HILL'S Side

2008 marks my sixth year as dean of this amazing division of an extraordinary university.

Each day I serve in this capacity, I remain as impressed with our remarkable environment as I was the day I entered the Hopkins world and began my nursing studies. At that time I could never have imagined there would be a Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Had I been able to conjure such an image, I would have been confident that the School would be a center of academic excellence with outstanding faculty and students. But I would never have seen the School as it is today: a unique place—known for research-intensive scholarship and international collaborations—where exceptional people discover possibilities that forever change their lives and the world.

The pace at which we have achieved this status, responded to opportunities, adapted to a changing world, weathered unanticipated challenges, and continued our leadership in nursing education is nothing less than incredible.

In just the first three months of this year, we—

• Affirmed the quality of our academic programs through the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accreditation process. At the end of the successful three-day site visit, the accrediting team, including a visitor from the Maryland Board of Nursing, informed us that we met every standard and there were no compliance concerns. We await official word in September of our 10-year CCNE accreditation.

• Responded to the increasing need to prepare nurses who will lead in applying and translating research into practice and welcomed the first 25 students to our new Doctor of Nursing Practice program. Through our executive model curriculum, employed nurses are being prepared to lead the dissemination and integration of new knowledge throughout health care organizations.

• Created an Office of Teaching Excellence to focus on the changing learning styles of our students and to optimize our use of today's more flexible and engaging learning options. The office will enhance the discovery, innovation, and scholarship of teaching and nursing education in the rapidly changing environment of distance-learning, inter-professional teaching, simulation and stimulation.  

• Joined the ranks of the top 10 nursing schools listed in the "Top Research Universities Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index" recently published by the Chronicle of Higher Education. The Index is based on the productivity of each PhD faculty member and although we have fewer PhD faculty than the other top 10, we achieved a ranking of 6th place.  

During the same three months, we faced the challenges of change in the world around us.

We continue to grieve the death late in 2007 of one of our best: Professor, researcher, teacher, mentor, and friend Vicki Mock (see "Remembering Vicki Mock," p. 13). Our special celebration of her life here at the School in January brought together our community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and colleagues from the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in our remembrances of this kind and generous woman. I miss her still. 

We re-energized and re-crafted our efforts to obtain the funds that will support the financial aid needs of our stunning baccalaureate and graduate students and that will build our new addition. Although our need remains great, our determination to continue our excellence—and our efforts to obtain the necessary funding to do so—is greater.

We learned just recently that Johns Hopkins University President William Brody will retire December 31, 2008. (See http://web.jhu.edu/billbrody) In a letter sent to all Hopkins students, faculty, and staff, Brody observed, "I simply love this job. There has been no more rewarding assignment in my professional life than to lead this great university."  

I echo his sentiments: This is one of the most exciting universities in the world. Each day brings an incredible new opportunity to leverage the Hopkins brand of nursing excellence through our work with the most exceptional people and the most innovative possibilities in fascinating places both here and around the globe. As the year progresses, I look forward with enthusiasm to innovating our curriculum, developing our faculty, staff and students, and breaking ground for our new building addition.  

If the remainder of 2008 is similar to these past three months, we're going to have quite a ride! And just imagine where it will take us.