| Course | NUR 6063 Visionary Leadership for Nursing Education |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Leadership theory application paper |
| Length | 1,250 words, about 5 pages plus title and reference pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | American College of Education |
| Program | Ed.S. in Nursing Education |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 6063 Module 1
Five Resignations in Eighteen Months: Applying Servant Leadership, Dimension by Dimension, to a New Director's First Year Leading a Rural Associate Degree Nursing Faculty
Student Name
American College of Education
NUR6063: Visionary Leadership for Nursing Education
Module 1 Assignment
Instructor Name
January 13, 2031
The Program I Inherited
In July I became director of a composite associate degree nursing program at a rural community college, after a year in which the role was filled by an interim. Each year 80 students enter the program, which has 14 full-time faculty positions and about 30 part-time clinical instructors drawn from two regional hospitals. In the eighteen months before I arrived, five full-time faculty resigned, and two of their positions are still vacant. The remaining faculty carry overloads, and the part-time instructors describe the program as a place where decisions arrive by email.
Exit interviews with the five who left named the same three things: workload, not being consulted about changes that affected their courses, and no help with teaching once they were hired. These are not unusual complaints. In a national survey of 3,120 full-time nurse faculty in 269 schools, Yedidia et al. (2014) found that nearly four in ten reported high emotional exhaustion and a third intended to leave academic nursing within five years, and that intent to leave was linked to modifiable features of the job, including dissatisfaction with workload, salary and the availability of teaching support. Much of what drives faculty away is in the leader's reach, which makes the choice of leadership approach a practical question, not a philosophical one.
Why Servant Leadership
Greenleaf (1977) introduced servant leadership with the idea that the servant leader is a servant first, and that the test of it is whether the people served grow, becoming healthier, wiser and more autonomous, and whether they in turn become likelier to serve others. In a systematic review of the research that followed, Eva et al. (2019) describe servant leadership as other-oriented, shown in one-to-one attention to what each follower needs and wants, and directed outward toward the organization and the wider community rather than toward the leader's own standing.
That emphasis fits the program's problem. The faculty who left did not describe a lack of vision; they described a lack of attention. A transformational approach, which centers on inspiring followers toward the leader's vision, might produce an energizing strategic plan and still leave an overloaded instructor feeling unheard. Servant leadership starts with the people doing the work, which is where our losses have been. It also suits nursing education, where faculty are expected to model for students the same attentiveness to others that the profession asks of nurses.
Seven Dimensions, Seven Commitments
Liden et al. (2008) developed a measure of servant leadership with seven dimensions: emotional healing, creating value for the community, conceptual skills, empowering, helping subordinates grow and succeed, putting subordinates first, and behaving ethically. I use those dimensions to turn the theory into behaviors that faculty can see and that I can be held to.
Emotional healing. I will meet each full-time faculty member individually in my first six weeks, asking what the last two years were like and what they need, and I will not use those meetings to announce anything. Creating value for the community. The program's clinical partners are short of nurses, and I will bring faculty into the advisory committee's discussions so that their work is visibly connected to the region's needs. Conceptual skills. I will learn the curriculum and its data before proposing changes, and I will explain the reasoning behind every decision I make in writing.
Empowering. Course teams will decide their own textbooks, assignment designs and clinical rotations within the program's outcomes, and changes that affect a course will not be made without its team. Helping faculty grow and succeed. Each new faculty member will be paired with an experienced mentor for a year, with a reduced load in the first semester, and every faculty member will have a development goal funded from the program's budget. Putting faculty first. I will teach one clinical group myself in the fall, to cover a vacancy rather than adding it to someone's overload. Behaving ethically. I will make workload assignments public, using a formula the faculty help design, so that no one's load depends on their relationship with me.
Workload as the First Test
Of all the commitments, workload will be the first one faculty judge. Workload was the most common reason for leaving, and it is where servant leadership and the program's budget collide. The two vacant positions mean that twelve faculty now cover the teaching of fourteen, and a leader who speaks of putting faculty first while leaving the overloads in place will not be believed. In the first month, I will ask the college to fund two temporary full-time lecturers for the year from the savings on the vacant salaries, and I will report the answer to the faculty whatever it is. If the request is refused, I will reduce the number of clinical groups we run in the spring rather than asking faculty to absorb them, which means admitting fewer students to the spring cohort. That is a cost to the region and to the college's enrollment targets, and I will have to defend it. A servant leader cannot promise that nobody will be unhappy, only that the people doing the work will not be the ones who silently absorb every shortage.
The Limits of Serving
Servant leadership has limits, and a program director who ignores them may fail in the other half of the role. The director is also accountable to the state board of nursing, the accreditor, the college and, ultimately, the patients whom graduates will care for. Putting faculty first cannot mean protecting a faculty member who repeatedly fails to evaluate students honestly, or delaying a curriculum change that the licensure results require. Eva et al. (2019) note that servant leadership has been criticized as too passive and as difficult to separate from related approaches, and I take the first criticism seriously. Serving faculty includes holding them to standards, explaining decisions they dislike, and saying no.
There is also the risk of making the leader indispensable. If faculty come to depend on me to solve every problem, the program will be as fragile after I leave as it was when I arrived. For that reason, several of the commitments above, such as the workload formula and the mentoring program, are designed to become the program's structures rather than my habits.
How I Will Know
I will measure whether faculty experience my leadership as servant leadership, not assume it. Liden et al. (2015) validated a seven-item short form of the servant leadership measure, the SL-7, which correlates highly with the full scale and can be completed in a few minutes. In September I will ask all full-time and part-time faculty to complete it anonymously, with the results summarized by an administrative assistant outside the nursing department, and I will repeat it each May. The scores will be shared with the faculty along with what I intend to change. I will also track three outcomes the program needs: full-time faculty turnover, with a target of no more than one resignation in the next two years other than retirement; the number of faculty carrying an overload each term; and the proportion of new faculty who complete their first year with a mentor. If the SL-7 scores rise and turnover does not fall, the problem may lie in workload and salary, which leadership style alone cannot fix, and I will need to make that case to the college.
References
Eva, N., Robin, M., Sendjaya, S., van Dierendonck, D., & Liden, R. C. (2019). Servant leadership: A systematic review and call for future research. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(1), 111-132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2018.07.004
Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. Paulist Press.
Liden, R. C., Wayne, S. J., Meuser, J. D., Hu, J., Wu, J., & Liao, C. (2015). Servant leadership: Validation of a short form of the SL-28. The Leadership Quarterly, 26(2), 254-269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2014.12.002
Liden, R. C., Wayne, S. J., Zhao, H., & Henderson, D. (2008). Servant leadership: Development of a multidimensional measure and multi-level assessment. The Leadership Quarterly, 19(2), 161-177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2008.01.006
Yedidia, M. J., Chou, J., Brownlee, S., Flynn, L., & Tanner, C. A. (2014). Association of faculty perceptions of work-life with emotional exhaustion and intent to leave academic nursing: Report on a national survey of nurse faculty. Journal of Nursing Education, 53(10), 569-579. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20140922-03
The NUR 6063 Module 1 assignment instructions
NUR 6063 Module 1 typically asks an Ed.S. student to take a leadership theory, often servant leadership since the course names it, and apply it to leading nursing education. Most versions want the theory explained from its original and current sources, then used to guide decisions in a real or realistic program: how the leader would act, what they would prioritize and how they would know it worked. Some prompts ask for a comparison with a second theory, and a few ask for a personal leadership philosophy instead of a case. Expect four to six pages in APA 7. The Canvas instructions may specify a program level, such as associate degree or graduate, so check that before you choose your setting.
How this NUR 6063 Module 1 example is built
The sample begins with the situation the director inherits, including the number of resignations and what departing faculty said, before any theory appears. A national faculty survey then shows that these reasons are common and within a leader's reach. The theory section explains Greenleaf's idea and the later review by Eva and colleagues, and argues for servant leadership over a transformational approach for this specific problem. The center of the paper is a set of seven commitments, one for each dimension in the published measure. A separate section tests the approach against the workload budget, where the director must choose between overloads and a smaller spring cohort. The paper ends by naming the theory's limits and by planning to measure it with a short validated scale.
NUR 6063 Module 1 rubric: what full marks look like
Rubrics for this module usually give the most weight to application. Full marks go to papers that use the theory to make specific choices in a named setting, which is why the example writes a behavior for each dimension instead of defining the dimensions. A second criterion covers understanding of the theory, and graders reward accurate explanation from primary and review sources rather than leadership blogs. Many rubrics also score critical analysis: a paper that recognizes where the theory falls short, such as the criticism that servant leadership can be passive, earns more than one that only praises it. Evidence and integration of sources form another criterion. The rest goes to organization, a professional voice and APA 7 accuracy.
Common NUR 6063 Module 1 mistakes, and how to avoid them
The mistake that costs the most on this assignment is a theory summary followed by a short paragraph saying the writer would use it. Another is choosing a theory because it sounds admirable rather than because it fits the problem the program faces. Writers also forget that a nurse education leader answers to regulators, accreditors and patients as well as faculty, which makes a purely supportive plan look naive. Promises without costs are a warning sign; graders notice when a plan never forces a hard choice. Finally, measure the leadership, not only the outcomes. If you would like a Module 1 paper built on your own program, your chosen theory and the rubric in your Canvas shell, ask the desk for a custom sample.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official American College of Education document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More NUR 6063 and Ed.S. in Nursing Education sample papers
- NUR 6063 Module 2: Chief Academic Nurse Role Analysis
- NUR 6063 Module 3: Accreditation Follow-Up Plan
- NUR 6063 Module 4: Ethical Decision Analysis
- NUR 6063 Module 5: Reflective Practice and Resilience
- NUR 6063 Module 6: Vision and Future-Casting Plan
- NUR 6043 Module 6: Curriculum Revision Plan
- NUR 6023 Module 5: Classroom Management Analysis
- NUR 6053 Module 5: Remediation and Learner Support
- NUR 6033 Module 4: Gamified Learning Activity Design
NUR 6063 Module 1 questions, answered
What does NUR6063 Module 1 usually ask for?
NUR6063 Module 1 typically asks you to apply servant leadership or another leadership theory to leading a nursing program, showing how the theory guides specific decisions. Your classroom's instructions decide which theory and setting you use.
How do I apply servant leadership instead of just describing it?
Translate each part of the theory into a behavior people can observe. The example uses the seven dimensions of the Liden et al. (2008) measure and writes one concrete commitment for each.
What are the criticisms of servant leadership?
It has been called too passive and hard to distinguish from related approaches. A strong paper shows how a servant leader still holds people to standards and makes unpopular decisions.
Where can I find a free NUR 6063 Module 1 sample paper?
On this page. The Module 1 servant leadership paper is shown in full with its title page, six sections, margin notes and five references, so you can study how a theory becomes a leader's commitments before you draft your own.
How can a nursing program director measure servant leadership?
With a validated instrument such as the seven-item SL-7 from Liden et al. (2015), completed anonymously by faculty and repeated each year, alongside outcomes such as faculty turnover.