An Uncommon Journey

UPfront Magazine - Spring 2014

It is hard to believe that this is the twenty-fourth, and last, message that I am composing for UPfront magazine. I am writing this while a snowstorm is looming in Philadelphia, a reminder that in spite of such storms, I made the decision almost 13 years ago that I would leave my 34 year’s position at the University of California, San Francisco to come to lead the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. And leading I did, jointly with the best faculty, staff, students and alumni. And it all went so very quickly! But when we pause to look at what we have done together, what we have been able to accomplish, and where we have landed, our journey seems much longer than twelve years.

These past twelve years have been a journey informed by many traditions of excellence which were developed by my predecessors and upon whom we were able to build; Dean Claire Fagin who set the School on the map with a focus on research and practice; Dean Norma Lang who made a difference in connecting all that with health policy; and Interim Dean Neville Strumpf who moved the School’s strategic planning initiatives forward and integrated faculty governance. All my predecessors enhanced the School’s visibility and reputation and gave us the momentum and set the stage for an incredible twelve years of innovations that made us truly a leading school of nursing globally. 

In the past twelve years we have been able to triple our endowment to $72.4 million, increase enrollment by 57 percent, renovate Fagin Hall, launch a new undergraduate curriculum, introduce graduate specialties, and develop several distinguished research centers. Our reach extends to local, regional, national and global populations and our efforts are making a difference in healthcare and in building research programs. As I reflect upon our success, I am thankful to our faculty and staff, whose accomplishments impact science, practice and policy. Their diverse interests, skills and outlooks enhance our collective scope of influence and positively affect healthcare. They are the researchers whose nationally and internationally recognized work helps to inform public health policy. They are the educators who mentor, teach and encourage students to find their voices and establish successful academic and professional careers. They are the thought leaders who look for ways to collaborate in order to develop new solutions that positively impact populations. These are the amazing, empowered and talented people who make Penn Nursing Science world-renowned.

In this issue of UPfront, we highlight how our School has positively influenced the world in four ways: by giving a voice to nursing, by enhancing inquiry and innovation, by promoting clinical judgment and by creating a culture of engagement. These tenets, developed by our faculty, student body and administration, continue to underpin our vision and strategic goals.