Dear Colleagues,

I write today to share that Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, has decided to step down as the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) at the end of this academic year. Dean Kirschling, who also is a professor at UMSON and director of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Center for Interprofessional Education, has served as dean since January 2013. A national search for a new UMSON dean will commence immediately.

Dean Kirschling’s dedication to the missions of UMB and UMSON has been exemplary. As one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation, UMSON has been at the forefront of responding to critical state and national needs with respect to the nursing workforce. Under Dean Kirschling’s leadership, the excellence of our programs is nationally recognized. UMSON’s baccalaureate nursing degree program recently tied for a No. 9 ranking among more than 680 public and private schools of nursing and tied at No. 3 among public schools. Its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program ranks No. 4 among public schools, with five DNP specialties ranked in the top 10 among both public and private schools of nursing. Its MSN program is ranked No. 9 among public schools of nursing. UMSON also is ranked in the top 20 of all nursing schools for receipt of funding from the National Institutes of Health.

As director of the UMB Center for Interprofessional Education, Dean Kirschling has led development of best practices in educational innovation, creating interprofessional learning opportunities in diverse settings, including the classroom, the simulation labs, and the standardized patient program. Countless students from across our health, law, and human services schools have learned how to address issues using a team-based model, ensuring that our graduates are prepared to work collaboratively to improve the lives of those we serve.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dean Kirschling responded to Gov. Larry Hogan’s emergency request to ameliorate the shortage of nursing personnel in our hospitals by developing an innovative “early exit” program to fast-track entry-into-practice nursing students, allowing them to begin working as nursing graduates prior to the conferral of their degrees. We are proud that more than 500 students participated. At the height of the pandemic, Dean Kirschling spearheaded collaborative efforts with our partners at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), standing up a vaccination clinic that served the community, first in partnership with UMMC and continuing solely as a UMB operation. 

Dean Kirschling’s commitment to UMSON and future generations of nurses has resulted in programs such as the Conway Scholars Program, which will fully cover in-state tuition and fees for more than 830 entry-into-practice nursing students and those pursuing graduate degrees. Under her leadership, UMSON has made a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and increased the diversity of its students, faculty, and staff far above the national average for nursing schools.

Dean Kirschling has often stated that she wanted her legacy to be that she left the School of Nursing a better place to work and learn, grounded in civility, respect, and inclusion. She has certainly achieved this. Please join me in thanking Dean Kirschling for her commendable service to UMB.

Sincerely,

Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS

President