College of Nursing forms new administrative structure

Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc.

In keeping with national trends in colleges of nursing around the country, Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., dean of the UNMC College of Nursing, has — over the past year — developed a new administrative structure for the college.

The structure includes two senior associate dean positions — one in academic programs and the other in research — and two senior assistant dean positions — one in informatics/learning technologies and one in administration.

The college’s division in Lincoln, Kearney, and Scottsbluff continue to be led by assistant deans and faculty in Omaha fall under one of three academic departments.

In addition, directors lead in the areas of practice, international programs, evaluation, student services, clinical skills lab and continuing education.

UNMC College of Nursing administration Virginia P. Tilden, D.N.Sc. — Professor & dean Pam Bataillon — Associate professor & assistant dean for administration Ann Berger, Ph.D. — Professor, Niedfelt Professor and director, doctoral program Catherine Bevil, Ed.D. — Professor & director of continuing nursing education and evaluation Patti Carstens — Director, learning resources Mary Cramer, Ph.D. — Associate professor & chair, Gerontological, Psychosocial & Community Health Department Janet Cuddigan, Ph.D. — Assistant professor & interim chair, Adult Health & Illness Department Kathy Duncan, Ph.D. — Associate professor & assistant dean, Lincoln Division Kathryn Fiandt, D.N.Sc. — Associate professor, director for the Morehead Center for Nursing Practice, & clinical director for the Family Health Care Center Karen Grigsby, Ph.D. — Professor & chair, Parent/Child, Administration, Education & Science Department Larry Hewitt — Director, student services Kathy Kaiser, Ph.D. — Associate professor & chair, Faculty Coordinating Council Louise LaFramboise, Ph.D. — Assistant professor & director, undergraduate program Steve Pitkin — Assistant professor & assistant dean, Kearney Division Sheila Ryan, Ph.D. — Professor, Charlotte Peck Lienemann and Alumni Distinguished Chair, & director, international programs Linda Sather, Ed.D. — Assistant professor, director, Mobile Nursing Center & chair, Faculty Coordinating Council Cheryl Thompson, Ph.D. — Associate professor & assistant dean for informatics & learning technologies Sarah Thompson, Ph.D. — Professor & associate dean for academic programs Connie Visovsky, Ph.D. — Associate professor & director, master’s programs Susan Wilhelm, Ph.D. — Assistant professor & interim assistant dean, West Nebraska Division Bernice Yates, Ph.D. — Associate professor & associate dean for research

“I am delighted to have this new structure,” Dr. Tilden said. “We hadn’t changed the structure for well over 10 years. Although it functioned quite well, we wanted to make it as nimble as others in the country in addressing the new many challenges and opportunities in academic nursing.”

Part of the plan reduces the management span of the dean, giving key administrators more authority, which will allow the dean to focus more on strategic and long term issues for the welfare of the college.

“We’ve consolidated some missions and reduced the number of administrators who report to the dean. We’ve clarified roles that make the ‘who does what’ picture of administration more transparent and brings together functions that require related and collaborative skills,” Dr. Tilden said. “In Lincoln, for example, faculty now report to the assistant dean in Lincoln rather than through the Omaha departments.”

The restructuring came after Dr. Tilden assessed the environment and considered ways to help the organization evolve into a stronger structure.

“I met with faculty and staff in advisory groups to assess the college’s strengths and challenges,” she said. “Many issues pointed to the need to reorganize the administrative structure.”

To help guide her in the change, Dr. Tilden worked with Rheba de Tornyay, Ph.D., dean emeritus, University of Washington School of Nursing and former dean of the UCLA School of Nursing. Dr. de Tornyay is an organizational consultant to schools of nursing across the country.

“Dr. de Tornyay was enormously helpful in developing the new plan,” Dr. Tilden said. “I took her suggestions and made sure they’d be right for this college at UNMC.”

As the reorganization takes hold, dealing with a looming faculty shortage while also improving the college’s standing among other graduate schools are two of Dr. Tilden’s top concerns.

“We have to prepare new faculty more quickly without sacrificing the quality of our graduate programs,” she said. “And we need to be ready to seize funding opportunities for different levels of educational programs, which the new structure facilitates.”

The college’s graduate program recently ranked 32nd out of 396 programs by U.S.News & World Report for the 2008 ranking, up from 39th.

The success of the College of Nursing is essential to UNMC as a whole, said Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D.

“I commend the dean, faculty and staff, for this bold change, which will allow the college to chart its course and meet future challenges more effectively,” Dr. Maurer said. “We depend on faculty and staff to build the momentum of becoming world-class.”

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