Preparing to care for older adults: engaging college constituents.

: Baccalaureate nursing programs must find innovative methods to transform educational culture to value and reward excellence in caring for older adults. Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University used a multidimensional approach to engage college constituents and change the way baccalaureate students are prepared to care for older adults. The college engaged faculty, students, and the community in exchange activities that focused on generating excitement for geriatric nursing within the college and the community. Engaging college constituents enabled large numbers of individuals to work toward creating an educational culture that values and rewards excellence in geriatric nursing.