Graduate Department of Nursing
Welcome
Thank you for your interest in LCU’s Nursing Program. We are eager to help you take your nursing career to the next level with one of our graduate nursing degrees.
As a graduate student at LCU, your thinking will be challenged, your perspectives broadened, and your knowledge enhanced. At the end of your program of study, you will find new doors open with new directions. We encourage you to continue toward new goals and new challenges. Learning should never end.
We are eager to know you and embark together on this educational and interpersonal journey. Whether you want to explore the curriculum, speak with our recruiter, or apply, we are here to help.
Our very best to you,
Dr. LaNell Harrison, PhD, RN
Professor of Nursing; Director, Graduate Nursing
Graduate Nursing Information Sessions
Join us for a brief, virtual graduate studies information session to hear from a current LCU Graduate Nursing student and learn more about the:
Register today to secure your spot for one of these graduate studies information sessions and take the next step toward achieving your goals.
Graduate Nursing Programs
Mission
The Department of Nursing at Lubbock Christian University provides a quality Christian education and models a system of values for living through caring and service to others.
Vision
The Lubbock Christian University Department of Nursing will provide a quality Christian education to promote life-long learning, interprofessional collaboration, and utilization of evidence based practice within a healthy work environment for the purpose of becoming change agents in a complex and diverse healthcare environment for the advancement of health.
MSN Program Outcomes
Cindy Ford has been faculty in the department of nursing since 1996. For the academic year 2009-2010 she will be a full time faculty with the rank of Visiting Professor and Director of the Partnership Program. Dr. Ford teaches and assists with courses at the graduate and undergraduate level in the department of nursing. Her dissertation title \"Effects of instructional strategies to meaningful learning and intrinsic motivation of senior nursing students\" reflects her passion of excellence of instructional strategies and nursing education. She has presented on applications of her dissertation to multiple groups of nurse educators in the United States. Dr. Ford is a long time resident of West Texas. She and her husband Chris have three grown children,a daughter-in law and son-in-law who they love spending time with. She loves to travel, read biographies and historical fiction, walk and ride bicycles when she has the time.
JoAnn's work as a nursing scientist has been focused on adolescent health promotion, technology, and healthy eating. She has worked with interdisciplinary teams to developed interactive web-based approaches to teaching adolescents healthy eating and programs to strengthen adolescent moral development. Her current collaborative work with Texas Tech University in neuroimaging uses fMRI to investigate how cell phones images can be used as a memory cue and affective stimulus to promote fruit and vegetable consumption in adolescents.
As a nursing professor and educator, her interest in technology and teaching evidence-based practice and knowledge synthesis skills led their interdisciplinary team to develop and test the EBR Tool; an online web-based application designed to teach nursing students how to critically appraise the scientific literature.
JoAnn co-teaches graduate research, leadership and independent study courses to engage students in preliminary research projects. She enjoys working productively with her colleagues in intra-professional scientific teams; and especially mentoring students in the research process to enhance, extend, and maintain the health and wellbeing of people-her lifelong commitment as a nursing scientist.
She has mentored nursing and interdisciplinary students through projects presented at the National Council on Undergraduate Research and at Sigma Theta Tau International, Research Congress; and believes it is a privilege to walk alongside of students as a mentor and co-learner. For more than a decade she has guided students through the completion of research which has resulted in national and international presentations, co-authored publications and in some cases, advancement to scientific careers in nursing.
Examples of publications and presentations with mentored students*
Long, J.D., Morris, A.* (2018). Probiotics in preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections. American Journal of Nursing, Cochrane Corner. 117(12), 69. doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000527494.16987.1e.
Dhkal, P.* & Long, J. D. (2017). Enhancing EBP Skills of RN-BSN Students through Academic Mentoring in Independent Study. Worldviews on Evidence-based Nursing, doi: 10.1111/wvn.12210.
Long, J. D., Gannaway, P., Doumit, R., Ford, C., Brown, J., Proper, S., Zeeni, N. Milane, A., Sukkarieh-Haraty, O., Byers, B., Harrison, L., Hatch, D.,, Song, H., White, P.* (2016). Effectiveness of a Technology-Based Intervention to Teach Evidence-Based Practice: The EBR Tool." Worldview on Evidence-based Nursing, 13:1, 59-65.
Long, J., Dodd, S., Binks, M., Anyanwu, N.*, Rogers, T., & Boswell, C. (July, 2014). "Literature Review Diet, Encoded Memory, Visual Cues, Obesity, and Neuroimaging: The Role of Affective Response in Eating Behavior." Poster Presentation, 25th International Nursing Research Congress, Hong Kong, China.
Long, J.D., Boswell, C., Rogers, T., Littlefield, L., Estep, G., Shriver, B., Roman-Shriver, C., Culpepper, D., Kuenzi, G.,* & Song, H. (2013). Effectiveness of Cell Phones and Mypyramidtracker.gov to Estimate Fruit and Vegetable Intake. Applied Nursing Research, 26,(1), 17-23. DOI: 10:1016/j.apnr.2012.08.002.
Long, J.D., Kuenzi, G.* , Boswell, C., Estep, G. Littlefield, L., Kuenzi, G., Rogers, T., & Culpepper, "Technology-Based Methods for Measurement of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption: A Preliminary Report", Poster Presentation, Sigma Theta Tau International's 22nd International Nursing Research Congress, July 11-15, 2011, Cancun, Mexico.
Long, J.D., Rogers, T., Littlefield, L., Boswell, C., & Kuenzi, G.*, Mahan, K., and Boswell, M. (2011). "Using Technology for Health Promotion." Oral Presentation. Christian Scholars Conference, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, June 16-18, 2011.
Long, J.D., Littlefield, L. A.,* Estep, G., Martin, H., Rogers, T., Boswell, C., Shriver, B., & Roman-Shriver, C. (2009). Evidence review of technology and dietary assessment (2010). Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing. 4th quarter, 7(4): 191-204.
Long, J.D., Armstrong, M.L., Amos, E.A., Shriver, B., Roman-Shriver, C., Feng, D., Harrison, L.*, Luker, S., Nash, A., Blevins, M.* Using the WWW to prevent Type 2 diabetes in high risk adolescents (2006). Clinical Nursing Research. Vol 15, 1, 1-13.
JoAnn is married to Dr. Jesse Long, Dean of the Alfred and Patricia Smith College of Biblical Studies. They enjoy taking students and friends to Israel and Jordan, working with the single mother's ministry at their congregation, and spending time with their family.
A native of Dallas, Dr. Dabbs grew up in Wisconsin, graduating from Cudahy High School in 1981 and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1986. He earned his master’s degree in economics from the University of North Texas in 1989, and his Ph.D.—also in economics—from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1996. Dr. Dabbs was on the faculty of Louisiana State University at Alexandria from 1996 to 2001, where he also served as the chair for the Division of Business Administration from 1997 onward. He joined LCU in 2001 as Associate Professor of Economics and Chair of the Department of Business Administration, rising to the rank of full professor in 2009, and taking on the role of chair for Academic Affairs for the LCU School of Business upon its creation in 2015. He is married with one son in college and two troublesome dogs.
Prior to coming to LCU in a full-time position, LaNell taught Obstetrics and Pediatrics in the Associate Degree in Nursing program at South Plains College. LaNell\'s clinical background in nursing has been in the fields of Labor & Delivery, Postpartum, Antepartum, and Home Health. In the past, she worked as a staff nurse at St. Mary of the Plains Hospital, University Medical Center and Covenant Medical Center. LaNell completed her doctoral studies in nursing at Texas Woman\'s University in May 2011.
I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas where my parents continue to live. I have one sister who is an ordained minister and has a church in Flower Mound, Texas. I have been married to a beautiful woman (who is an elementary school teacher) for 20 years. We have a 14 year old daughter who loves soccer and volleyball. I have several interests including movies, woodworking, and soccer. I maintain active practice as a Family Nurse Practitioner in Plainview, Texas.
I have been at LCU since 1975 instructing library skills and assisting people with their information needs.
In 1957, my uncle & aunt were among the first faculty, which began my family's connection with the college.
After completing my Master's in Library Science, I returned to Lubbock and married a Lubbock native.
I am very active in the Associates of LCU helping to raise funds while working with wonderful ladies.
Liaison to: