Villanova Nursing’s Maryanne Lieb honored as exceptional nurse educator

Villanova, PA, October 27, 2008 — Maryanne Lieb ’85 M.S.N., R.N. was honored as a nurse educator on October 17 at the gala for the Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania held in Harrisburg. These awards, given by the organization of the same name, bring state and national recognition to exceptional nurses practicing in the Commonwealth. Lieb, a West Chester, Pa. resident, is coordinator of the BSNExpress program at Villanova University College of Nursing – a second degree nursing program for adults with a bachelor’s degree in another discipline – and founder of the St. Agnes Nurses Center, a free nurse-managed health clinic serving the underinsured and uninsured in the West Chester area.

Lieb was nominated by nursing colleagues for the award in the Nursing Education category and was selected from among numerous nominations from around the Commonwealth. She was cited for her passion for nursing and education, her professionalism and commitment to community service. Described as an “exemplar for faculty colleagues and the staff and students,” Lieb was also deemed “a scholarly teacher in the truest sense of the term.” Her contributions are viewed as important to the continuous improvement of nursing education and the preparation of students who are preparing to enter the profession. She combines her love of education, nursing and service in developing and guiding a nursing clinic that serves the marginalized in a neighboring community. The clinic serves as a prototype for other community-based clinics as well as a clinical site for students.

Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania is a volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to the support and recognition of the positive impact of nursing in health care lives within the Commonwealth. In order to be eligible to receive a Nightingale Award, an individual must be working as a nurse in Pennsylvania. Other nurses, professional colleagues, patients/families or community may make nominations.

The Villanova University College of Nursing, established in 1953, is a nationally recognized premier nursing program under Catholic auspices with a mission to create a synergy between compassion and clinical excellence. Designated a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing, the College provides a values-based undergraduate education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences that prepares students to assume positions as productive, ethical, and socially responsible citizens and leaders providing care in clinical and community settings. Its reputation is solidified by its rigorous, top-ranked graduate program to prepare advanced practice nurses, administrators and nurse educators; its environment for faculty and student scholarship; its respected continuing nursing education program and the leadership contributions of its students, faculty and alumni in nursing and health care around the world.