News and Updates

SGSC Nursing Professor Is UWG’s First Doctorate in Nursing Education Recipient

By:  Communication Services
University Communications and Marketing
University of West Georgia

Anna Braswell
Public Information Specialist
South Georgia State College

History was made at the University of West Georgia’s summer graduation ceremony on July 25. The Tanner Health System School of Nursing saw its first graduate earning a Doctor of Education in nursing education walk across the stage: South Georgia State College’s own Associate Professor of Nursing Jaime Carter.

The Ed.D. in nursing education online program admitted its first cohort of students in the fall of 2012. Now, after 60 semester hours and 12 dissertation credit hours, Jaime Carter was the first student to whom UWG awarded an Ed.D. in nursing education.

Carter, from Blackshear, GA, has been a nurse for 18 years. For the past 14 years, she has been teaching nursing at South Georgia State College. There, she is the program coordinator of the associate of science in nursing program on the Waycross Campus.

Prior to teaching, Carter began her career as an operating room nurse and then continued in outpatient surgery. She continued to work part-time at the hospital up until the time she began the online Ed.D program in 2012.

Carter chose UWG because it was the only college in Georgia that offered the doctorate degree online. “Because I am a mother of two, a wife, and a full-time nursing instructor, the online platform was the best option for me to pursue my terminal (doctorate) degree,” she said.

“This dream has become a reality because of my huge support system. I cannot express enough gratitude to my husband and my family for helping pick up the slack in my everyday life so I could concentrate in this degree,” Carter said. “Pursuing a degree online requires motivation, organization, and self-discipline, and a lot of sacrifice. Because of their support, I am able to graduate on time as a member of the first cohort in the Ed.D. online nursing degree.”

When asked what made UWG special, Carter had nothing but good things to say. “The faculty at UWG are awesome!” she said. “The caring philosophy is a vital component to the success of the program. The School of Nursing offered all of the resources that made it essential to participate in the program.”

“The Ed.D. in nursing education program of the Tanner Health System School of Nursing of UWG is the result of the extraordinary vision and hard work of many people,” said Dr. Jenny Schuessler, Dean of the Tanner Health System School of Nursing. “Dr. Laurie Ware, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, and Dr. Susan Welch, Director of the Ed.D. program have been instrumental in the development of this program, which is designed to help address the shortage of nursing faculty in this country. Speaking on behalf of the faculty, congratulations to our first Ed.D. graduate, Jaime Carter. We will eagerly follow her contributions to nursing education.”

The next two graduates in the program, Sally Richter and Ethel Santiago, are set to receive their Ed.D. in nursing education in December.

Carter plans to continue teaching nursing at SGSC and hopes to do part-time teaching in the online environment as well. School of Nursing Dean Dr. Scott Thigpen is very pleased with the hard work that Carter has put in to receive this degree, as it only adds to the caliber of faculty in the nursing program. “The School of Nursing supports academic excellence not only in our students but also our faculty members who are earning advanced degrees. This commitment to education improves our student outcomes,” he says.

For more information on SGSC’s School of Nursing, please visit www.sgsc.edu.