DZUREC

Credit: Steve Schirra

The College of Nursing will welcome Laura Cox Dzurec as its new dean Monday.

She previously served as dean and professor at the University of Connecticut’s School of Nursing.

Dzurec, a graduate of Case Western Reserve, has also served administrative positions at the University of Maine and Oregon Health Sciences. She held faculty positions at the University of Maine, Tompkins Cortland Community College, Ohio State, Case Western Reserve and Kent State in the mid-1980s.

Dzurec said she has always loved Kent – its ambiance, students, philosophy and education.

“She brings her background as a dean, her familiarity with the college and understanding the shortage of nurses in Ohio and statewide to the university,” said Christopher Hall, director of constituent development for the College of Nursing.

Dzurec said she hopes to continue to build the reputation of the college as a leader in nursing.

“We will build strong partnerships in the community, the region, the state and nationally, with emphasis on making Kent State a vital component of nursing education, practice and research,” she said.

Dzurec plans to work on communicating with the students and faculty, something some students have said they see as necessary.

“We will share ideas and move forward as a collaborative, within the mission and vision of the college in support of excellence in teaching, practice, service and research,” Dzurec said.

This excellence is important to students.

“I do feel like the College of Nursing is preparing me for the future,” senior nursing major Brittany Durr said. “When I graduate in May, I will be ready for whatever the world of nursing may throw my way.”

During the past two years, the college has gone through a transition of deans.

“Change is inevitable,” Hall said. “You do the best you can for a sense of normalcy. I’m pretty excited. I’m looking forward toward her philanthropy and fundraising ideas.”

Dzurec will be making her move to Kent before her family arrives, temporarily leaving her husband and five children behind.

Contact student health reporter Meghan Williams at [email protected].