The Brandon University School of Health Studies has been well-known for their excellence in education, and now after the latest BU Senate meeting, it is officially being recognized. The former School of Health Studies will has been granted faculty status, much to the elation of Dr. Dean Care, the Dean of Health Studies.
“It means we are being recognized for our excellence in education, teaching, and research,” said Dr. Care.
“Entities become a ‘school’ at first before establishing themselves as a successful faculty, so this is very exciting for us.”
The elevation to faculty status has been a big goal on Care’s list since coming to BU in 2008.
“We used to be a department way back, and then became a school in the ‘90s. Here it is, 15 years later, and this is the recognition of achievement and the natural evolution of an academic unit,” said Care.
“For me, it was about setting a higher standard – for research productivity, scholarly work, like publications and presentations, and teaching enhancement approaches.”
Care says the faculty has worked hard to increase research since his arrival four-years-ago, and the establishment of a Masters program in 2011 was a huge step towards this achievement.
“We have increased enrolment in the last five years, and now we have about 750 students across our four programs,” said Care. The programs include the Bachelor of Nursing Program, the Bachelor of Science and Psychiatric Nursing, Bachelor of Indigenous Health and Human Studies, and the Master of Psychiatric Nursing program.
“Achieving faculty status for Health Studies represents a tremendous accomplishment. It means our faculty have advanced significantly in their pursuit of research and have achieved significant levels of funding,” said Dr. D. Noreen Ek, Chair Psych Nursing Dept, Acting Coordinator Master’s of Psychiatric Nursing.
“Additionally, it means we are reaping the benefits of dedicated faculty who have advanced their educational level, from Masters to PhD’s, while maintaining a teaching commitment. All faculty deserve recognition for the part they have played in delivering quality programs that has helped us achieve this status. It’s like we have finally ‘arrived’.”
While Care says the average student won’t notice any change, achieving faculty status is a big advantage when trying to attract new faculty members.
“This development is so important - for our students, the Faculty and the University. It raises the profile of the entire program making the BU Health Studies experience more valuable to the students. The achievement of this benchmark is a testament to the hard work Dr. Care and the faculty devoted to this initiative,” said Dr. Deborah Poff, Brandon University’s President and Vice-Chancellor.
While achieving faculty status doesn’t mean any increased funding or different expectations for students, it is still great to be recognized, said Care.