I believe Debbie Grier demonstrates Excellence in the Profession of Nursing  each and every day. She has high expectations for her students in clinical and wants them to be the best they can. She pays attention to every detail when caring for clients with the students in clinical. She ensures that everything is done to provide the highest quality care. She is also very compassionate toward the patients. This is evident to me when she describes what her students are doing at clinical. She gets so excited when they have a "great day" and provide needed care to patients requiring extra attention. She tells me about when her students stand out and perform skills in a professional and excellent manner -such as assisting with a code, giving medications, walking a patient, or putting in an IV while keeping the patient calm. She is always so proud of them, and so pleased that they do it correctly and professionally. She also grades their documentation with a fine tooth comb to ensure that they learn to be the very best methods, and that they synthesize all the patient information given to them. All of this speaks to her upholding our profession -nurturing excellence in the new nurses, and of course acting professionally and compassionately in clinical.
For the criteria of being Dedicated to the Mentor Role, Mrs. Grier mentors many graduate students (aside from the undergraduates just discussed). Each semester she works with the graduate nurse educator students to make sure that they feel supported and ready to lead undergraduates into clinical. I have witnessed Sterling Roberts and Laura Pitts, along with others such as Michael Byrd and Chris Smith -all in Mrs. Grier 's office talking with her about assignments. They come to get help and guidance, and she is very patient with them. She takes time to explain things the right way; not just to delegate and move on with little explanation. She wants to ensure that they are getting what they need, and that her undergraduate students are getting what they need as well from the assistants. Aside from mentoring students, Mrs. Grier is also a mentor and inspiration to new faculty. She has worked with myself, Catherine Fowler, Marshall Smith and Glynnis Hayley to make sure that we can navigate in this program. She keeps the quality of the program in her mind while mentoring new faculty. 
As a mentor and nurse she expects excellence!!!  I truly look up to her for this.  Her high expectations push others to succeed and shine.  She is a great candidate for this award.