I began my tenure as dean of the VCU School of Nursing in the summer of 2013. Over the last decade a lot has changed within our communities and in our school. We’ve added academic programs, undertaken major curriculum revisions, grown our school’s research portfolio and expanded enrollment in our programs. Our faculty and students are more diverse than when I first arrived 10 years ago and I am proud of our intentional efforts to create and sustain a culture of inclusivity and belonging. And, we continue to grow in new ways – establishing a faculty practice in 2021, expanding a robust community-based program to address health care inequities, offering more opportunities for students to engage in innovation and interprofessional education, and increasing endowment and scholarship funds that support our students and mission.

Through these changes, our commitment to excellence in nursing education, practice, and scholarship has remained.

As a leader, one of the lessons I have learned is that change is inevitable. Our school will experience leadership changes in the upcoming year with the departure of three senior leaders, myself included. I have been blessed to be part of the VCU community and am grateful to those who support our school. I am proud of our school’s many accomplishments under my leadership, and just know I expect the tradition of excellence will continue after my departure.

In this issue of Connections, you will read about other recent news and accomplishments, stories about our extraordinary students and alumni and the latest research from the school. There’s certainly something to be proud of on each page. I know you will agree.

I hope you enjoy catching up with us.

Jean Giddens, Ph.D., RN, FAAN
Dean and Professor
Doris B. Yingling Endowed Chair