Washington State University College of Nursing faculty were well represented at the Council on Nursing Education in Washington State (CNEWS) Spring 2026 Conference, held April 15–17 at The Davenport Hotel, Autograph Collection, Spokane, WA.
Faculty in attendance included Dean Anne Mason, Dr. Sarah Fincham, Dr. Tiffanie Rampley, Dr. Stephanie Macon-Moore, Dr. Christi Brumley, Dr. Jamie Rock, and Dr. Ryan Hunt.
The annual conference brought together nursing faculty and academic leaders from across Washington, including representatives from four-year universities, community colleges, and technical colleges. Sessions focused on curriculum design, workforce needs, and updates shaping nursing education across the state.
For Sarah Fincham, the event offered an opportunity to better understand the role of CNEWS while strengthening connections with peers.
“Highlights for me were learning more about what CNEWS is and does, meeting nursing faculty and leaders from around Washington State, and spending time in person with WSU colleagues,” Fincham said.
She also noted the value of hearing updates from the Washington State Board of Nursing, including changes to nursing education rules that may influence future program delivery.
The nursing education landscape continues to shift both in the state and nationally, in response to many driving factors – faculty vacancies, clinical placement availability and expectations, curricular changes in response to accreditation and our community stakeholders, to name a few. The CNEWS meeting is a wonderful group of nursing education leaders in Washington coming together to discuss these issues and ways we are navigating through them. It’s our opportunity to find collaborative solutions to ensure nursing education in Washington continues to meet the needs of Washingtonians.
Dean Anne Mason, WSU College of Nursing
The conference created space for collaboration and shared learning, with sessions ranging from policy updates to emerging topics such as artificial intelligence in nursing education. Faculty returned with new insights to support student learning and strengthen nursing education across WSU’s campuses.
About CNEWS
Council on Nursing Education in Washington State (CNEWS) is an organization comprised of administrative leadership from all nursing programs in the State of Washington. Its role is to promote communication among members and offer mentorship to new leaders, as well as to facilitate collaborative responses to the health needs of Washington State.
