Leading the next generation

Dean Kathleen Potempa’s passion is inspiring others. She juggles administrative tasks, including the budget and academic planning for the school, but her excitement is clear when she speaks about the people in the school. She said, “You have to manage, but being a coach and guide, is what makes the real difference. It isn’t you being at the front, it’s you really helping people to bring out their best selves and their best work.”

Dean Potempa also feels a strong responsibility to encourage students into higher levels of
education. Only 13% of all nurses go beyond undergraduate degrees. Dean Potempa wants to push that number to at least 50% and believes UMSN will lead the charge. She tells students, “There are many schools that can prepare students to be really good nurses, but Michigan is someplace different where we admit the brightest and best who can prepare for leadership in the field.”

Leadership roles go far beyond campus for Dean Potempa. She recently finished a 2 year term as President of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Her time, which included an additional 10 years as a board member, brought important and effective changes in Washington, D.C. She said, “The AACN is the one organization in nursing that, in my opinion, has been the most effective in leading and changing health policy and funding in nursing. This organization is also leading change in nursing education, including the PhD and the Doctor of Nursing Practice, which transforming our workforce and leadership capacity nationwide. “

Dean Potempa has extensive international experience. Her efforts brought about major change in Thailand by working with the country’s leaders to overhaul the health system. As a result, public health nurses and nurse practitioners are now available in their big cities, small villages, and everywhere in between. This infrastructure places nurses as the pivotal providers of health care across Thailand. An important part of the UMSN role will be to facilitate research development of the Ministry of Public Health with a new focus on chronic disease. Armed with strong research support, Thai nurses will have the evidence base for prevention, health promotion, and chronic care management fitting the Thai people and culture.

Dean Potempa works tirelessly to ensure students have a world class education at UMSN. She said, “We’ve recruited outstanding faculty and we’ve recruited outstanding staff. Our academic programs have become even stronger. The undergraduate initiative is a model for the country on how we integrate practice education and research. No one else is doing it to the degree we’re doing it or as effectively as we’re doing it. Our new Doctor of Nursing Practice is setting the standard for curriculum by emphasizing analytics to support evidence based practice and quality improvement in health care. Our PhD graduates have historically led the nation and around the world in advancing nursing science and providing leadership. Our graduates are now stronger than ever.”