Dr. Cheryl Hilgenberg
Professor of Nursing
 Academic Biography
Cheryl Hilgenberg completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Illinois Wesleyan University and graduated magna cum laude in 1970. She received her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Illinois-Chicago in 1986 and her Ed.D. from Illinois State University in 1997.
After completing her doctorate, she participated in two advanced transcultural seminars taught by Dr. Madeleine Leininger at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and earned international certification in transcultural nursing (CTN) in 1998. She began teaching at Millikin in 1990 and teaches mental health nursing in the undergraduate nursing program.
She has also taught transcultural health care courses in the university studies curriculum and has taken students on immersion courses to the Dominican Republic and China. After the Master of Science in Nursing program was launched in 2006, her responsibilities have included teaching nursing courses at the graduate level. Her research interests focus primarily on stress and coping, transcultural health care, and teaching effectiveness. Dr. Hilgenberg is a member of Sigma Theta Tau and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies. She is also a member of the International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses and the Transcultural Nursing Society. In the community, she serves on the Board of Directors of the Moultrie County Counseling Center, the Professional Advisory Committee of Lincolnland Home Care, and is a member of the Douglas County Medical Reserve Corps.
Philosophy of Teaching
The endeavors of teaching and learning have been passions for me for as long as I can remember, and I make every effort to bring this passion for learning to my students. Nursing has provided me with a focus for a lifetime of learning. Every day I look forward to new challenges, and I hope to bring this enthusiasm for learning to the students I teach.
Nursing is both a science and an art, and as such, it is essential that students are able to skillfully integrate theory and practice to be successful in their profession. Every opportunity is taken to infuse clinical examples into classroom teaching and to reinforce theoretical concepts in clinical practice. The learning environment is not only the classroom, but the larger community as well. My commitment to transcultural health care has shaped my view of teaching and nursing care. Care must be provided in a cultural context where the person’s cultural values are recognized and respected. Infusing cultural concepts throughout the curriculum helps students learn cultural respect and prepares them to be sensitive, responsive professionals in a diverse, global society.
In a learner-centered environment, students are guided to reflect on what they learn, how they learn, and how they learn to think critically. Collaborative learning strategies help students to identify their own strengths and value the contributions of others while learning to be productive members of the profession and the community Faculty can role-model these behaviors by talking through their own thinking processes, sharing their reasoning, and openly reflecting with students about the nature of ethical, evidence-based patient actions. This dialogue helps students improve their own critical thinking as well as grow in their awareness of their own personal values, goals, and professional commitment.
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