Dr. Linda Streit Appointed Dean of Georgia Baptist College of Nursing

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ATLANTA  — Mercer University President William D. Underwood today announced the appointment of Linda A. Streit, R.N., D.S.N., as dean of Mercer’s Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, effective July 1. Since July 2009, Dr. Streit has served as the College’s interim dean, succeeding Dr. Susan S. Gunby, who returned to a professorship within the college upon her retirement as dean last summer. Dr. Streit is a tenured professor and associate dean of graduate programs, and she has served as a professor and administrator at the College since 1990.

“Dr. Streit has proven that she is an effective, capable leader, but even more than that, she has a fresh and creative vision, and an entrepreneurial approach that will serve the College well as higher education faces major challenges in the next several years,” said Mercer Provost Wallace L. Daniel. “While maintaining the College of Nursing’s commitment to teaching, she will enhance its research profile and implement its innovative new programs in the field of nursing. 

“I want to thank members of the search committee, chaired by Dr. Ted Matthews, vice president for the health sciences and dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, for their excellent work in identifying three extremely talented finalists for this important position,” Dr. Daniel said. “Members of the committee made a large contribution in bringing the dean’s search to a successful conclusion, and to them we are grateful.”

Dr. Streit came to the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing in 1990 as an assistant professor to teach in the newly established Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. She was named professor in 1996 and assistant dean for graduate programs in 2001. Named associate dean in 2003, she has overseen the Master of Science in Nursing program and served as chair of the College’s planning committee to design its new Ph.D. in nursing, which launched in the fall of 2009. Dr. Streit has twice earned the College’s Faculty of the Year Award.

“I am thrilled to continue to work closely with accomplished nursing faculty, staff, students, health care partners and alumni,” Dr. Streit said. “The heritage and leadership within the College has been steadfast, and it is now time to bring programs to the next level of preeminence.”

Dr. Streit’s current research initiatives focus on the topic of osteoporosis, evidence-based practice, innovative teaching and learning trends, workforce civility, classroom technology and ethical decision-making. She has earned numerous professional distinctions and awards. Throughout her career, Dr. Streit has presented her research around the globe, in Greece, Taiwan, Russia and Canada.  She was chief organizer for the American International Health Care Alliance program, which provided support to nursing faculty and students at The Medical University of I. P. Pavlov in St. Petersburg, Russia. Additionally, she has received a number of external grants to fund her research and secured more than $800,000 for the College’s nursing graduate program for education, training and operational funding. 

Active in her field, Dr. Streit has presented regionally, nationally and internationally on topics such as nursing practice, ethics, patient nutrition and a variety of nursing research topics.  She serves as a reviewer for book publishers and has written chapters in nursing textbooks and published articles and papers in nursing professional journals. Dr. Streit serves as a consultant to nursing faculty, nursing student groups and agencies, and is a reviewer for health care and nursing programs. She is a member of several critical care groups and professional organizations, including the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

Dr. Streit earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Indiana State University, a Master of Science in Nursing from Old Dominion University and a Doctor of Science in Nursing from The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

About the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing
Founded in 1902 as a school of nursing, the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing is the oldest nursing program in Georgia. Over its 108-year history, the College has graduated more than 6,600 nurses. Since its founding, the College has been dedicated to educating the person, fostering the passion and shaping the future of nursing. The College merged with Mercer University in 2001 and offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Master of Science in Nursing and a Ph.D. in Nursing. The College will launch a Doctor of Nursing Practice program in the fall of 2010.

About Mercer University
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University enrolls more than 8,000 students in 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies – on major campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah and at three regional academic centers across the state. Mercer is affiliated with two teaching hospitals — Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah and the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and has educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta. The University operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
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