Honorary Degrees Awarded

Dr. Sharon Bolin, Ph.D.

The honorary degree recipient for May 2008 is Dr. Sharon Bolin.   Dr. Bolin’s career started as a staff nurse in 1957 at the West Suburban Hospital.  Two years after accepting her position as staff nurse, she became an instructor at the West Suburban Hospital School of Nursing, the predecessor to the West Suburban College of Nursing.  She was promoted to Course Chairperson, Assistant Director and Director until finally settling in as the founding Dean & Associate Professor at the newly formed Concordia College & West Suburban College of Nursing in 1982.  Dr. Bolin played a pivotal role in transitioning West Suburban Hospital School of Nursing from a diploma granting institution to the baccalaureate of today.  During her tenure, she also composted an essay titled, "A Case for the Single Purpose Degree Granting College of Nursing”, which was featured in Patterns in Education: the Unfolding of Nursing.  As the title implies, the essay took a stance in favor of baccalaureate nursing programs and no doubt strongly influenced the modern landscape of undergraduate nursing education.  Dr. Bolin’s experience goes beyond nursing education, into management and a variety of other service focused positions.  She is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Nurses’ Association, the Illinois Nurses Association and the Georgia Nurses Associate to name just a few.  Dr. Bolin is also responsible for various publications appearing in the American Journal of Nursing and the Journal of Nursing Education among others.

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