SON: Connections - Fall 2004

Headlines | Briefly | From the Deans Desk
From the Deans Desk

Creating Better Futures in Nursing

Nancy Fugate Woods
Ph.D, R.N., F.A.A.N.
Dean and Professor

In this issue of Connections, we bring together three perspectives on the nursing shortage and how it is affecting the nursing and health care community. Leo Greenawalt, as head of the Washington State Hospital Association, brings to the discussion his intimate familiarity with the needs of hospitals in Washington state and the projected needs of nurses. Dr. Joan Shaver, who earned her master's degree from the UW School of Nursing in 1969, shares her insights as dean of the College of Nursing at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her service on the board of the Advocate Health Care system in Chicago affords her another view of the s hortage 's implications. The discussion underscored to me the need not only for nurses, but for nursing faculty.

As dean, one of my greatest concerns right now is securing faculty leadership and a depth of senior leadership over the long term to strengthen and expand work in areas such as gerontology, infant mental health, health disparities and clinical informatics. Such leadership will allow us to be a significant force in these areas, and to contribute nurses to our communities with expertise in areas ranging from pregnant women and their infants to frail older adults. Creating future careers depends on our ability to create a faculty that will sustain our programs long into the future.

That 's why the school's $24 million capital campaign, publicly launched Oct. 15, comes at a fortuitous time. The support the school receives will build endowments for faculty, students and programs, and secure a strong future for the school and for the communities our students will enter upon graduation. Owing to the national shortage of nursing faculty and the resulting extraordinary competitiveness of faculty recruitment, we must strengthen our ability to recruit and retain outstanding educators by creating endowments for faculty chairs and professorships.

We continue to work to bring top minds in nursing together to create a center of innovation. It makes me especially proud that new faculty remark about the collegial environment here.

Although we are competitive with other schools, new faculty tell me they find a welcoming, collaborative atmosphere, one in which others are genuinely interested in how they can contribute to their colleagues' success. That attitude translates directly to our students as well. We work to make our students feel valued, respected, cared for and coached in their learning. We'd be nowhere without your support.

We have come to a time in our history when we must be aggressive about growing our resources for creating futures. We will look to you-our alumni, friends and partners-to ask for your new and continued support in terms of time, advice and resources in achieving our goals. Please consider our requests carefully. You will be part of helping to create better futures for individuals in our communities, right here at home and around the world.

Headlines | Briefly | From the Deans Desk