A longtime key administrator and educator for the UNMC College of Nursing, Cathie Todero, Ph.D., will be leaving UNMC on July 14 to become director of the School of Nursing at San Diego State University (SDSU).
Dr. Todero has served on the College of Nursing faculty for 28 years, holding the position of associate dean, undergraduate program, for the past 17 years.
“It’s really, really hard to leave UNMC,” she said. “But, opportunities like this don’t come along that often. I’ve been recruited for other positions over the years, and I’ve always said, ‘No.’
“I’m at a point in my career that there may not be that many more opportunities that come along. The timing just seemed to be right to make the change. My children are grown and no longer live in Omaha. My parents and my husband’s parents are no longer living. Those were all things that weighed heavily into my decision to leave.”
In SDSU, Dr. Todero will be going to a university that has 34,000 students and is ranked among the top 7 percent of the nation’s colleges and universities conducting research in the country. SDSU is part of the massive California State University System, Dr. Todero said, and brought in more than $130 million in research funding during the past year.
She said SDSU is not an academic health science center, so it will be a change from the environment she has become accustomed to at UNMC. She will assume her new post on Aug. 1.
The SDSU School of Nursing is part of the College of Health and Human Services. The School of Nursing has more than 625 students, Dr. Todero said, with around 500 enrolled in the undergraduate program and 125 enrolled in the graduate program. The school is in the process of adding an RN-BSN program at an extension campus at Imperial Valley College in Imperial, CA.
“Dr. Todero has been the associate dean for undergraduate programs in the college for over 17 years,” said Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., dean of the UNMC College of Nursing. “She has competently shepherded baccalaureate nursing at UNMC through many eras and iterations, and she was the inspiration behind many successful initiatives, such as the college’s Mobile Nursing Center.
“Most recently, she has been the guiding force behind the colleges new accelerated BSN, and this achievement reflects Cathie’s many leadership qualities of vision, innovative programming, and ability to attract federal funding to the college.
“We will greatly miss Dr. Todero in the College of Nursing, and, indeed, throughout the wider university and state. As she heads off to assume the leadership of a school of nursing in another state, we are confident of her future success but wistful at her departure.”
An Omaha native, Dr. Todero earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Creighton University in 1972, her master’s degree in nursing from UNMC in 1974 and her doctorate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1986.
She first joined the UNMC College of Nursing in 1973 as a graduate assistant and was appointed assistant professor in 1975. In 1977, she left UNMC for a position at the Creighton University School of Nursing. She worked at Creighton for three years, serving as assistant professor and director of curriculum for registered nurses (R.N.).
In 1980, Dr. Todero rejoined the UNMC College of Nursing as an assistant professor in the adult health and illness department. She was elevated to associate dean in 1989 and to associate professor in 1991. From September 1994 to February 1995, she served as interim dean for the College of Nursing.
In looking back on her career at UNMC, Dr. Todero said there are several things which happened during her tenure that she will remember with pride:
- The addition of Kearney and Scottsbluff as part of the College of Nursing’s four campuses;
- The implementation of the accelerated nursing program, which allows students to earn their B.S.N. by taking an accelerated course load over one year;
- The creation of the UNMC College of Nursing/Cosmopolitan Club Mobile Nursing Center. Dr. Todero was one of the founders of the mobile nursing center, which provides reduced-cost screenings for diabetes and other conditions primarily to underserved individuals in Omaha and across Nebraska.
“I will leave UNMC with nothing but fond memories,” Dr. Todero said. “It has been a wonderful part of my life. The people here are the greatest and I will miss the many friends and colleagues I have here.”
Dr. Todero said she has taught UNMC nursing students at every possible level – associate, bachelor, R.N. to B.S.N., master’s and doctoral. Most recently, she taught a grant writing course for doctoral students. She also taught courses in research, acute and chronic medical-surgical nursing.
During her career, she has received funding for 19 different projects, involving research grants or other nursing ventures. Active in numerous professional organizations, Dr. Todero has served on the Research Advisory Council for Sigma Theta Tau International since 2003, has been a site visitor for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education since 2000 and has been a member of the Nebraska Assembly of Nursing Deans and Directors since 2001. She is also serves as a volunteer with the Omaha Medical Reserve Corps.
Her husband, Joe, works in human resources for the City of Omaha and will retire at the end of 2007. Their two children are: Gina Mangine, M.D., a third-year pediatric resident in Memphis, Tenn.; and Tony, a graduate student at the University of Minnesota who plans to go to law school.
Dr. Todero said her son-in-law, Casey Mangine, is currently serving in the U.S. Navy as a helicopter pilot and is stationed in Norfolk, Va. With San Diego having a large naval base, she said there is a good chance that her daughter and son-in-law could eventually wind up in San Diego.
A farewell reception to honor Dr. Todero will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21, in Private Dining Rooms B & C. The event is open to the campus.