CON External Affairs Committee

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UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER COLLEGE OF NURSING
External Affairs Committee	Policy: 1102 (4.1.3, 4.1.10)
Faculty Policies - Committees	Originating Date: October 2025
Responsible Reviewing Agency: External Affairs Committee General Faculty Organization

Purpose

The External Affairs Committee serves to integrate and advance the missions of faculty research/scholarship and practice within the College of Nursing. It promotes faculty and student engagement in research/scholarship and practice, supports scholarly and practice excellence, and fosters collaboration across academic and clinical domains. 

Scope

Applies to all faculty and students involved or interested in research and/or faculty practice at the College of Nursing. 

Functions

1. Consult with the Associate Deans for Research and Transformational Practice and Partnerships regarding infrastructure to support research and practice. 
2. Recommend policies and procedures to support faculty development in research/scholarship and practice. 
3. Advise the Niedfelt Nursing Research Center (NNRC) and Morehead Center for Nursing Practice (MCNP) on content for the College of Nursing websites. 
4. Provide a review of scholarly merit and resource availability for proposed projects and support continuous improvement efforts.
5. Review and contribute to the College of Nursing’s strategic plan annually. 
6. Select recipients for the following awards:
   1. Pennie Z. Davis Faculty Research Award
   2. Ada M. Lindsey Professional Service Award
   3. Kathyrn Sandahl Philp Creativity & Innovation Award
   4. Donna Westmoreland Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award
   5. Spirit of Shared Governance Award
   6. Virginia Tilden Leadership Development Award
7. Promote faculty development in research/scholarship and practice through mentoring and training. 
8. Encourage dissemination of scholarly work and clinical innovations. 
9. Facilitate identification of faculty interests and promote collaboration across research/scholarship and practice. 
10. Provide a forum for addressing faculty concerns related to research/scholarship and practice.

Membership

1. Chair and co-chair are elected annually from committee membership. Co-chair transitions to chair role the following year.
2. Eight faculty members are elected at-large for staggered two-year terms.
   1. Four faculty members are elected at-large for staggered two-year terms, with an interest in faculty practice.
   2. Four faculty members are elected at-large for staggered two-year terms, with an interest in research.

Ex Officio

1. Associate Dean for Research
   1. Assistant Dean for Research
   2. Director of CRISP 
   3. NNRC Administrator
2. Associate Dean for Transformational Practice and Partnerships
   1. Director of MCNP
   2. Morehead Administrator
3. PhD Program Director 
4. Two graduate students - appointed by the committee.
   1. 1 PhD Student
   2. 1 Professional Graduate Student (NP Specialty Preferred)

Guidelines

1. Meet monthly during the academic year. 
2. All elected members shall have voting privileges.