NLN Welcomes Maryland to Expanded Constituent League as the Washington DC League Becomes the DC/MD League for Nursing

The newly expanded and renamed affiliated league, DC/MDLN, once again gives the National League for Nursing a strong presence in Maryland. NLN affiliated constituent leagues, which support and implement the NLN mission to promote excellence in nursing education in order to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce, now cover 28 states.

New York, NY (PRWEB) June 11, 2009 -- With the newly expanded and renamed District of Columbia/Maryland League for Nursing (DC/MDLN), the National League for Nursing is set once to again have a strong presence in Maryland.

"We are delighted that there is now official recognition of Maryland nurse educators within the NLN family of constituent leagues," said NLN CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN. "This renaming also presents tremendous opportunity to engage more nurse educators from outside the Beltway, whom we anticipate will get involved to create programs and services that reflect specific local issues and concerns."

With the inclusion of Maryland, NLN state-affiliated constituent leagues reach 28 states that support and implement the NLN mission to promote excellence in nursing education in order to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce. "I want to encourage all NLN members to join their state constituent league and get involved at the local level to advance the NLN mission," said Dr. Elaine Tagliareni, president of the NLN, adding, "If you don't have a league in your state, the NLN can help you establish one."

Impetus for the name change came from the board of the DC league who felt strongly that including Maryland will strengthen their organization and provide a home for their neighboring nurse educators in Maryland. The current DCLN board consists of individuals from both Maryland and the District of Columbia and almost half of the current DCLN constituency lives or works in Maryland.

Many areas within both Maryland and DC, as well as all types of nursing programs, are represented on the eight-member DC/MDLN board, giving the league a broad mandate to address issues pertinent to nursing education in both Maryland and DC and nationally, as part of the NLN affiliated constituent leagues. The DC/MD leadership has developed a strategic plan to dovetail with NLN strategic goals.

"We are excited about our future as the DC/MD League and believe we are well on our way to building a strong bond between the DC and Maryland regions," wrote league president Lisa Jordan, and I urge interested nurse educators to contact me at ljordan(at)pgcc.edu.

For more information on NLN constituent leagues, visit www.nln.org/stateleagues. To learn how to establish a constituent league, contact Tish Hess, the NLN's director, membership and excellence initiatives, at thess(at)nln.org.

Editors and reporters: For interview opportunities, please contact NLN chief communications officer, Karen R. Klestzick, at 212-812-0376.

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education offering faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 30,000 individual and 1,200 institutional members.

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