Renee Shaktivel
Staff Writer
As the school year quickly comes to an end, many faculty positions are changing and ISU’s School of Nursing has named Anita Smith as its new dean.
The former dean was forced to abruptly retire due to health concerns, leaving Nancy Renn, who had already retired, to fill in as the interim dean. The School of Nursing had to rush to fill the vacant dean position for the 2018-2019 academic year.
The School of Nursing’s mission is to prepare student-nurses who are able to combine their knowledge, service, and research to better the quality of life in unique and rural areas and create innovative opportunities for its students.
With Smith’s several unique qualifications, it’s believed that she will be able to help grow and contribute to the main foundations of ISU’s nursing program. These are the qualifications that placed her above other candidates for the position.
She has degrees from the University of Washington and the University of San Diego and is currently serving as a captain in the Bureau of Navy Medicine based in Virginia. She also has extensive academic nursing experience, holding positions at the University of South Alabama and Point Loma Nazarene University.
“We are extremely happy to find an extremely qualified leader for our nursing program,” said Rex Force, ISU Health Science Vice President. “There are a lot of vacant leadership positions in nursing nationwide right now.”
Smith will start at ISU full time in late August after resigning from her current position where she will finish out the summer. She will lead both the Pocatello and Meridian campuses.
“ISU is the lead nursing school in Idaho,” Force said. “It’s the only college within our border that has research Ph.D. nursing programs.”
The nursing program has over 800 students currently enrolled, making it the most popular program on campus, but there is a nationwide shortage of nurses. One of Smith’s top priorities will be to grow the nursing program, pre-nursing programs, research graduate program, and expand ISU’s reach in the nursing community throughout the state.
“With the change of the ISU President and the dean for the nursing school, I’m worried about all the possible changes that could come next year,” said Sierra Guymon, a junior nursing student. “I do hope though that nursing expands and brings in a lot of new faces.”
When there is a shift in positions of power, it is commonly expected that new policies and goals will be arranged once the position is filled. As the new dean, Smith will have the ability to expand the school of nursing in any way that improves the program. While no plans have been established yet, department growth can be expected.
“She’s got to come in and get the lay of the land, but she will have the opportunity to move the School of Nursing in any direction she chooses.” Force said. “She has extremely strong leadership abilities. We are very fortunate to hire an outstanding leader.”
