A successful academic collaborative to increase nurse faculty in New Jersey

The purpose of this article was to describe a successful academic collaboration of 4 New Jersey state colleges and universities. The aim of the collaborative is to prepare and graduate students in a dual role as advanced clinical/practice nurses and nurse faculty within an innovative master of nursing educational program. This effort was funded by a 4-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation NJ Nursing Initiative and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. The New Jersey Nursing Education Collaborative (NJNEC) is discussed using E. O'Neil and P. Krauel's (2004) factors for an effective collaborative. The four factors for an effective partnership include a coherent institutional strategy, partners that bring value and assets to the collaborative, mutually beneficial goals, and accountability to each other. The NJNEC is composed of four independent state colleges and universities with separate governing structures and student characteristics. The four schools are located in different geographical locations in the state. Several challenging issues in preparation of faculty and maintaining a collaborative will be presented for future consideration.