On May 9, during National Nurses Week, faculty, staff and students gathered to celebrate the profession and to roll out the official new image campaign for the CU College of Nursing. The event was sponsored by the college, Nursing Student Council and CU Student Nurses Association (CUSNA).

New posters, banners and flyers showed how the campaign is being implemented throughout the college—from recruitment brochures to email blasts. (See an example on the back page of this issue.) T-shirts bearing the new tagline, “Be the nurse everyone looks to first,” were offered to all who attended the rollout event, and other branded giveaways were part of a raffle sponsored by Nursing Student Council. CUSNA incorporated their traditional National Nurses Week ice cream social into the event.

The image, a year in the making, features faculty, students and alumni of the college. “Be the nurse everyone looks to first” encourages and inspires students, faculty, alumni and friends to achieve the next level by becoming the nursing leaders, providers, researchers, mentors, managers, educators and influencers in their communities.

In addition to the tagline, headlines are being used to promote various aspects of the college. These include

• We don’t just teach nurse practitioners. We invented them. (master’s programs and specialties)
• Last year he was a student. Last night he was a hero.(bachelor’s programs)
• Our programs pioneered the past. Our research unlocks the future. (PhD programs)
• Health improvements don’t just happen. You make them happen. (DNP programs)
• Our college isn’t for the average. Then again, neither is our calling. (general and alumni)

The photos and headlines “capture the heart and soul of who we are as well as the excellence and innovation embodied in our faculty, staff and students,” says Dean Sarah Thompson, PhD, RN, FAAN.

The next step, a redesign of the College of Nursing website, was launched in early June. So far, feedback on the new image campaign has been overwhelmingly positive.

Pictured in the new campaign materials are Michael Jones, bachelor’s student; Sara Knippa and Lecha Cech, master’s students; Muborak “M.J.” Gani, BS ’13; Gretchen Schlueter, BS ’13; Maria Vejar, DNP ’13; Meghan Ford, BS ’11; Kelly McIntosh, BS ’09; Mary Beth Makic, PhD ’07; Yuki Asakura, MS ’05, PhD ’13; and faculty from the college. Special thanks to all the nurses in the Cardiac and Telemetry Unit and the Birthing Center at the University of Colorado Hospital for their help and participation in our photography sessions.