For more than 20 years, Campus President Teri Clawson, MPA, has dedicated her career to higher education. However, a desire for a new challenge and a different kind of impact led her to Arizona College of Nursing, a place she now considers home.
“I was at a space where I was looking for a change,” Clawson shares. “I didn’t necessarily want to leave higher education completely, but I was definitely looking for something different.”
With the encouragement of an executive career coach, Clawson began the job search, looking for new opportunities through a different lens. A LinkedIn search brought her to a role at Arizona College of Nursing where she felt a call.
Though her academic background is in Spanish, not nursing, Clawson was up for the challenge and decided to apply. She had worked with nursing schools at previous institutions and understood the unique landscape of nursing in her state. “I threw my hat in the ring,” she shares.
Just 30 minutes after she submitted her application, a recruiter called her. The interview process moved quickly, and upon visiting the campus, Clawson was sold.
“I fell in love,” she recalls. The “great vibe” and the shared passion with her future colleagues, including Jason Anderson, Chief Executive Officer at the College, solidified her feeling that she was in the right place.
“The reason that we are doing this… is to give back,” she adds.
A Commitment to Student Success
Clawson’s passion for service runs deep, instilled by her grandfather, a teacher who started his career in a one-room schoolhouse. A lifelong learner himself, her grandfather was a huge advocate for education and always encouraged Clawson to pursue her goals.
One of Clawson’s mottos is that “creativity is a good thing.” Coming from a very service-oriented family and background, the passion trickled down to her. She loves helping students, providing them with the resources to get doctor’s appointments, and offering job interview skills.
“It was just really rewarding,” she says. “And I just continued in that vein.”
This desire for a direct connection with students, a piece she felt was missing from her previous role as a Vice President of enrollment management at a smaller college, is what drew her to Arizona College of Nursing. “When I came here, I was like, wow, there is that service piece and I’ve seen how it makes a difference.”
Why Graduation Day is Everything
When asked what her true calling is, Clawson is quick to say it is not teaching. While she has immense respect for those in the classroom, her passion lies in administration and, most importantly, in seeing her students succeed.
“Personally, I live for graduation day and know all of the things that the students have gone through to get there. That is what fills my bucket.”
For Clawson, student success is not just a number on a retention report; it is a testament to the resilience of the individuals she serves. She shares the story of one student who is her “poster child” for perseverance. This student has been dealing with rapidly worsening medical issues that are affecting her eyesight. Despite the many challenges, she has refused to give up on her dream.
“She’s working through specialists right now, but she [does] not want to quit school,” and shares that those at Arizona College of Nursing are the ones pushing her to do her best and to be her best.
Clawson recalls how the student found a classmate to read textbooks aloud while she typed notes and found a ride to campus after losing her driver’s license. “That’s what gets me going,” Clawson says. “When you see these students and you’re like, ‘you are the reason that I do what I do.’”
The Student-Centric Approach to Nursing Education
In the past year, Clawson’s proudest accomplishment has been with her team and their commitment to building trust and connections with students on an individual level.
“I’ve never seen that anywhere else that I’ve worked, where everybody is so focused on that individual student,” she says.
Her Dean, for example, knows every student’s name and face and greets them with personal encouragement each day. She also praises her Student Achievement Coach, Hannah Hetterick, for the significant impact she has had on students.
This student-centric approach proved vital for the December graduating cohort, who faced a tragedy when they lost a classmate during their particularly difficult seventh semester. Clawson worried that many would not make it through. However, with the support of the team, the students persevered, achieving amazing NCLEX results and placements.
“Watching those students walk across the stage was probably more impactful than any other graduation because I knew what they went through,” Clawson says. “It was so nice to see them finally get there.”
It is this energy, this dedication to students, that keeps Clawson coming
Start Your Future in Nursing Today
If you’re considering a career as a registered nurse (RN), Arizona College of Nursing is here to help you pursue your dream. Our BSN program enables you to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in just 3 years or less with qualifying transfer credits. We’ve helped hundreds of students to earn a BSN degree and enter the nursing profession – and we’re ready to support you on your path to becoming an RN.
Why Choose Arizona College of Nursing?
- Earn a BSN degree in 3 years or less with eligible transfer credits
- Campus locations throughout the US
- Night classes for general education courses
- Hybrid Online/In-Person format for general education classes
- Nursing education is all we do
- CCNE-Accredited Program*
- NCLEX-RN success coaches and exam preparation class
- Financial aid available to those who qualify
Discover Your Path to a Career in Nursing
Information in this post is accurate as of May 26, 2026.
*The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program at Arizona College of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (https://www.aacnnursing.org/). All Arizona College of Nursing and Arizona College campuses are institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (https://www.abhes.org/), a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency.