GW Nursing Magazine Spring 2016

From the Dean
A New Journey Capitalizing on Excellence
Only nine months ago, I was honored and privileged to
become the second dean of the George Washington School of
Nursing (SON). As a new dean, it has been exciting to join the
school during this five-year anniversary.
Over the past months, we have celebrated our
new beginnings and our past accomplishments,
including our November Anniversary Gala.
During that wonderful evening of toasts and
shared memories, President Steven Knapp
recalled the pivotal day when the Board of
Trustees voted to establish a school of nursing.
This special issue of GWNursing highlights
those first five years, our anniversary
celebrations, and where we hope to take the
SON in the future.
Beginning my journey as a dean in a young
school—one still in its formative years and
ready to move to a new developmental level—
is one of the reasons I was drawn to GW.
I saw so many possibilities and opportunities
to capitalize on the excellence that is already
in place. Building on our strong foundation,
just think what can happen in the next
five years!
The opportunities are plentiful. Being
in the nation’s capital and in Northern
Virginia, we have access to national
nurse leaders, CEOs of our professional
organizations, policymakers on the
Hill and state-of-the-art health care
organizations where our students obtain
their clinical practice and where academic
and practice partnerships can flourish.
On any given day, our students can attend
a lecture by executive nurse leaders, meet
with experienced faculty known for their
expertise in their field, and contribute to
the national discussion on the development
of a policy or white paper on health
care transformation.
Among my priorities in the first year of
my journey—and in the near future—are my
successful on-boarding to GW, the strategic
building of an infrastructure to better serve
students and our academic/research work, and
the expansion of our offerings to include a
PhD program in nursing. Creating an efficient
infrastructure helps all to grow our capacity
in nursing programs and the expertise needed
in our community within the profession
and throughout the globe. Expanding our
terminal degrees, particularly in health policy,
will impact the research agenda for nursing
science and health care.
Following founding dean Jean Johnson,
I realize I have big shoes to fill, but thanks
to the contributions that she, faculty and
staff have made over the past five years, we’re
ready for the next steps. As I take these
steps, I want to thank the students, faculty,
staff, GW leadership, Board of Trustees,
my Dean’s Advisory Board, donors and our
alumni, friends and partners in welcoming
and supporting me in what promises to be
an exciting journey. Your past, current and
continued partnership has made SON what it
is today and what it will be tomorrow.
I welcome the opportunity to hear from
all of you. You’re invited to contact me at
pjeffries@gwu.edu or by calling my office at
202-994-7367 to schedule a time to talk.
Warm regards,
Pam Jeffries, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEP
Dean and Professor
nursing.gwu.edu / 3