Between 2010 and 2015 Mary Chesney served as what colleagues describe as the “celebrated” director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. There, her leadership is credited with responsibility for DNP’s growth and national prominence; today it is the largest campus/online hybrid program of its kind in the country.
“She is,” a colleague observes, “a blue chip faculty member” who excels on several different levels. Other colleagues cite her “rare mix” of high-level abilities to lead a program like the DNP while maintaining her instructional and mentoring relationships with the many students involved in the program or enrolled in her individual classes.
About her skills in the classroom, a former student from the Doctor of Nursing Practice program says with great enthusiasm, “Wow! My best experience yet at the U of M … a passionate, powerful motivator, so clear in instruction, desire for others to learn, and fabulous at timeliness and feedback. Bravo!”
As I began to engage in health policy, I became acutely aware that nurses’ voices were often absent from healthcare leadership and policy tables. This awareness became a driving motivation to educate, mentor, and inspire the next generation of nurses.—Mary L. Chesney
Another student writes, “She exemplifies mentorship in the way that she allows new professionals to work and grow in their endeavors.”
This assessment stems directly from Chesney’s own evaluation of what motivates her as a teacher. “One of the roles I value the most is the opportunity to advise, mentor, support and empower students,” she writes. “The challenge of meeting each student ‘where they are’ in their individual journey and helping them grow and excel in academic pursuits is thrilling.”
