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Burnout and Stress: Mental Health Crisis Hits America’s Healthcare Workers

BY LOGAN CHURCH-OWENS The American mental health crisis affects everybody. The COVID-19 pandemic brought a simmering systemic issue to a boiling point. Rising levels of depression and anxiety impact large portions of our population within every category of age, race, and class—but one group hit particularly hard by this trend is healthcare workers. In fact, … Continued
Garner

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Catherine Garner

A Calling, Not Just a Job Dr. Catherine Garner never slows down. Whether mentoring ACU Online’s nursing students, traveling to every single county of Tennessee for a Senate campaign, building one of the nation’s first online nursing programs, leading a large multi-campus clinic system at the height of the crack epidemic or helping launch a … Continued

Jarrett

Student Spotlight: Jarrett Jacobs

The role models of our formative years directly impact our development as individuals, for better or for worse. Realizing this reality, ACU alumni Jarrett Jacobs saw a need to advocate for adolescents and teens to help change the negative narratives through conflict management. Learn how his experience in our online Master of Arts in Conflict … Continued

Healthcare leadership

Planning your Healthcare Leadership Career

Written by Suzanne Moss Richins, RN, DHA, FACHE, Adjunct Faculty/SME, ACU Master of Healthcare Administration Program The healthcare industry is experiencing a rapid transformation. From adapting to the challenges of providing care during a pandemic to creating innovative ways to retain staff and improve employee morale, more traditional models of care delivery are being reevaluated. … Continued

Being a Global Citizen in a Globalized World

Written by Dr. Sarah Easter, assistant professor of management at Abilene Christian University. In 2005, Thomas L. Friedman, a New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, declared that the world was flat. The thesis of his wildly popular book The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century argued that globalization started … Continued

Linda

Faculty Spotlight: Linda Gibson

  ACU Online’s BSN to DNP and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program director, Dr. Linda Gibson has dedicated her life to the field of nursing. From tending to patients in the hospital to educating the next generation of healthcare heroes, Dr. Gibson brings rich knowledge and leadership to what she terms “a life-long profession.” … Continued

April Haley

Student Spotlight: April Haley

ACU alumni April Haley returned to school to not only further her own career, but to serve others on a deeper level as they navigate life’s challenges. After years as a stay-at-home mom, April enrolled in ACU Online’s Master of Marriage and Family Therapy program where she found the support she needed to pursue her … Continued

Master of Education in Higher Education

Why Should You Get a Master of Education in Higher Education?

The last two years have been a watershed moment for higher education. Mounting demographic changes, a staggering worldwide pandemic, and uncertain institutional responses to these realities have produced an unparalleled volatile situation for contemporary higher education. Individuals and institutions who want to navigate these choppy waters need nerve, grit, and a pioneering sensibility. Luckily, ACU … Continued

Nancy Kucinski

Faculty Spotlight: Nancy Kucinski

Dr. Nancy Kucinski might be the definition of homegrown talent. Not only is she an Abilene native, but she comes from a family of professors instilling in her a calling to Christian Higher Education. “My father was a professor when I was born and I essentially grew up on a small university campus. Plus, both … Continued

The Mental Health Crisis: What’s Going On and What Can We Do

The statistics are startling. Between 2007 and 2019, adolescents reporting a major depressive episode increased 60 percent. Tragically, during a similar time frame, the suicide death rate among 10–24 year olds increased 56 percent. This issue isn’t confined to young people. In 2020, anxiety and depression increased globally by 25 percent. Depression and anxiety rates … Continued