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Dee Baldwin, director of the School of Nursing at UNC Charlotte, has been on the job for only 12 weeks.
But she already has ambitious goals.
By next year, the former Georgia State University administrator hopes to have created the Charlotte nursing school's first doctorate program. It would issue Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees to nurses who want to become nurse practitioners or assume other advanced-practice roles, such as certified registered nurse anesthetists, certified nurse midwives or clinical nurse specialists.
After that, Baldwin will set her sights on a second doctorate degree, the Ph.D., or doctor of philosophy, in nursing. It would appeal to a select group of nurses deeply interested in research.
It's all part of the growth that started five years ago when Karen Schmaling took over as dean of the College of Health and Human Services.
In 2004, the nursing school attracted $177,000 in research grants from federal and state governments and foundations. This year, that amount was about $1.5 million.In the same period, the number of students seeking four-year bachelor's degrees has risen from 224 to 300, and master's-degree candidates increased from 172 to 208.
Schmaling said Baldwin will take the school "to the next level in terms of research and educational programming."
Baldwin came here from Georgia State in Atlanta, where she directed graduate nursing programs. She was also the first executive director of the Georgia governor's Office of Women's Health.
At 52, Baldwin said she was interested in the UNCC position because she was looking for a new challenge - "something to keep my fire going."
The new doctoral programs fit the university's goals of expanding its graduate programs. But they will also have the practical effect of helping to relieve the nursing shortage.
A lot of the shortage is driven by a lack of teachers, Baldwin said. Many baby-boomer nurses are retiring, and there aren't enough faculty members to teach the students needed to replace those who are leaving. With a few exceptions, only nurses with doctoral degrees can teach nurses seeking a master's degree. And students seeking a bachelor's degree must be taught by someone with at least a master's.
Baldwin also hopes to make a mark on Charlotte by starting a program like one she began in Atlanta - Women's Health Navigators.
It recruits community leaders to coach low-income African-American women about the importance of early detection of breast cancer.
Its genesis was in the 1980s when Baldwin's childhood friend was diagnosed with breast cancer and realized how little information was available about breast cancer and African-American women.
Baldwin got a grant to create the awareness program with emphasis on black women.
"There's no way to prevent breast cancer," she said. "The best protection is early detection."
