SAN ANTONIO, Aug. 25, 2025 – The UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing has earned the prestigious Center of Excellence in Nursing Education designation from the National League of Nursing, for promoting the pedagogical or teaching expertise of its faculty.
The school will be one of only 21 nursing education programs around the country that will awarded at the Honors Convocation during the 2025 NLN Education Summit in Orlando, Florida, on Sept. 19. It becomes the only school in San Antonio with the designation of NLN Center of Excellence.
“The School of Nursing is proud to be named among the 2025 Centers of Excellence in Nursing Education,” said Sonya R. Hardin, PhD, RN, the school’s dean. “This designation elevates the value of our education and underscores our commitment to graduating highly skilled nursing professionals.”
The awards represent the spectrum of higher education in nursing, from certificate-granting programs through advanced-degree academic institutions.
“I am so appreciative of the magnitude of the effort it requires of everyone involved in educating an outstanding nursing workforce to earn this national recognition,” said NLN chair Patricia Sharpnack, DNP, RN, dean and professor at the Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions at Ursuline College in Ohio. “Congratulations to all the wonderfully deserving 2025 NLN Centers of Excellence designees.”
“We have all heard, ‘It takes a village,’ “ said NLN president and CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN. “Nowhere is that truer than in the shared vision and values, mutual support, respect and inclusivity among faculty, leadership and students that must come together for an extraordinary nursing program to be nationally recognized for their innovation and commitment in becoming an NLN Center of Excellence.”
For more information about the awards and the 2025 NLN Education Summit, visit Summit.NLN.org.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) is one of the country’s leading health science and research universities. With missions of teaching, research and patient care, its schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions, graduate biomedical sciences and public health have graduated more than 45,000 alumni who are leading change, advancing their fields and renewing hope for patients and their families throughout South Texas and the world. To learn about the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit UTHealthSA.org.
The UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing offers five academic programs, consisting of the BSN, DNP and PhD degrees and specialty certificates, and is dedicated to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion in the nursing profession. First-generation college students represent one-third of its enrollment. The School of Nursing also operates a growing patient-care practice that provides primary and acute care by nurse practitioners, both on campus and at a variety of community partner sites. To learn more, visit https://www.uthscsa.edu/academics/nursing.
Stay connected with UT Health San Antonio on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.