President’s Award for Excellence—Early Career Achievement

Sherrill Smith, Ph.D., R.N., C.N.L., C.N.E., assistant professor in the College of Nursing and Health

According to her colleagues with the College of Nursing and Health (CoNH), Sherrill Smith, Ph.D., R.N., C.N.L., C.N.E., excels in all areas of teaching, service, and scholarship far beyond the standard of what is often observed with new faculty.

Smith began teaching at Wright State in 2008 and is considered one of four resident experts on the topic of patient simulation. She has taught five different courses in the master’s and Doctor of Nursing (DNP) practice programs and three different courses in the undergraduate program. She led the integration of simulation into undergraduate nursing courses, acted as a liaison for student clinical instruction at the Smart House (an off-site simulation training center), and trained faculty in the use of simulation as an educational tool.

In April, Smith received the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning Excellence in Academic Setting Award. The award recognizes an individual who has excelled in promoting simulation pedagogy within learning environments. In 2010, Smith also received the Graduate Online Teaching Excellence Award from the CoNH in large part because of enthusiastic support and reviews from her students.

Smith also serves as director of the traditional baccalaureate track within the CoNH working collaboratively with the associate dean of undergraduate programs and the dean. As chair of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, Smith has guided the faculty through curriculum revision and other quarter to semester conversion activities. Smith is actively serving on the Faculty Organization, Graduate Curriculum Committee, Bylaws Committee, and the Faculty Affairs Committee. Smith also represents the college at the university level as a member of the University Information Technology Committee and the University Undergraduate Curriculum and Academic Policy Committee.