrolled in graduate nursing programs at AACN member institutions.