Charlene S. Aaron was appointed chancellor of the St. John’s College of Nursing in Springfield, Illinois, effective June 1. The St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing was founded in 1886 by Hospital Sisters of St. Francis. Today, the school offers a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing to students who have completed pre-professional science and liberal arts studies at other colleges or universities. The latest U.S. Department of Education data shows enrollments of 119 students, with African Americans making up 2 percent of the student body.
Dr. Aaron has been serving as an assistant professor in the Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University. She has been on the faculty at the nursing school for more than a decade.
Dr. Aaron is a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University. She holds a master’s degree in nursing systems administration from Illinois State University and a doctorate in nursing with a concentration in aging from the University of Iowa.