Ora Strickland, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of Florida International University (FIU) Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences, has been selected as a 2016 Nurse.com GEM Award finalist in the Excellence in Executive Leadership category. During her five-year tenure as dean, Dean Strickland has propelled the College to national prominence, advocating for those most in need by pioneering programs and research initiatives centered around delivering high-quality, accessible, culturally competent and compassionate care.
The annual Giving Excellence Meaning (GEM) Awards is the largest and most prestigious awards program of its kind in the U.S. and was established 30 years ago to encourage nursing professionals to recognize colleagues who have exhibited excellence in their profession. The Excellence in Executive Leadership category honors a well-known and respected registered nurse as a visionary, innovative leader and change agent who moves the profession forward through work in patient care administration, education, research or other professional contributions.
“Ora truly embodies our College’s motto: ‘Driven by intellect; fueled by innovation and caring,’” said Helen Cornely, EdD, PT, associate dean of administration for FIU Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences. “Through her vision and tenacity, she has boldly led this College through many milestones and represents the very best of what the nursing profession should be.”
Under her leadership, the College’s Graduate Nursing Program achieved a No. 54 ranking in the U.S. News & World Report 2016 Best Graduate Schools Guidebook, the highest-ever ranking for the 23-year-old master’s program and a 211-spot rise compared to its previous ranking. She has also been instrumental in helping raise more than $20 million in gifts to support student scholarships and faculty-led initiatives.
Dean Strickland has championed a diverse, interdisciplinary approach within the College that reflects the 21st century health care landscape and addresses its unique challenges. She helped secure $8.2 million in federal grants to launch the Veterans Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership with the Miami VA Healthcare System, which provides nursing students with specialized clinic training to treat military veterans, active service members and their families. Under her leadership, the College also launched the Medic-to-BSN and Accelerated Option BSN to help address the nursing shortage and has invested in state-of-the-art simulation technologies that are revolutionizing health professions education.
Dean Strickland was also instrumental in securing a $1.45 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to open a primary care clinic for the public at Miami Northwestern Senior High School. The John H. Peavy Health Center is staffed by the College’s faculty and students working alongside nurse practitioners from a federally qualified community health care center to provide wellness and prevention services to low-income Liberty City residents while gaining valuable clinical experience as part of their program of study.
Her commitment to positively shaping the nursing profession through research will be formally recognized the end of July in Cape Town, South Africa, where Dean Strickland will be one of 19 nurse researchers inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International’s 2016 class of the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame.
GEM Award finalists will be formally announced in the July issue of Nurse.com, regional winners in the November issue and national winners in early 2017.
About the FIU Nicole Wertheim College Nursing and Health Sciences
Established in 1982, the School of Nursing at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida was elevated to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences when it joined with the School of Health Sciences in October 2006. It was renamed as the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences in September 2013.The College is the second-largest producer of nursing professionals in the state, offering undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, baccalaureate completion and specialty programs in nursing education, including the nation’s first, and award-winning, Foreign-Educated Physician to Nursing program. The College also offers a bachelor’s degree in Health Services Administration, entry-level master’s degrees in Athletic Training, Speech-Language Pathology and Occupational Therapy, and a Doctor of Physical Therapy. The College’s Graduate Nursing program is ranked No. 54 in the 2016 U.S. News and World Report 2016 Best Graduate Schools listing.
