The fellows were recognized at a virtual ceremony on June 17, hosted by the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center Advisory Board.

Canny joined the Millikin faculty in 2014. A certified trauma nurse specialist and certified nurse educator, Canny has over 25 years of clinical nursing experience in acute renal dialysis, surgical and medical intermediate care unit, emergency department and as a staff educator.

Kennedy has nearly 22 years of experience in the health care profession. She began her career shortly after high school as a nursing assistant at a long-term care facility. Kennedy advanced her education to attain licensure as a practical nurse and then as a registered professional nurse where she practiced in the acute care setting of a rehabilitation unit and then a medical-oncology unit. Kennedy also made home visits as a hospice nurse and then returned to acute care to work on a medical-surgical unit as a clinical nurse.

The purpose of the Nurse Educator Fellowship Program is to ensure the retention of well-qualified nursing faculty at institutions of higher learning that award degrees in nursing.