After 31 years at Waynesburg University—15 of which were spent as Chair and Director of the Nursing Department—Dr. Nancy Mosser will be retiring at the conclusion of the Fall 2017 semester.

Mosser is largely credited with the success of Waynesburg’s nursing program during the past several years. In 2016, for example, Waynesburg was marked No. 49 out of 3,200 schools for best nursing schools in the nation, by Nursing Schools Almanac. The same year, the nursing program was also recognized as a best value, and marked No. 14 out of 483 similar programs for USA Today’s “Best Colleges Nationwide.”

But Mosser has been there since the very beginning – before all of the awards and accolades. She said the department has developed a lot since its start.

“The Nursing Program was quite new when I started at the university, with 30 students graduating in the first class,” said Mosser, via email. “I have taught every senior-level [Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing] student since the inception of the program. We now have RN to BSN, [Masters of Science in Nursing] and [Doctor of Nursing Practice] programs, all of which are accredited. Our DNP program was one of the first 25 DNP programs established in the country, so that was gratifying.”

Mosser said the university, as a whole, has changed a lot, too. She has watched Waynesburg grow from a college with “run down” buildings and a lot of commuter students to a university with a “beautiful” campus, bustling community of resident students and more graduate and professional programs.

During her tenure as chair and director of the Nursing Department, Mosser made it her mission to bolster the quality of education for nursing students, making curriculums more extensive and providing more options for further study. Her efforts, she said, has resulted in class after class of exemplary students who become professional nurses.

“My main emphasis as chair has been to build quality programs that produce accomplished and successful graduates,” she said. “When excellence is infused throughout programs, prospective students gravitate to them, and employers pursue students for employment before they graduate.”

Mosser said the Nursing Department program offerings have created a community of impressive academics, “with students and faculty publishing and presenting at professional meetings.”

For Mosser, this has been the most rewarding aspect of her career: watching the various transitions from nursing student to nursing professional.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of my job, including teaching, publishing, developing faculty members and leading the program,” she said. “But my favorite part has been working with students and watching them grow professionally.”

Mosser said she has been honored to assist nurses, as they learn, step by step, little by little, to do their important work in the field.

“Developing and mentoring students to provide complex care to patients is my real passion,” she said. “Our graduates make a real difference in improving the lives of others and decreasing morbidity and mortality rates in the various settings in which they work. The only aspect I will not miss is getting up at 5 a.m.”