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M AN H AT TAN V I L L E C O L L E G E
SUMMER
INTRODUCING
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The School of Nursing and Health Sciences In January, President Geisler announced that Manhattanville received approval from the State of New York to officially open the new School of Nursing and Health Sciences. In making the announcement, President Geisler noted that the College was uniquely poised to cultivate the capabilities and skills of a new generation of nursing students. “Empathy and collaborative spirit are central Manhattanville qualities that are integral to success in nursing, and these qualities are enhanced through the College’s foundation in liberal arts and commitment to design thinking,” said Geisler. He added that opening the school was an “exciting step for the future of Manhattanville.” Just two short months after the announcement, it was clear that this future would include the catastrophic realities of a global pandemic. Suddenly, the coronavirus (COVID-19) cast into high relief the vital urgency of having enough trained nurses to staff hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes; and this seismic shift in national focus infused Manhattanville’s nursing school with a new urgency and relevance.
Prospective students proudly display their acceptance letters to the Accelerated Second-Degree nursing program. Joining them are Brian Sondey, director of Graduate Admissions, and Patricia Stout-Traina, MS, CNS, RN, associate dean of the nursing school.
IF NOT NOW, WHEN? The question facing the new Dean of the nursing school, Debra Simons, PhD, RN, CCMR, was whether it was advisable, or even feasible, to forge ahead with the first day of classes, slated for May 26. Over the course of her forty-year career as a practicing nurse and higher education administrator, Simons said that she had never faced the spectrum of uncertainties impacting this decision. The College had halted all in-person instruction,
athletic activities, and events, and no one knew what the future would hold. Fortunately, Simons did not have to make this decision on her own. In the disorienting days after classes went remote, Simons said she experienced firsthand the Manhattanville ethos of community spring to life, as a collaborative think tank of faculty and staff from different departments reached out and offered to help with advice and technical implementation. Among the supportive volunteers gathered around the virtual table were Christopher Pappas, PhD, associate professor and biology department chair, Bancha Srikacha, instructional technologist at the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship, and Alison Carson, associate provost for academic innovation and director of the Center for Design Thinking (CDT), who Simons recalled saying, “Deb, I want to make sure that you have all that you need to do this lift.” Simons also heard from Assistant Professor of Communications Justin Capalbo ’10, who offered to donate face shields he was making with 3-D printers from the CDT so that all nursing students and faculty would have proper coverage (see page 43). “Justin has just been like a light for us,” said Simons. “This is the wonderful thing about Manhattanville, we haven’t grown so large that we can’t connect with each other, across disciplines, to solve problems. It’s just incredible.” After exploring all options that might help devise the best course of action for the students and
