When Denver College of Nursing’s president Mikal Powers joined the Navy in 1999, he wanted to be part of something bigger than himself. In his role as a helicopter combat search and rescue swimmer, that is exactly what he achieved. By 2004, he had completed two deployments in the Middle East and was thinking about his next steps.
“The goal was to get out of the military, earn my degrees, and then go back into the military, in active duty, and serve as an officer,” Powers says.
While Powers would eventually fulfill that goal by returning to the military as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, things did not initially go as planned. Once he started his undergraduate studies, he fell in love with academia and higher education.
“I really saw how it changes the trajectory of people’s lives,” he says, noting he was the first person in his family to attend college. “I found a lot of passion and purpose in that.”
Driven by that newfound purpose, Powers took on an admissions position at the University of Phoenix in San Diego while earning his bachelor’s degree and quickly worked his way up to director of admissions. In 2011, Mikal was chosen to set up a new campus in McAllen, Texas, and later moved to direct multicampus operations in Houston, Texas, and Southern California.
Along the way, Powers earned master’s degrees in business, education, and organizational psychology before being appointed president of DCN in 2024. He has simultaneously served in operations positions in the Coast Guard Reserve since 2011.
Equipped with this unique blend of military and academic leadership experience, Powers brings a mission-driven, student-centered approach to his role at DCN. It is an approach he wants every student to experience when they enroll.
Building Clinical Competency and a Student-Focused Team
As a Navy rescue swimmer, Powers was involved in missions in which real lives were at stake. He learned to value teamwork, communication, and technical precision early in his career. When he arrived at DCN, he recognized that those attributes are vital to a career in nursing as well.
“We educate by using evidence-based practice in nursing,” Powers says. “So that translates into students’ evidence-based judgment and their ability to remain calm under pressure.”
He adds, “My hope is that when they graduate, they’re not only technically prepared, but also, are you dependable? Are you ethical? Are you compassionate? Can you respond to complex patient needs?”
Powers and his colleagues focus on ensuring students learn both practical and clinical skills and are as prepared as possible to enter the nursing workforce. DCN’s curricula strive to balance clinical preparation with the development of soft skills that employers tell DCN they are looking for, including critical thinking and communication skills. They keep in-person class sizes small so that students get the attention and help they need.
They have also embedded more National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) preparation into the curricula of their degree programs and hired NCLEX coaches to make sure students receive robust support before and after they graduate.
“Usually, students take the exam anywhere from two to six months postgraduation,” Powers says. “After they graduate, we don’t forget about them. We want to make sure they succeed that first time.”
The Faculty: DCN’s Greatest Resource
Powers is not alone in his efforts to deliver a high-quality education to tomorrow’s nurse leaders. He has a team of experienced nursing professionals at his side. As president, he makes sure they are all where they need to be to have the greatest possible impact on DCN’s students.
“I recently appointed Dr. Samantha Mitchell as the institutional dean of nursing,” Powers says. “I cannot say enough positive things about how she has helped in just the short amount of time I’ve been here. We’ve added a lot of curriculum enhancements to support the student through learning activities, simulation charts, and an advanced course for NCLEX preparation. Dr. Mitchell was spearheading all of that.”
According to Powers, DCN’s faculty and staff do not just stand out because of their clinical expertise. What truly sets them apart is their commitment to DCN’s students.
“What we hear the most is our faculty are just tremendously passionate not only about their content area, but they’re passionate about teaching the next generation of nurses,” he says. “It’s true. We genuinely care about student success and that shows up in all of our actions.”
A Culture Focused on Meeting Students’ Needs
In some ways, Powers fits the popular image of a military professional in a leadership position. He’s dedicated to setting and meeting high standards. However, he does not see his role as that of a demanding drill sergeant.
Powers was a first-generation college student, and he remembers what it was like to follow his passion, switch careers, and balance his school and life obligations. DCN, he says, is intentional about meeting students where they are in their life journeys and providing them with multiple possible road maps they can choose from to achieve their goals quickly.
“We look at you holistically with all of your life experiences, and we’ll put you on a pathway that will support you and your success to the best of our ability,” Powers says.
DCN supports alternative credit pathways that give qualified applicants more flexible, self-paced, and online options for completing prerequisite coursework. These courses are evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE) for college credit and can save students both time and money compared to completing prerequisites in a traditional classroom format.
DCN currently accepts pathway transfer options through Sophia Learning, Portage Learning, and StraighterLine. Each of these offerings has distinct delivery models, course structures, and student support formats, so students should be advised carefully to evaluate and select the option that best fits their academic background, learning style, timeline, and readiness.
These pathways can be an especially strong fit for students who bring prior academic experience or healthcare experience, or who previously completed prerequisite coursework more than seven years ago and need an efficient way to refresh or replace those credits.
At the same time, DCN balances flexibility with academic readiness. Students using alternative credit pathways are evaluated through a HESI assessment to help ensure they are prepared for the pace and rigor of DCN’s nursing programs. In addition, DCN has built targeted refreshers in anatomy and physiology and college algebra into the first academic quarter (Quarter 1) to help students strengthen the foundational knowledge needed for success in pathophysiology, dosage calculations, and other demanding nursing coursework.
For the right student, these alternative credit pathways can provide a faster, more affordable, and academically appropriate route into the program while still maintaining DCN’s commitment to student success, academic quality, and program readiness.
Once they have met the prerequisite requirements, students can earn an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) in as little as 18 months or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in as little as 21 months.
“You can still have high standards,” Powers says of this accessible approach. “You can measure the results and act on the data to continuously improve. But at the center of everything, it has to be about the student.”
Celebrating Values and Excellence
While a choice of pathways and student support structures are important in and of themselves, Powers is intentional about making sure DCN’s culture promotes and celebrates achievement. For example, around DCN’s campuses, students will find QR codes they can scan to leave praise for their peers, faculty, and staff who embody values such as integrity, service, and commitment.
“You can’t separate student success from organizational culture,” Powers says. “When everybody’s aligned, the expectations are clear, and everybody around you believes in the mission. The students feel that. It requires heart and it requires discipline. You have to care deeply about the students.”
Launch or Advance Your Nursing Career With a Degree From DCN
Whether students are earning an associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degree in nursing, Denver College of Nursing’s president Mikal Powers and his colleagues are committed to giving them all the resources and support they need to succeed.
“We say that we don’t just educate them, but we’re preparing them to enter the workforce on day one,” Powers says of DCN students. “A DCN graduate is clinically prepared, professionally grounded, resilient, adaptable, and ready to contribute to their mission at the hospital or wherever they’re working.”
DCN offers in-person prelicensure nursing degree programs on its Denver and Houston campuses, as well as online advanced degree programs for nurses looking to grow in their careers. To find out more about the evidence-based curricula, hands-on learning opportunities, and different pathway options DCN provides, request information today.
Recommended Readings
Celebration and Innovation: Dr. Samantha Mitchell’s Journey to Denver College of Nursing in Houston
Jokira Jiles Turned a Passion for Care Into a Nursing Career
Staying Student-Centered: A Conversation With DCN’s Houston Campus President Chad Muse