Kathy Peterson joined the prestigious rank of Distinguished Service Professor after working in the Department of Nursing at SUNY Brockport for 39 years. The Distinguished Service Professorship from the SUNY Distinguished Academy “recognizes and honors extraordinary service by candidates who have demonstrated substantial distinguished service not only at the campus and the State University, but also at the community, regional and State levels.”
Peterson joined the Department of Nursing in 1985 after working in the field as a pediatric nurse practitioner. She has played a pivotal role in the growth of the department over the years serving as Department Chair since 2010. She played a key role in pushing faculty to continue working in the field while teaching, to stay ingrained in the community and on the cutting edge of nursing work and research.
“I worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner until 2016,” Peterson said. “I was the first faculty that asked to continue practicing while teaching and now two-thirds of our current faculty still practice.”
Peterson’s work in the field of nursing expands well beyond SUNY Brockport. She serves as an accreditor for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), traveling to colleges around the nation to ensure their nursing curriculum and facilities reach the accreditation standards. She also played a key role working with the NYS Council of Deans to create a new statewide law allowing nursing students to earn up to 30% of their clinical hours in simulation labs, increasing the amount of nursing students each year as there are more clinical openings in hospitals.
“I am honored and humbled to earn this. I love what I have done for the campus, our programs, and all the growth we have seen,” Peterson said. “I was first faculty to get full professor in the department in 2010 and now we have three with another coming. I’m now the first ever to earn a Distinguished Professorship in the department, so it means a lot.”
Provided information and photo
