The Saint Anselm College nursing program has a long and distinctive history. With growing competition for nursing students and a rapidly changing field, College President Joseph A. Favazza, Ph.D., has launched a Presidential Commission on Nursing, to work collaboratively with the Nursing Department to best position the program for future success.
“The commission is comprised of an impressive group of health-care professionals,” said Dr. Favazza. “With growing competition for nursing students, it is critical that we defend our market position as a leader in nursing education.”
“The Saint Anselm nursing program has a long been recognized for its graduates and their contributions to the nursing profession,” explains Dixie Douville ’86, a chair of the new commission. “This program has never been as important as it is now when we face critical nursing shortages and the changes in the healthcare system in the wake of a global pandemic. It is the intention of the Presidential Commission on Nursing to best position the program for continued success by identifying the resources and opportunities that will support and prepare our nursing students for practice.”
The commission has been charged to focus on the areas which include: determining current and future academic needs, exploring new external partnerships, identifying opportunities for sustainable growth, and the resources the program will need to achieve these goals.
The commission will be led by three chairs:
- Christine (Dixie) Douville ’86, secretary, board of trustees; clinical assistant professor of nursing, Sacred Heart University,
- Margaret Emmons ’75, member, board of trustees; retired nursing executive, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and
- Maureen O’Reilly, chair, Saint Anselm College nursing department
Other members include:
- Jennifer Cassin, chief nursing officer, Catholic Medical Center
- Sheila Evjy ’74 HD ’19, member, board of trustees; retired nursing executive, Elliot Hospital
- Drew Harding '00, interim chief nursing officer, South Shore Hospital
- Roger Jean ’70 HD ’06, former member, board of trustees; retired executive vice president, Liberty Mutual
- Lisa Kennedy Sheldon ’78, member, board of trustees; chief clinical officer, Oncology Nursing Society
- Martha Leighton, chief nursing officer, Elliot Hospital
- Jennifer (Connor) Parent ’89, member, board of trustees
- Pamela Preston, associate professor, Saint Anselm College Nursing Department
- Susan Reeves, executive vice president and chief nursing executive, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
The commission will be supported by Jim Flanagan, senior vice president and chief advancement officer, Steve Goetsch, vice president for enrollment management, Joyce Larson, director of institutional research, Br. Isaac Murphy, O.S.B., executive vice president, and Colleen Lagasse, nursing office manager.
The commission expects to have a draft report complete in the new year with a final report and presentation of findings in the spring.