Archive
Nursing’s Dr. Mary Watkins Named Professor Emeritus
Friday, June 24, 2011
Dr. Mary P. Watkins has been named professor emeritus in the Department of Nursing by a unanimous vote of the Delaware State University Board of Trustees.
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Dr. Mary P. Watkins, professor emeritus
Dr. Watkins, who is retiring this year as a full professor, first came to DSU from Coppin State College to serve as a visiting chair in 1993. Although the original plan was for Dr. Watkins to return to Coppin State after one year, she ended up staying at DSU where she immediately became the permanent chair of the Department of Nursing. She would serve in that post from 1993-2006 and would continue as a faculty member until her retirement in 2011.
Her impact was felt immediately soon after she became the permanent chair. In 1994 under her leadership, the Bachelor of Nursing Program was enriched by the development of a pathophysiology and pharmacology course, which was also developed into an advance course level for the graduate program.
During her tenure as chair, the department established a Master of Science in Nursing that offers an advanced practice clinical specialty in public health nursing and role development in nursing teaching education. Also developed during her tenure is an additional specialty area in advanced adult health nursing.
Under her leadership, the DSU Department of Nursing has been awarded two national accreditations with the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (eight-year periods, 1995-2003 and 2003-2011) and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (10-year, 2003-2013). Her leadership also led to the full accreditation of the Master of Science in Nursing (2007-2012, the maximum five-year period).
Dr. Watkins has contributed 15 articles over the years for professional and academic nursing publications, and has begun writing a textbook in pathophysiology in advanced practice nursing.
The former nursing chair joins four others who are living DSU professor emeriti -- Dr. Kenneth Bell, former dean of the College of Agriculture and Related Science and University provost and vice president of Academic Affairs; Dr. William Flayhart, former chair of the Department of History, Political Science and Philosophy; Dr. Gustav Ofosu, former chair of the Department of Biology; and Dr. Warren Rhodes, former director of the Psychology Graduate Program.