Nursing dean to retire after nine years

The provost created a committee to find a replacement.

By Jake Carah

Published Nov. 6, 2007

Rosemary Porter has taught and lived in Columbia for nearly 30 years, and served as the Sinclair School of Nursing dean for the last nine years. At the beginning of this academic year, Porter announced she plans to retire and will relinquish her position by Sept. 1, 2008.

"Dr. Porter has done a tremendous job at the school of nursing and is going to be missed by both faculty and staff," associate nursing professor Linda Bullock said.

In response to her departure, MU Provost Brian Foster started a committee to find her replacement. The co-chairpeople of the committee are Bullock and College of Engineering Dean James Thompson.

"The entire school of nursing has been charged with trying to get potential candidates to submit their application to the provost office," Bullock said. "We will continue to search until we find someone that is a suitable replacement for that position," Bullock said.

Porter said she began her career as a practicing nurse after receiving a degree from St. Mary's School of Nursing in Milwaukee. After working in California for four years, Porter returned to school. Porter received a bachelor's degree in clinical studies and got her master's degree at the University of Iowa.

"It was there that I started doing some teaching," Porter said.

Porter said she and her family moved to Houston, where she taught at the University of Texas at Houston in the Health Science Center for five years.

By the time her first son, Benjamin, was ready to start school, the Porters decided they wanted to live in a smaller community to raise him.Both she and her husband, Special Degree Programs Director Michael Porter, were offered teaching positions at MU and moved to Columbia in 1979, she said.

At MU, Rosemary Porter earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration. After 10 years as a faculty professor, she was appointed to the position of associate dean in the school of nursing in 1989.

By August 1999, Porter was appointed interim dean when former Dean Toni Sullivan retired. Porter said members of the faculty encouraged her to apply and she was appointed to the position in May 2000.

In Porter's last nine years as dean, she said she has worked to increase funding for the school and built a partnership with Jim Ross, the University Hospitals and Clinics chief executive officer. Porter also helped in the development of TigerPlace, which is a group of residential apartments specifically designed for active senior citizens.

Porter said she has also aided in the development and increasing funding for an accelerated nursing program at MU in May 2000. Porter said her most rewarding moment as dean was around the time she first took office.

"You have the opportunity to say how you were going to organize and operate the school," she said.

From that point, Porter said she began to change the hierarchy to fit the needs of the students and patients first. She designed an organizational plan that had the students at the top of the pyramid followed by the faculty and finally the management at the bottom, she said.

"I very much believe that everyone needs to be involved in the process of running the school," Porter said.

Porter has had an impact on students as well, graduate research assistant Melissa Pickett said.

"She has always been a strong presence at the school of nursing, she always makes a point to say 'hello,'" she said. "I think it's a loss for the school. She has been a good dean."