First Director Of WKU School Of Nursing Begins Job Aug. 1

July 16, 2007

Bowling Green, Ky. - Dr. Mary Bennett will begin her new job as the first director of Western Kentucky University’s School of Nursing on Aug. 1.

“Dr. Bennett was selected as the first director of the School of Nursing after an extensive national search,” said Dr. John Bonaguro, dean of WKU’s College of Health and Human Services, which will house the school. “She brings a wealth of experience from her previous position as assistant dean in the College of Nursing at Indiana State University where she provided exemplary leadership for the development of new nursing programs.”

Dr. Bennett, who had served as assistant dean at Indiana State since 1999, said the new School of Nursing as well as WKU’s growth, campus construction and vision for the future made the position attractive, she said.

“The more I looked into the University and the website for information, I was really impressed,” Dr. Bennett said.
WKU’s four nursing programs – associate degree nursing program (ADN), bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), Post-RN to BSN, and master of science in nursing (MSN) – now operate as a School of Nursing, approved in January by the Board of Regents. The associate program remains at WKU’s Bowling Green Community College but links administratively with the bachelor’s and master’s programs.

Kacy Harris, interim director of the associate degree nursing program, said the ADN program is excited about Dr. Bennett’s arrival. “She brings expertise to our School of Nursing that will enable the nursing programs to strengthen and grow,” Harris said. “We expect her vast experience in nursing education and leadership will provide the direction we need as the School of Nursing develops.”

Dr. Bennett received her licensed practical nursing degree at Indiana Vocational Technical College and received associate, baccalaureate and master’s degrees as well as family nurse practitioner certificate at Indiana State.

Dr. Bennett earned her doctorate in medical nursing at Rush Medical Center College of Nursing in Chicago. She has taught at Indiana State since 1992 and also serves in the Air National Guard.
“I have an appreciation for all levels of nursing,” Dr. Bennett said.

Nursing education will be one of Dr. Bennett’s areas of emphasis in her new role. Even though a shortage of nurses has received attention in recent years, she is concerned that a shortage of nursing faculty “has us on the verge of a national crisis.”

She said a recent report showed that thousands of potential nurses are turned away from programs each year because there aren’t enough nursing educators. “We need to start recruiting some of our talented baccalaureate nursing graduates into the master’s level teaching programs,” Dr. Bennett said.

WKU’s nursing programs have experienced growth in recent years. In the fall of 2006, the ADN program and the BSN program were No. 2 and No. 3 on WKU’s list of top 25 undergraduate majors with 563 and 560 students, respectively. Those numbers had grown from 381 in the ADN program and 294 in the BSN major in 2001. The MSN program was 10th among WKU’s top 15 graduate programs in fall 2006 with 72 students.
               
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For information, contact Nursing at (270) 745-5022.