Message from Dean Sanford

Published on Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Dear Friends of UMMC School of Nursing,

I am delighted to share the recent news from the school particularly as we celebrate the 2020 WHO designated Year of the Nurse and Midwife. We honor and recognize the contributions of so many as nurses serve our communities during this challenging season of COVID-19. In the midst of the pandemic, we watched in horror at the video of George Floyd’s death. As a member of the Council of Deans, we released a statement expressing our support for justice and equity (see below). The American Association of Colleges of Nursing released a statement calling for liberty and justice for all. The School of Nursing is renewing its commitment to supporting diversity, equity and inclusion. Our Diversity and Inclusion Committee is developing a robust plan of innovative strategies that will unroll this academic year and the years to come.

The pandemic has required extraordinary flexibility, innovation and patience on the part of our faculty, staff and students. I am so very proud of the work that has been accomplished and the commitment to meeting student learning outcomes. It has been an ‘all hands on deck’ approach as faculty moved classes online and clinical shifted to competency based learning, assessment and evaluation. We are thankful for our academic-practice partnerships with multiple hospitals, clinics and other health-care agencies and especially appreciative of the support of clinical partners within our own UMMC system. Clinical nursing at the Medical Center is working with academic nursing to meet the needs for quality clinical experiences for student learning and to prepare the new nursing workforce to face current challenges. Students have been patient and understanding of the requirement to switch to hybrid and online learning pedagogies and flexible with online testing procedures. Do we want to return to our face-to-face learning that many of our programs use? Yes! As soon as we can. However, we all know the safety of our students, faculty and staff comes first. So, the School of Nursing will move forward… adapting and flexing for this most incredible year.

We think of you all with great fondness and wish you health, wellness and happiness!

Julie Sanford, DNS, RN, FAAN
Dean, UMMC School of Nursing