Dean Gail Washington on Charting a Course of Excellence for the Mervyn M. Dymally College of Nursing
The most prominent challenge facing reorganization is understanding the culture of the School of Nursing and trying to determine whether or not the school is in alignment with the University vision of exemplifying excellence and eliminating disparities. Dr. Washington’ s vision included elevating the school of nursing to an accredited College of Nursing, now a reality.
Rather than considering at the challenges, she remained focused on the possibilities that lie ahead and the exciting potential for the future. This strategy provided the impetus and drive to remain steadfast in her commitment to harness the power of excellence and innovation to enhance the quality of nursing education and brand presence of the college.
Interim Provost Dr. Sylvia Manning has been a huge proponent of nursing and has been instrumental in identifying the needs of the college and restructuring of the organizational chart. The Dean’ s restructuring included development of an Assistant Dean’ s cabinet, compromised of individuals with leadership acumen, grit and determination that could further support the growth and trajectory of the college.
In her review of organizational priorities, Dr. Washington highlighted the importance of prioritization. She lamented that when viewing a complex problem, of paramount importance is the ability to prioritize in order to establish which situation requires the most attention and what elements should be appropriately delegated. Early in assuming the role of Dean, Dr. Washington quickly realized that in order to pivot, the importance of having sufficient people capital and resources to carry out the strategic objectives is critical.
In order for course corrections to be implemented, Dr. Washington took a unique approach. She decided to observe the current state of affairs to understand the context, dynamics, and challenges within the college of nursing. With regards to heightening the college of nursing’ s research effectiveness, Dr. Washington is a huge proponent of interprofessional collaboration across campus.
She referenced faculty mentors such as Professor Stella Turkson, Dr. Haffifa Shabaik, and Dr. Sharon Cobb who have leveraged interprofessional relationships that further support and expand the research infrastructure and professional development within the College of Nursing. Dr. Washington would like to see more faculty evolve in this area.
As of yet, there has not been marked advancement in national rankings, donor funding, or in securing research grants since the change from school to college took place. In terms of hierarchy, Nursing is now on in equal footing with the other two University colleges, with greater ability to determine its own destiny and offering greater access to many types of resources.
It is within Nursing’ s vision to have a pipeline of alumni and provide more outreach events. The last alumni event hosted by the University was well attended by a cadre of nursing alumni.“ Most of our alumni want to give back. They have demonstrated their affinity for our mission, which includes providing access and quality education for marginalized students,” she said. Dr. Washington emphasized that the college has many potential opportunities to scale up our marketing and high-level resources to provide data for informed decision-making and increased access to funding resources.
Dr. Tavonia Ekwegh, Assistant Dean of the College of Nursing, contributed to this article.
CDU College of Medicine | PG. 23
MMDCON Dean Gail Washington at the podium