Three finalists selected for nursing dean

The search committee for dean of the School of Nursing has forwarded three finalists for consideration to Chancellor David Ward and Provost John Wiley:

• Lauren Aaronson, professor and associate dean for research at the University of Kansas School of Nursing. Aaronson has been associate dean at the school since 1989 and has conducted research in areas such as alcohol and drug abuse and pregnancy health behavior.
• Diane Kjervik, professor and associate dean of the School of Nursing, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Kjervik has been associate dean of community outreach and practice since 1995 and has written books on women’s health, stress in the nursing profession and legal issues in nursing.
• Katharyn May, professor and director of the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia. May has directed the school since 1994 and has researched issues related to expectant and new fatherhood.

The new dean will succeed Vivian Littlefield, who retired from the deanship in January after 16 years. Patricia Lasky, associate dean, is serving as interim dean. Finalists emerged from a national search that began last year.

Candidates will be invited back to campus for extended visits in the next month. The visits will include interviews with Ward and Provost John Wiley; meetings with other deans and directors; opportunities to interact with faculty, staff and students in the school; and a public presentation.

UW–Madison’s School of Nursing, a 75-year-old institution, offers a wide range of academic programs for roughly 400 undergraduate and 180 graduate students. The dean will lead a school with 20 tenure-track faculty and more than 80 instructional and support staff.