Search begins for School of Nursing dean
Students work in small groups during a nursing class taught in the Active Learning Classroom in Signe Skott Cooper Hall. The School of Nursing has been ranked among the top 25 programs in the country for more than 15 years.
The search for the next dean of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s School of Nursing is officially underway. The search and screen committee is inviting nominations and applications, which can be submitted here.
Established in 1924, the school is the leading nursing research institution in Wisconsin. It is an integral academic partner with the School of Medicine and Public Health and the School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, the American Family Children’s Hospital and the William Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital.
The nursing school has a long history of interdisciplinary research in health care and is taking the lead in interprofessional education. It has been ranked among the top 25 nursing programs in the U.S. for more than 15 years.
“We are seeking a strong and inspiring leader who is committed to maintaining the high quality of our educational programs, is an accomplished researcher and a skilled collaborator.”
Barbara Bowers
A 13-member search and screen committee, chaired by nursing Professor Barbara Bowers, is seeking candidates. The new dean will succeed Katharyn May, who will step aside as dean after 15 years of service and remain as a faculty member. The dean, who reports to the chancellor through the provost, serves as the chief academic and executive officer of the school with responsibility for faculty and staff development, personnel oversight, budget planning and management, research/curricular/student academic affairs, and fundraising.
“We are seeking a strong and inspiring leader who is committed to maintaining the high quality of our educational programs, is an accomplished researcher and a skilled collaborator,” Bowers says. “Under the skilled leadership of Dean Katharyn May, we have designed and constructed a new building with cutting edge educational technology, which has transformed the way our students learn. We expect to continue innovating, improving and expanding learning opportunities under the leadership of a new dean.”
Desired qualifications include a deep understanding of the role that nursing education and research play in advancing the nursing profession and improving human health; a record of inspiring, successful administrative leadership in higher education; and a desire to advance interprofessional education, working with academic and clinical leaders in the health sciences.
The committee intends to move quickly in order to bring finalists to campus before the end of the spring semester, with the goal of selecting the new dean soon after. Finalists for the position will meet with senior campus leaders and other constituent groups, and will make public presentations to the School of Nursing community.
Other members of the search committee include Barbara Bendlin, associate professor, School of Medicine and Public Health; Pascale Carayon, professor, College of Engineering; Tracy Downs, associate professor, clinical health sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health; Tricia Droes, human resources manager, College of Engineering; Jessica Dykstra, student representative, School of Nursing; Dorothy Farrar-Edwards, professor, School of Education; Billy Gates, senior electronics research tech, College of Letters & Science; Diane Lauver, professor, School of Nursing; Barbara Pinekenstein, clinical professor, School of Nursing; Steven Swanson, dean, School of Pharmacy; Mary Thompson, faculty associate, Division of Continuing Studies; and Earlise Ward, associate professor, School of Nursing.
School of Nursing dean job description
Questions for the search committee? Click to email or call 890-1661.