The University of Southern Indiana (USI) invites applications and nominations for an outstanding and innovative leader as the next Dean of our College of Nursing and Health Professions.
USI has a distinctive energy, momentum, and clarity of purpose that, coupled with the notable dedication, collegiality, and receptiveness to change by its faculty and staff, make the position of Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions a unique opportunity. As a future-oriented, learning-focused and connected institution that has a strong commitment to high academic standards, USI emphasizes teaching and interaction between faculty and students and encourages applied research that creates value for its regional community and contributes to solving society’s broader challenges. The University has created an environment where learning and intellectual development are foremost.
The University of Southern Indiana (USI) invites applications and nominations for an outstanding, innovative highly collaborative leader to serve as the next Dean of the Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions (KCNHP).
USI offers a distinctive combination of energy, momentum, and clarity of purpose. The dedication, collegiality, and openness to change demonstrated by its faculty and staff make this deanship a compelling opportunity. As a future-oriented, learning-focused and connected institution committed to high academic standards, USI emphasizes teaching, meaningful faculty-student interaction, applied research, and community engagement that create regional value and contribute to solving broader societal challenges. The University has created an environment where learning and intellectual development are foremost.
Reporting directly to the Provost, the Dean serves as the College’s chief academic and administrative officer and represents the College as a member of the Provost Council. The Dean will establish and implement a strategic vision aligned with the University’s mission and priorities, building depth and distinction across the College’s academic portfolio and attracting high-ability students with varied interests, experiences, and backgrounds.
Working closely with 14 department chairs, faculty, staff, University leaders, students, alumni, and external partners, the Dean will advance teaching excellence, scholarly and creative work, national visibility, and workforce impact. The successful candidate will strengthen interdisciplinary and interprofessional education, support research and grant growth, expand and develop academic programs, enhance corporate and foundations relationships, and deepen partnerships with healthcare systems, employers, community organizations, and other institutions.
The Dean must be an effective communicator and trusted relationship builder who can lead through change, foster shared purpose, and translate vision into measurable progress. Strong external engagement will be essential to strengthening USI’s role as a leader in higher education, health professions education, research and regional workforce development.
The Dean will advise the Provost on academic, research accreditation, workforce, and competitive issues and will keep the Provost informed of relevant campus, regional, national, and global trends. In partnership with faculty and staff, the Dean will develop and sustain programs that recruit, retain, support, and advance a highly qualified faculty, staff and student body. The Dean will foster a work and learning environment grounded in participation, respect, belonging, excellence, open communication, shared governance, and strong professional relationships.
Strategic Leadership Priorities
· Advance student success across the full student journey, including recruitment, retention, progression, degree completion, licensure or certification, career readiness, and post-graduate success.
· Lead strategic enrollment growth through responsive academic offerings, effective pathways, and strong partnerships that meet student and workforce needs.
· Partner with healthcare systems, employers, and community organizations to address workforce needs and strengthen the regional healthcare talent pipeline.
· Champion innovation in teaching, clinical education, simulation, artificial intelligence, digital health technologies, and in-persons and online learning environments.
· Advance interprofessional education and collaborative practice models that prepare graduates to thrive in team-based healthcare environments.
· Grow research, scholarship, grant activity, and externally funded initiatives that align faculty expertise with regional and societal needs.
· Maintain a culture of assessment, accreditation excellence, continuous quality improvement, regulatory compliance, and data-informed decision-making.
· Increase the College’s visibility, reputation, philanthropic support, and regional, national, and international impact.
The Dean exercises broad responsibility for the leadership and management of the College’s academic programs, people, finances, facilities, partnerships, and reputation. The Dean will ensure that all applicable programs achieve and maintain accreditation and will support the University’s regional accreditation responsibilities.
Successful collaboration and cooperation with University divisions and offices are essential, including:
· Finance and Administration
· Student Affairs
· Alumni and Volunteer Services
· Human Resources
· Information Technology
· Online Learning
· Undergraduate Admissions
· Graduate Studies
· Sponsored Projects and Research Administration
· Institutional Analytics
The Dean will work with the appropriate University units to lead fundraising, relationship-building, and external engagement efforts, cultivate alumni and donor relationships, and nurture partnerships with healthcare, corporate, government, nonprofit, and community constituencies.
In collaboration with the Provost, the Vice President for Finance and Administration, department chairs, faculty, and staff, the Dean will establish budget priorities, steward resources responsibly, pursue revenue and funding opportunities, and implement appropriate cost-containment measures. The Dean will also serve on University committees and advisory bodies addressing academic and administrative matters.
Core Responsibilities
· Establish and communicate a long-term vision for the College that is consistent with the University’s mission, strategic priorities, and commitment to student success.
· Lead student recruitment, retention, progression, and completion strategies to achieve sustainable and mission-aligned enrollment growth.
· Foster a high-quality, student-centered experience grounded in belonging, access, support, engagement, and academic excellence.
· Provide effective change leadership by building consensus, implementing strategic initiatives, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
· Recruit, retain, support, mentor, and develop faculty and staff across all faculty and administrative roles.
· Ensure that College programs achieve and maintain discipline-specific accreditation and support the University’s regional accreditation.
· Use institutional, enrollment, workforce, financial, and student success data to guide planning, resource allocation, program review, and decision-making.
· Nurture a collaborative organizational culture that empowers faculty and staff, values shared governance, and advances interprofessional education and practice.
· Strengthen internal and external partnerships, including academic-practice relationships that expand clinical education, employment pathways, research, and service opportunities.
· Champion innovative curriculum and delivery models, including in-person, online, hybrid, simulation-rich, interprofessional, and technology-enhanced learning.
· Analyze, communicate, and respond to emerging global, national, and regional trends in healthcare, higher education, technology, workforce development, and regulation.
· Support current grant programs and secure additional resources to advance the College, faculty scholarship, community impact, and student learning.
· Advocate for the College and increase its visibility and reputation regionally, nationally, and internationally.
· Oversee the Center for Health Professions Lifelong Learning and support high-quality continuing education, certificate programs, conferences, and workshops.
· Support collaboration with the Southwest Indiana Area Health Education Center to advance the recruitment, education, and retention of healthcare professionals in under-resourced communities.
· Provide oversight of College facilities and represent College interests in major renovation, expansion, technology, simulation, and equipment priorities.
Minimum Qualifications:
· An earned doctorate in a healthcare discipline OR a doctorate plus an earned terminal degree in a healthcare field.
· Academic qualifications and achievements consistent with an appointment as a tenured, full professor in the College.
· Evidence of a minimum of three years of significant leadership experience in an academic setting.
· Documented expertise in a healthcare field with a current, unencumbered licensure, certification, or registration as applicable.
· Demonstrated commitment to fostering an inclusive learning and working environment where individuals from all backgrounds can thrive and contribute to institutional excellence.
Desired qualities:
· Experience with developing and leading successful student recruitment, progressions, retention and completion strategies in health professions programs.
· Experience with innovative curriculum design for in-person, online, and hybrid education delivery methods.
· Commitment to the thoughtful use of emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, digital health, and simulations to enhance student learning and workforce readiness.
· Significant experience with financial management, resource allocation, and complex academic budgets.
· Demonstrated knowledge of healthcare program accreditation, assessment, regulatory compliance, and continuous quality improvement.
· A record of advancing communication, interprofessional collaboration, shared governance, team building, and organizational trust.
· A strong record of recruiting, retaining, developing, and supporting faculty and staff.
· Established service and leadership in local, regional, or national professional organizations.
· Experience leading and supporting all faculty and professional staff roles.
· Results-focused leadership that promotes faculty, staff, and student development and well-being.
· Experience preparing, securing, and administering grants, including state and federal awards.
· Demonstrated success in donor development, fundraising, and foundation or corporate engagement.
· Experience building academic-practice partnerships and engaging external stakeholders.
· A record of fostering high-quality, student-centered degree, certificate, and lifelong learning experiences.
· Demonstrated success leading organizational change, building consensus, implementing strategic initiatives, and sustaining continuous improvement.
· Demonstrated ability to use institutional, enrollment, workforce, financial, and student success data to set priorities and assess progress.
Preparing the Next Generation of Healthcare Professionals
The Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions (KCNHP) at the University of Southern Indiana is a regional leader in healthcare education, workforce development, and community engagement. Through nationally accredited academic programs, innovative clinical and simulation experiences, interdisciplinary collaboration, and strong healthcare partnerships, the College prepares highly skilled professionals to meet the evolving healthcare needs of Indiana, Kentucky, and beyond.
KCNHP offers 11 undergraduate programs, two master's programs, two doctoral programs, and numerous certificate programs in dental assisting, dental hygiene, diagnostic medical sonography, food and nutrition, health administration and community health, health informatics and information management, nursing, occupational therapy, occupational therapy assistant, radiologic and imaging sciences, and respiratory therapy. More than 1,900 degree-seeking students are enrolled in the College, representing numerous states and countries.
All clinical programs maintain accreditation through their respective accrediting bodies, and faculty are actively engaged in teaching, clinical practice, scholarship, service, and community outreach. Graduates consistently achieve exceptional licensure, certification, and employment outcomes that exceed state and national benchmarks.
Facilities, Innovation, and Community Impact
The college has a wide range of modern facilities. On the USI campus, the college’s facilities include the 100,000 square foot Health Professions building, which is currently undergoing a $49 million renovation that will add more than 48,000 square feet of classrooms, laboratories, advanced simulation space and state-of-the-art equipment. There is an established clinical simulation center, one of the largest in the state, that has an ICU, emergency room, pediatric exam rooms and post-acute care setting, plus classrooms for simulation pre-briefing and debriefing and a virtual reality room. The college also shares space with Indiana University and the University of Evansville in the 147,000 square foot Stone Family Center for Health Sciences in downtown Evansville. Finally, the college is host to the award-winning Minka (Japanese-derived term for “house of the people”) featuring universal design accessibility and smart home technology.
The KCNHP’s Center for Health Professions Lifelong Learning provides accredited professional development opportunities for health professionals through certificate programs, continuing education conferences, and workshops. The Center is accredited by Joint Accreditation. Each year, over 2,100 health care professionals complete online certificate programs and participate in professional development opportunities. The Center provides quality programming to assist the busy health professional in enhancing knowledge, skills, and professional competencies.
The College is home to the Bronstein Center for Healthy Aging and Wellness, which, since 2008, has promoted the well-being of older adults through interdisciplinary education, research and engaged partnerships. The Center offers evidence-based training and certification in dementia care, advance care planning and age-friendly care to USI students, faculty and regional healthcare professionals. It also offers a faculty research innovation award, and, through the Minka Learning Lab for Living Well and other projects, the Center supports health professions education and training in AI in other health care-related technologies. The Center is active in the planning of the Mid-America Institute on Aging and funds an annual keynote speaker.
The College has a long history of receiving substantial state and federal funds to support programs and regional health care. Recently, USI received a $5 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to implement the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP). The purpose of this project is to improve health outcomes for older adults in underserved communities of southwest Indiana and adjacent Kentucky counties by developing a workforce that maximizes patient and family engagement while integrating geriatrics into primary care. To implement the five-year project, USI is collaborating with the Alzheimer’s Association, 13 Deaconess primary care clinics, the Deaconess Family Medicine Residency Program, three Area Agencies on Aging (SWIRCA & More and Generations in Indiana and the Green River Area Development District or GRADD in Kentucky), Trilogy Health Services (a regional long-term care provider) and over 25 area nursing homes. Its work includes establishment of a Home Health Aide certification program and enhancement of CNA apprenticeship programs.
Academic Programs and Areas of Excellence
KCNHP's academic programs are distinguished by exceptional student outcomes, strong employer partnerships, experiential learning opportunities, and nationally recognized faculty expertise.
Distinctive Strengths Across the College
Dental Assisting
Dental Hygiene
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
RN to BSN Program
Master of Science in Nursing
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Information for Applicants
The review of credentials will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. For best consideration, please submit materials by October 2, 2026. Application materials must include:
Applications and Nominations
All applications and nominations will be considered highly confidential. Finalists will be publicly identified prior to campus visit.
Application materials should be submitted via the USI Human Resources website at:
Specific questions should be forwarded to:
Dr. Teri Beam, Dean of the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education
As an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, the University of Southern Indiana considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy or marital status, national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or any other category protected by law or identified by the University as a protected class.