SEARCY, Ark. — Dr. Cathleen Shultz, dean of the College of Nursing at

serving the past two years as president-elect.

Shultz began teaching at Harding in 1976 and became the first dean of
the College of Nursing in 1980. She also joined the NLN in 1976 and
made history in 2005 when she became the first Arkansan to be elected
to the organization’s Board of Governors, serving as treasurer. In
addition, she has been a leader in Arkansas nursing for more than 30
years and is the only nurse to have served as president of both the
state board and state association.

Leagues, which are state-led affiliates that support the NLN at the
local level. In addition, she will represent the organization at
various events, oversee board meetings, and work as a trustee of the
NLN Foundation to raise funds for future endowment projects such as
scholarships and research grants.

Established in 1893, the NLN is the oldest professional association
for nursing education. According to its Web site, the organization
works to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce by promoting
excellence in nursing education, boasting 28,000 individual members
and 1,200 institutional members.

Shultz earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing at University of South
Carolina. She later went on to receive her master’s degree in nursing
from Emory University and doctorate from Vanderbilt University.

Harding had a record enrollment this year of more than 6,600 students
from all 50 states and 49 foreign countries. It is the largest private
university in Arkansas and attracts more National Merit Scholars than
any other private university in the state. Harding also maintains
campuses in Australia, Chile, England, France/Switzerland, Greece,
Italy and Zambia.