Lisle, IL – One of Benedictine University’s distinguished professors of nursing has been elected Chair of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) Board of Commissioners, the largest national agency dedicated to the accreditation of bachelor’s and graduate-degree nursing education programs across the nation. Elizabeth Ritt, Ed.D., M.S.N., R.N., N.E.A.-B.C., C.N.E., Professor of Nursing in the Department of Nursing and Health at Benedictine, will assume her new role on January 1, 2021.
Dr. Ritt, a tenured professor, has more than 25 years of teaching experience in higher education. She has served as a director of education, national health care consultant, department chair, dean and provost at several colleges and universities. At Benedictine, she primarily teaches students who are pursuing a master’s degree in nursing, instructing them in leadership development, financial management in health and nursing clinical practice courses. While Dr. Ritt previously served as chair of BenU’s Department of Nursing and Health and as interim dean of the College of Business, she now focuses her attention on teaching the next generation of nurses. She says she has appreciated the opportunities she received at the university to develop leadership skills and focus on service opportunities.
Dr. Ritt has been involved in the CCNE since it began in 1996. “Serving as chair of the CCNE board is a culminating experience for me in my career,” she said. “Benedictine provides wonderful support for faculty who want to take on national leadership roles such as this one.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to work with my nursing colleagues across the country to foster quality in nursing education programs and nurse residency and fellowship programs,” she continued. “Students, residents and fellows have put their collective faith in us, and quality nursing care is as important now as it ever was before.”
The CCNE Board of Commissioners elected Dr. Ritt to serve as chair and lead the executive committee at its meeting in September.