A Commitment to Improve the Human Condition

An Interview with FPB's Dr. Faye Gary

Posted 8/30/10

Faye Gary, EdD, RN, FAAN

Faye Gary, EdD, RN, FAAN is the Medical Mutual of Ohio Kent W. Clapp Chair and Professor of Nursing at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing (FPB). Recently, she has been named the school’s first Associate Dean for Minority Affairs and Health Disparities. She discusses her vision for this new position below.

1. As the new Associate Dean for Minority Affairs and Health Disparities, what are your primary concerns in regards to FPB? 

I see this position as tied directly to the strategic plan developed by FPB and Case Western Reserve University. FPB will address the core values identified in the university’s strategic plan, and my office will be dedicated to providing those initiatives: academic excellence and impact, inclusiveness and diversity at all levels (student, staff, faculty), integrity, transparency, and effective stewardship.

2. Are you going to play any role in ongoing recruitment efforts (particularly of minorities), or will you mostly be involved in FPB research and policy?

I do not see this as an “either/or” but more as a “both/and.”  A lot of emphasis needs to be placed on policy because it drives future action. It involves both a short-term and long-term plan. In the meantime, I certainly will assist in all recruitment efforts, as we are working hard to get enrollment up throughout FPB. I will be active to make that happen in any way I can.

3. What were the factors that led to the creation of this new position? 

When Dean May Wykle first talked with me about it, we discussed the core values of the university and the goals its shares with FPB. One of the goals in FPB’s own strategic plan (Goal #1) is creating an innovative nursing education program. I like this goal, as you can talk about the different ways and means to address the core values that the university has. Goal #2 of our strategic plan ties into academic excellence, and that is to build productive programs of research and scholarship. This can be accomplished by looking at the National Institutes of Health’s priorities as well as those of the FPB faculty. All of these goals and priorities overlap with each other, requiring collaboration from all levels of FPB staff and faculty as well as collaborative partnerships throughout the Cleveland community and beyond. Innovation is the key word. We are starting without a blueprint, and I would like to develop one as the year goes on that would be useful to everyone.

4. Do you know of any comparable positions at other nursing schools?

Generally, this kind of position exists more at the university level, and it is called by various names, but such positions have been around for thirty years or more.

The University of Florida, for example, began such a position as an ombudsman, which then grew into something like “Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion.”  The concept has been around for a while, but the expectations have changed over the years. I’m still investigating comparable positions and consulting with the National League for Nurses, so I should have a better idea of what is out there soon. 

5. Do you see your role as having an impact beyond FPB and Case? If so, what sort of impact would this be?

I should think this position will have an impact, as we want to focus on the core values of both Case Western Reserve University and FPB and make people in Cleveland, Ohio, and the rest of the United States-—and even the world-—very much aware of what these core values are. Any individual committed to values of education who prepares himself or herself in a reasonable way will get a world-class education at Case. The privileges of education include being a good steward in our community. I certainly am very much committed to the whole notion of creating and maintaining strong local and global partnerships.

6. Over the long term, where do you hope to see FPB's involvement with minority affairs, say in about five years?

Within five years, FPB should be one of the most diverse schools of nursing in the country, with academic excellence at its core, as well as integrity and stability that surpasses any other. When students receive the knowledge and skills they need to serve their communities, they have a commitment to improve the human condition wherever that might be.

To help accomplish this, I need all the help I can get, and I’ll always have an open door. I cannot achieve real results without the help of my FPB and Case colleagues.

Source: Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing