School of Nursing Dean Search
SON Dean Search Finalists Selected
On behalf of the search committee for the Dean of the OHSU School of Nursing, it is with great pleasure that we announce the selection of three finalists for the position of Dean. We are excited by the high quality of these individuals and hope that you will agree that they all possess the potential for strong and experienced leadership that is our goal for the School of Nursing Dean. Their CVs are attached below for your review.
Our candidates are:
Dr. Michael R. Bleich: Visiting February 13 -15
Dr. Kristen M. Swanson: Visiting February 26 - 28
Dr. Linda Thompson Adams: Visiting March 5 - 7
These visits will include both meetings at the Portland campus and on at least one of the SON regional campuses. Detailed schedules of these visits will be posted here as they are finalized.
Candidate
General presentations where all are welcome are scheduled for each of the candidates on the first day of their visits.
The search committee invites your feedback concerning the candidates, which can be e-mailed or mailed to Lisa Dahme at dahmel@ohsu.edu, or by campus mail to Lisa Dahme, Office of Academic Affairs at mail code L349. The following form is provided for your use: SON Dean Search Feedback Form (MS Word)
The Opportunity
Oregon Health & Science University seeks a strong and experienced leader to serve as Dean of the OHSU School of Nursing. The OHSU School of Nursing is one of four schools critical to the educational mission of a complex academic health center, and is at the forefront of national efforts to address the nursing shortage through its new curriculum delivered thorough the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education (OCNE). The new Dean will lead the school in the expansion of this program, help to build on the school’s success and reputation for excellence in funded research, and will bring the schools resources to bear to serve as a strategic partner in the University’s clinical enterprise.
The OHSU School of Nursing has a long record of excellence in teaching, research and clinical activities since it was founded in 1926. The development of the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education with community college and four year undergraduate school partners is receiving considerable positive attention nation-wide for its innovative approach to the coming shortage of nurses and nursing faculty. The new Dean will lead a committed faculty and staff in the expansion, implementation and success of this important initiative. The Dean will also work closely with other OHSU Deans and the Provost to develop a new interdisciplinary academic model for teaching health sciences on the University’s new Schnitzer Campus on Portland’s South Waterfront, along with the new physical campus plan itself.
The Dean of the School of Nursing will play a very public role with local and statewide communities, in the legislature, and with diverse educational sectors to further the mission of the School of Nursing and OHSU. The Dean will work closely with a new President, the Provost and senior leadership in the development and implementation of a new strategic plan for the University (the 2020 Vision) and in particular how the School of Nursing will be integral to that vision.
The OHSU School of Nursing
The School of Nursing at Oregon Health & Science University is a dynamic statewide educational institution with a rich history, a culture that values exceptional performance, and a solid record of innovation and leadership in nursing education, research, and practice. The School of Nursing is guided by a clear and comprehensive vision, a broad and ambitious mission and strong values.
Vision: We envision health care that is expert, compassionate and just.
Mission: Our mission is leadership in nursing and health care through thoughtful innovation in healing, teaching and discovery.
Values: We value integrity, respect, social justice, diversity, collaboration and the science, art and heart of health care.
The School’s faculty (95 full-time, 92 part-time) includes nationally and internationally renowned scholars, educators and clinicians dedicated to excellence in the pursuit of knowledge, the holistic and compassionate care of individuals and communities, and the professional development of each member of the school within a nurturing environment. The School is an educational community that fosters excellence, creativity, self-reflection, accountability, respect for diversity and lifelong learning.
The School of Nursing, with a budget of $30M, operates on four principal campuses across Oregon (Ashland, Klamath Falls, La Grande, and Portland) currently serving 581 undergraduate and 207 graduate enrollees. The school is also extending its presence to a number of community colleges in the state through the innovative Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education (“OCNE”). Plans are underway to add a fifth principal campus in Monmouth and additional community college members to OCNE in the very near future.
Consistently rated among the top tier of nursing schools nationally, the School is currently ranked seventh overall by U.S. News and World Report, and among the top ten in all specialty areas (e.g. first in midwifery, third in geriatrics, fifth in family nurse practitioner). In the research arena, the School is currently 16th in the nation in funding from the National Institutes of Health. Significant non-federal funding also flows to the School annually, from sources such the Hartford Foundation, the Hearst Foundation, and many others. The school is also active in pursing private support and has a dedicated Director of Development.
Strategic Initiatives
The OHSU School of Nursing is guided by a strategic framework designed to provide a compass for new initiatives yet be broad enough to encourage innovation and creativity in program development.
Strategic
Direction – Practice: “Actively participate
in transforming systems of care to achieve our vision.”
The School is engaged in a variety of practice activities, from a thriving
urban midwifery practice to rural primary care clinics in northeast Oregon
to a school based health center serving teen mothers and their children.
We are also involved in less traditional practices, including employee
wellness and health coaching services to employers and health plans, and
a state-of -the-art medical wellness center, offering fitness and health
programs and services to the general community, as well as to OHSU employees
and students. Virtually all practice activities also serve teaching and/or
research missions as well, serving as sites for clinical education or
providing venues and access to subjects for funded research.
Strategic Direction – Education: “Provide state, national and international leadership in designing, implementing, and evaluating state of the art educational models and programs.”
The School has launched a number of new initiatives, many of which are leading the nation in nursing education. The Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education is an innovative approach to expanding baccalaureate education for nurses, utilizing a standard statewide curriculum in partnership with community colleges throughout the state and with the support and collaboration of many community organization, educational institutions and foundations. New masters programs for nurse educators, with a focus on gerontology or community health, are helping to address the nursing faculty shortage. A summer intensive and online program provides a certificate in gerontological nursing. Nationally ranked advanced practice nursing master’s programs include nurse midwifery, family nurse practitioner, psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner, and adult health and illness clinical nurse specialist. A new nurse anesthesia program was opened last year and has now admitted a second cohort. The School has carefully laid the groundwork and now admitted the first cohort for the new Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, which will complement our existing doctoral offerings and raise the standards for advanced practice nursing. The PhD program has been graduating academicians and scholars in nursing science for over two decades. The OHSU School of Nursing is a national leader in the development and application of simulation technology in clinical training. OHSU is also in the early planning phase for a very innovative new health sciences campus, that presents unprecedented opportunities for inter professional education.
Strategic Direction – Research: “Advance science and its application to maximize our influence on health care practice and policy.”
The School has a long and solid history of successful research endeavors. OHSU is a major research university, with research awards nearing $300 million dollars annually. Research faculty interests are varied with particular strength in the areas of symptom management, gerontology, and health disparities. Funding sources include the National Institutes of Health, the Hartford Foundation (the School is one of five Hartford Centers for Geriatric Nursing Excellence), the Hearst Foundation, The Susan G. Komen Foundation, The Lance Armstrong Foundation, and the American Heart Association, among many others. The School has been a continuous recipient of T32 awards, including a recent award focused on symptom management. School of Nursing faculties members are active participants in the university’s Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA), and play a leadership role in both the Community Engagement and Biostatistics Programs of the CTSA.
Strategic Direction – Integration: “Build a community characterized by connection and synergy.”
The strategic framework itself, developed with deep involvement of the faculty, staff and administration of the School, is exemplary of a new level of integration in the School. Similarly, new and more effective faculty governance structures have been developed and implemented with great early success, assuring optimal engagement of faculty in the governance and direction of the School. Practice, teaching and research activities strive to interact and take full advantage of available synergies. New administrative mechanisms are being introduced to increase transparency and school-wide understanding of the fiscal and operating aspects of the School. The future development of the OHSU integrated campus offers nearly unlimited potential for inter-professional integration in education, research and practice that can set a new standard nationally.
Strategic Direction – Social Justice: “Commit to social justice throughout all missions.”
The School is engaged in numerous research, practice and teaching activities that directly address social justice issues, primarily in the realm of improving access to care for underserved populations. In eastern Oregon, the School operates a clinic in a small underserved rural community and provides services in schools, including many uninsured students. The midwifery practice employs five bilingual providers, to serve the 40% of the midwifery patients who are Spanish speaking. Students from most campuses of the School are placed in a number of clinical settings that serve underserved populations, such as migrant health clinics, county health offices and Native American health services. A west Portland school based health center serves a population that includes many Hispanic students and teen mothers and their children. Our Center for Health Disparities Research fosters relationships with community based organizations to support participatory research endeavors.
Strategic Direction – Diversity: “Engage in mindful and transformative inclusion of diverse perspectives.”
Diversity is conceived in the broadest possible sense at the School of Nursing, to include cultural, ethnic, gender, lifestyle, sexual orientation, age, intellectual and other dimensions. A few examples of the “work in progress”, that all diversity efforts represent, include: a faculty governance structure designed to promote and enhance the inclusion of diverse perspectives; a newly formed task force on diversity issues; admission processes that consider student diversity to assure culturally appropriate care providers; a Cultural Humility Committee on Southern Region Campuses with monthly activities promoting discussion of diversity issues and cultural experiences; a Northwest Health Foundation grant that increases nursing student interaction with the Hispanic community; a nursing course developed for Academic Latina Summer Program to target middle school and high school students; a collaboration with UNITA for clinical placements in the Hispanic community; and development of specialty modules in the OCNE curriculum on incorporating more cultural experiences into the curriculum.
Read more about the OHSU School of Nursing- http://www.ohsu.edu/son/news/publications.shtml
The University
OHSU traces its origins to 1887 and the formation of the University of Oregon Medical School, one of the oldest medical schools west of the Mississippi River. OHSU was established as a free-standing academic health sciences university in 1974 when the Oregon Legislature mandated the combination of the University of Oregon Medical School, University of Oregon School of Dentistry, and University of Oregon School of Nursing. At that time, OHSU also included OHSU Hospital, Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, and the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center.
In 1995 OHSU became an independent public corporation, and its governance became vested in the OHSU Board of Directors. Despite the restructuring, several important ties to the state remain. The OHSU Board (10 members including one student member) is appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Oregon State Senate. All major academic policies and program changes at OHSU are coordinated with the Oregon State Board of Higher Education in order to prevent inadvertent duplication of programs and to ensure the continuity of existing integrated programs. Although OHSU is a governmental entity, it is not considered a unit of local or municipal government or a state agency for purposes of state statutes or constitutional provisions. For bond issuance purposes, however, OHSU is treated as a political subdivision of the state.
OHSU’s Marquam Hill Campus sits on 116 acres overlooking downtown Portland. The university occupies 35 major buildings on the hill, and dozens of offices, clinics, education and research facilities throughout the state. The 300-acre West Campus in Hillsboro includes several research institutes and centers, and the OGI School of Science & Engineering.
In 2002 OHSU, in collaboration
with several other entities, purchased approximately eight acres along
the Willamette River in Portland to support additional growth. The Center
for Health and Healing opened in November 2006 on the South Waterfront
Campus to house physician practices, outpatient surgery, a wellness center,
research labs, educational space, a streetcar, and an aerial tram to the
top of Marquam Hill.
In 2004 a 20-acre parcel of riverside property was donated to OHSU to
allow the university to build a future educational campus just north of
the South Waterfront Campus. Planning for the OHSU Schnitzer Campus is
under way. Last summer, OHSU also opened the 300,000 square foot Kohler
Pavilion, which is a new addition to the existing hospital, and a new
300,000 square foot Biomedical Research Building.
OHSU is one of approximately 125 academic health centers in the United States and Canada and is the state’s only health and research university. With 12,400 employees, OHSU is the largest employer in the City of Portland. OHSU’s fundamental educational mission is to train nurses, dentists, physicians, allied health professionals, biomedical scientists and engineers. OHSU’s four schools (Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, Science and Engineering) award Oregon’s only doctoral degrees in Dentistry, Medicine, and Nursing. A fifth school, the College of Pharmacy is a joint program with Oregon State University. In addition, the allied health programs confer Bachelor of Science degrees in Medical Technology, Radiation Therapy, and Physician Assistant Studies and professional certification in dietetics and electroencephalographic technology.
The educational programs are conducted on the OHSU campuses and at various locations throughout Oregon. In addition, Area Health Education Centers offer continuing education throughout the state and family practice residency training in the Northeast and Southeast parts of the state.
Serving its clinical mission, OHSU’s two hospitals, OHSU Hospital and Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, are the state’s primary resources for many types of highly specialized or tertiary care. OHSU and Doernbecher Children's Hospitals combined have 509 licensed beds. The University’s patient care services also include dozens of general and specialty clinics and diagnostic laboratories. Patients have come from around the world, but most (93 percent) are Oregon residents. Patients from every county in Oregon are cared for at OHSU each year.
In the past decade the growth of the research enterprise at OHSU has been brisk and reflects the commitment of university leaders to biomedical research as a keystone of our overall mission and the shared view that research favorably influences teaching and patient care. The university has made substantial investments in facilities and infrastructure, has encouraged the development of centers and institutes, and has recruited hundreds of new research faculty members. As a consequence of this focus, grant income has more than tripled in the past decade, and last year. OHSU has faculty members that are Howard Hughes Investigators, members of the National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine and fellows of the Royal Academy of Sciences.
The university is committed to commercialization of its discoveries. OHSU scientists have made more than 850 invention disclosures since 1985. In fiscal year 2007 there were 132 invention disclosures, 7 patents issued, and 45 licenses executed. Thirty-three companies have been created through the activities of our faculty.
In March 2000, OHSU launched an ambitious initiative to prepare itself for the challenges and opportunities of the next 100 years. In May of 2002 the state of Oregon and Oregon voters approved a $200 million bond initiative, financed through tobacco settlement payments, to benefit all Oregonians through OHSU. Known as the Oregon Opportunity, these public dollars are a catalyst for investments in medical research and bioscience infrastructure, including facilities that will lead to innovative treatments for human disease. In turn, this creation of new intellectual property will lead to new companies, attract additional investment, and generate economic opportunity for the state and its citizens. The public bonds were matched by an additional $378 million raised through private philanthropy.
More information on OHSU can be found at www.ohsu.edu.
The Portland Community
Portland, Oregon, has often been called “the big city with the small town feel.” Its mild weather, breathtaking scenery, exciting location and friendly people have all contributed to its appearance on numerous “Best Of” lists, including Online Insider’s “Top 10 Least Expensive Cities”, Money Magazine’s “Top 10 Places to Vacation” and “Top 10 Best Places to Live”, and American Style Magazine’s “Top 25 Arts Destinations”.
Nestled between the beautiful Coast Range on the west and the spectacular Cascade Range on the east, Portland sits at the junction of the Columbia and Willamette rivers. From downtown Portland, it’s just a 90 minute drive to the scenic Oregon coast, an hour-and-a-half to Mt. Hood and some of the best skiing in the country, a half-an-hour to the peaceful vineyards and farms of the fertile Willamette Valley, and less than three hours to Seattle. With an ethnically diverse population of almost two million, Portland is the 28th largest metropolitan area in the country, the fourth largest city on the West Coast, and the largest city in the state. It includes six counties spread over 5,000 square miles.
Sheltered by two mountain ranges, Portland enjoys mild weather all year long, rarely experiencing the severe weather extremes common to much of the rest of the country. However, that doesn’t mean that Portland doesn’t have seasons. July and August are warm and dry, with average high temperatures in the upper 70’s and lower 80’s. The occasional winter snowstorm blankets the city in a few inches of snow that stay around long enough to be enjoyed but rarely long enough to annoy. In the Fall, the many deciduous trees around the city put on a colorful show to delight the eye and Spring blossoms prove that Portland truly is the “City of Roses.” Downtown Portland offers visitors a wide variety of shops, professional services, restaurants, housing, entertainment venues, museums and parks.
With one of the best community college systems in the country, a variety of colleges and universities, and a public school system that produces high school graduates whose SAT scores consistently place in the top 5 cities nationwide, Portland offers excellent educational opportunities. With 75 neighborhood elementary and middle schools feeding 10 local high schools, Portland boasts the state’s largest public school system. In addition, Portland Public Schools offer a wide array of charter and magnet schools, specializing in an assortment of programs, including language immersion, fine arts, International Baccalaureate programs, and technical and health specialties. Portland also offers a large number of private schools that emphasize everything from foreign languages to fine arts to religion.
More Information: http://www.portlandalliance.com/about_portland/portland-facts.html
Candidate Qualifications
The School of Nursing Dean will be a strategic thinker and leader who can advance the goals and support the strategic mission of Oregon Health & Science University.
Experience and Personal Characteristics
• Exceptional record of strong leadership in a complex academic health center or similar organization.
• Demonstrated ability to balance the academic, research and clinical missions within the School of Nursing and with other key partners within the university.
• Clear vision for the role of the School of Nursing in an academic health center
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of the Nursing profession.
• Proven experience in attracting and recruiting a distinguished and diverse faculty and student body, and a supporter of faculty participation in school governance.
• Robust record of research and the ability to grow research support in the school.
• Ability to be an articulate spokesperson for the school and the university in the community, across the state, and nationally.
• Demonstrated understanding and experience with 21st century educational technology and how that can be leveraged on behalf of the school.
• Demonstrated experience in managing a complex nursing organization and collaborating with other educational sectors.
• Demonstrated ability to work closely with the clinical mission of the university and to find and create mutually supportive linkages.
• Ability to work closely with donors and other supporters on behalf of the SON.
• Mentor, change agent, risk taker, with a sense of humor.
Education
Earned Doctorate in Nursing, or other related discipline.
Procedure for Candidacy
Nominations and expressions of interest may be sent in confidence to OHSU’s consultant for the Dean’s search:
Elaine Turner, The
Turner Group
elain.et@verizon.net
909 621-2590.
Or contact:
Dr. Robert L. Vieira, Chair
OHSU/SON Dean Search Committee
Office of Academic Affairs & Student Affairs (L349)
Oregon Health & Science University
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd.
Portland, Oregon 97239-3098
Last
updated
March 5, 2008
by OHSU School of Nursing Web Managers.
Please send comments, questions, and reports of problems to sonnews@ohsu.edu.