Nursing Deans on Leading ... Lessons for Novice and Aspiring Deans and Directors. Cambridge/New York: Springer Publishing; 2020. Soft Cover with digital access. 250 pages. $55.00.
One-third of current nursing faculty workforce in baccalaureate graduate programs is expected to retire by 2025 (Fang D, Kester K. Retirements and succession of nursing faculty 2016-2025. Nursing Outlook. 2017;65(5):633-642, as cited on http://aacnnursing.org, February 24, 2020). In addition, the average tenure of nursing deans and directors is 5 to 7 years and high vacancy rates prevail (p. 56). Succession planning is one of the most critical competencies for leaders. Both service and academia need be concerned about addressing this pending shortage together. Nursing Deans on Leading prepares future leaders in academia to meet this demand.
The relationship between service and academia is important. Given the complexity of our health care environment and institutions of higher learning response to that environment, we also need to be more aware of how leadership is seen by our important allies in professional nursing. Many of the nursing scholars/scientists begin with many competing priorities. They are expected to teach, write curriculum, publish, secure grants, do research, and, in some settings, also practice. How then do they make the transition from those demands to leadership positions? This book provides practical as well as evidence-based lessons on leadership directly from 17 successful academic leaders across the country, spanning the spectrum of academic settings.
The authors and contributors have written a practical book that helps the reader throughout the process of searching for a position, through "General Responsibilities and Self Care." They are quite clear to the reader; these leadership roles require stamina, grit, and resiliency. Just as faculty are responsible for multiple activities, deans and directors may still carry over those activities while adding the following: Enrollment Management; Student Success; Recruitment and Retention of Qualified Faculty and Staff; Academic Policies and Programs; Fundraising; Internal and External Stakeholder Engagement; Financial Management; Strategic Thinking, Planning, and Doing; Developing Nurse-Led Clinical Enterprise and Faculty Practice; and, for some, Executive Leadership. For those who have no idea what deans and directors do all day, there is a great chapter on "Day to Day Deaning" (pp. 23-32).
A good many nurses in service, as myself, have had the opportunity to teach for credit courses. I thoroughly enjoyed the teaching role. I have also had the opportunity to work with deans on projects such as revising job descriptions or facilitating planning meetings for new programs. Those experiences gave me the chance to see the roles of faculty, deans, and directors in their entirety. Most of us also have enjoyed the pomp and circumstance as faculty march in their colorful robes and grant degrees to all levels of graduating nurses. Do not mistake what brings us joy with the real work of education as that is just the tip of the iceberg in academic work. There are significant demands on professionals who chose academia as their career path. This is the first book that has come across my book review desk in more than 10 years addressing the topic. It is timely, readable, and needed. While the authors seem to address solely those in academia, I think service leaders who might consider a dean or director role would enjoy this as well. There is much wisdom shared by the authors and contributors. Thank you for your insights.
-Elizabeth (Betty) Falter, MS, BSN, RN, NEA-BC