Former BYU Nursing Valedictorian Patricia Ravert has replaced Beth Cole as dean of the College of Nursing.
Ravert earned the position after a committee extensively evaluated candidates. Brent W. Webb, academic vice president, appointed Ravert to begin her five-year term Aug. 1.
Dr. Mary Williams, who has been serving as an associate dean over graduate studies and faculty said, “It’s been a very smooth transition. (Ravert) is very bright and capable and she understands the workings of the college. She has a wealth of experience both in the service arena and academia.”
After graduating from BYU in 1975, Ravert worked with Intermountian Health Care for many years. In 1999, she came back to BYU and in 2001 was appointed as coordinator of the Nursing Learning Center. Before she became the dean of the College of Nursing, she served as associate dean for the last four and a half years over undergraduate studies.
Ravert is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing Education as well as an inducted fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, a separate honor bestowed upon the most prestigious nurses.
Along with many of her national accomplishments, she is also a certified nurse educator and a board member of the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning.
“She has great love and commitment to the university and the College of Nursing,” Williams said.
McCall Christensen, a senior studying nursing said, “It’s working really well, whatever they’re doing upstairs.”
Ravert plans to continue to further our scholarly work and contribution to the discipline as well as to continue to strive to fulfill the current mission statement.
Christensen feels prepared to enter the work force, and believes Ravert will continue to lead the College of Nursing in an upward manner and help students to find confidence as well.
“When I met her, she was interested in me … and really reached out and seemed like she cared even though she didn’t know me,” Christensen said.
This is not surprising as Ravert expresses the importance of seeing students succeed.
“You get your joy in seeing them progress,” Ravert said.
There’s no doubt Ravert is qualified and will be successful as the new dean, since she has never had a job in nursing she did not like. As Ravert replaces Beth Cole, there is a sense of passing the torch, since Cole mentored Ravert.
“When you actually have the responsibility, there’s definitely a learning curve,” Ravert said.
If Ravert’s past successes are any prediction of what the College of Nursing has in store, then success is the only option for the future.
