New School of Nursing dean appointed, will begin August 1
Miller says MU is "on the cusp of greatness."
July 9, 2008
Judith Fitzgerald Miller will assume the position of dean of the Sinclair School of Nursing Aug. 1, ending a nine-month search for outgoing Dean Rosemary Porter’s successor.
Administrators began searching for a dean when Porter announced her plans to retire by September 1, according to an MU press release.
Miller said her goals closely align to those seen in the leadership skills displayed by Porter, and that she feels she is entering MU at a time where its “on the cusp of greatness”. Miller said she was first excited to start at MU after learning what it stood for.
“This is a world-class university whose core values of respect, responsibility, discovery and excellence resonate with my own values,” Miller said.
Provost Brian Foster, who named Miller as the new dean, said he believes that she had an immediate impact on people, despite a number of other great candidates.
“We had a fabulous pool to choose from, and people were really excited about her,” Foster said.
Foster said that people were impressed by Miller’s vast nursing knowledge, her natural speaking skills and her ability to voice the importance of working with other departments on campus.
One of the attractions of coming to MU was how intensely departments incorporate interdisciplinary studies in the learning environment, Miller said.
“Interdisciplinary research is not just a possibility,” Miller said. “Here it is an expectation. There are many opportunities for nursing faculty to get involved with other professions.”
Other than just correlating with her values and her hopes to combine different study areas, Miller said she enjoys MU’s emphasis of the use of new technology.
One of her goals is to continue to support the simulated technology lab at the school.
“The lab allows students to learn procedures in a protected environment,” Miller said. The simulated technology lab at Sinclair allows students to practice in a simulated environment, instead of practicing on people first.
“This enhances students’ critical thinking skills and accuracy, while also enhancing the procedures used,” Miller said.
In order to pay for the technological advances, Miller said she hopes to increase fundraising at MU.
The school benefits from its position next to University Hospital, Miller said.
The new Ellis Fischel Cancer Center will be built next to the hospital as well, giving nursing students an even greater chance to their practice skills, which Miller said is a great benefit of being at MU.
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