Arizona College of Nursing
Arizona College
Our onsite academic programs prepare students for in-demand careers.
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From orientation to graduation, our team provides support at every step of your journey.
Our purpose is to provide people the opportunity to enhance their lives through education.
Up to $15,000 scholarships available at our Fort Lauderdale campus. Learn more!
Learn from knowledgeable instructors at our Fort Lauderdale campus who have years of experience putting their skills to use in the medical field.
Executive Director of Academic Operations
James Jones began working in post-secondary education as an instructor in 2006. Since then, he has been a program director, director of education and a campus executive director. He has over 14 years of experience working in higher education in Arizona and Florida. He has been with Arizona College since March of 2019 and is currently the executive director of academic operations at their Fort Lauderdale campus. His favorite thing about working in colleges is having the opportunity to help people be positively impacted by improving their lives through education.
In James’ free time, he enjoys going to the beach with his wife and children and watching the University of Alabama play football.
Dean of Nursing
Shawn Higgins came to Arizona College of Nursing – Ft. Lauderdale in 2021 with 14 years of experience in nursing education and 23 years of leadership experience. Shawn Higgins earned her Master’s of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix and her PhD from Capella University where she was drawn to understanding the “why” and the “how” behind education. Her degree specialty is specific to Leadership in Higher Education.
Shawn Higgins’ nursing background prior to education includes long-term care, rehabilitation services (stroke and TBI), home health, hospice, and basic med-surg. Her nursing education experience spans the country, having worked in the private sector for schools in Ohio, Florida, Arizona, and Nevada. She and her husband have eight children between them and will be welcoming their fifth grandchild in the spring of 2022. She is looking forward to a long and happy relationship with her new Arizona College of Nursing family.
Dean of General Education
Prior to joining Arizona College in January of 2022, Dr. Kern has over 20 years of experience as Dean, Vice President or Chief Academic Officer over Nursing and Allied Health Programs. In those years he served as Dean of Academic Affairs at Nova Southeastern University in North Miami Beach, The National Graduate Dean at both Kaplan University Online in Chicago and Herzing University in Milwaukee as well as Chief Academic Officer at Concorde Career Colleges in Mission, Kansas.
Dr. Kern has spent his professional life in the academic classroom teaching Medical Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry and Computer Science. He has been honored with various Outstanding Educator and Master Teacher awards as well as Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World, and other national and international awards and Honors.
BSN Program Manager
Originally from La Ceiba , Honduras with extensive experience in higher education. Previously, I’ve worked for Florida Atlantic University, Broward College and the University of Central Missouri. I love working in higher education and assisting students achieve their goals. I enjoy watching comedies, documentaries and training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
1 The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program at Arizona College of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
2 All Arizona College of Nursing and Arizona College campuses are institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), a U.S. Department of Education-recognized national accrediting agency.