UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 17, Page 1
January 23, 1992
Betty J. Paulanka named College of Nursing dean

     Betty J. Paulanka, chairperson of the Department of Nursing
Science at the University of Delaware since 1987, has been named
dean of the University's College of Nursing, effective Jan. 16, R.
Byon Pipes, provost and vice president for academic affairs at the
University, announced Jan.17.
     Paulanka succeeds Edith H. Anderson, who is retiring after
more than 14 years as dean.
     Long interested in the use of technology in nursing education,
Paulanka implemented the University's innovative FOCUS program, a
statewide and regional system that allows nurses to use videotaped
delivery systems to complete nursing courses at their employment
sites.
     "Dr. Paulanka's dedicated leadership has already served the
University well," Pipes said. "As chairperson of the Department of
Nursing Science, she has implemented major changes, including a
program to increase faculty participation in research and grant
writing and another to increase faculty opportunities for
leadership experience. Her knowledge of the college and of the
nursing community in the region augur well for a smooth
transition."
     "I am pleased to welcome Betty Paulanka as the University's
newest dean and only the third dean in the College of Nursing's
25-year history," University President David P. Roselle said. "She
has demonstrated a sensitivity to the needs of the nursing
profession and has coupled that with special initiatives to meet
those needs."
     Having earned a diploma from the Hospital of the University of
Pennsylvania School of Nursing, she received her bachelor of
science degree in nursing from Neumann College in 1976 and her
master's degree in psychiatric nursing the following year from the
University of Pennsylvania. She completed a doctoral degree in
adult education in 1984 at Temple University.
     Before joining the University as an instructor in 1977,
Paulanka was a staff nurse at both the Wilmington Medical Center
and Crozer-Chester Medical Center. She was a psychiatric nurse at
the University of Pennsylvania's Family Maintenance Organization
and the West Philadelphia Mental Health Consortium.
     Promoted to assistant professor in 1981 and associate
professor in 1987, Paulanka has served on several University
committees, including the Committee on Undergraduate Studies, the
Academic Appeals Committee and the Project Vision Task Force on
Medical Education, as well as on several college and department
committees.
     In addition to computer-assisted instruction, her research
interests include the health needs of homeless, childbearing women
and nursing interventions for the memory-impaired.
     The author of several articles in professional journals,
Paulanka has presented numerous papers and workshops on such topics
as stress management and computers in nursing instruction.
Currently, she is working on a book entitled "Fluids and
Electrolytes: Clinical Implications."
     Chairperson of the Division of Nursing Education, Delaware
Nurses Association, Paulanka is also a member of the American
Nurses Association, the National League for Nursing, the
Pennsylvania League for Nursing, Nursing Education's Link to the
Aged Advisory Board and the Delaware Valley Nursing Computer
Network Advisory Board.
     The College of Nursing has 33 faculty members and an
enrollment of approximately 400 undergraduates and 80 graduate
students. The college offers both a bachelor and a master of
science in nursing, as well as specialized courses that allow
registered nurses to work toward their baccalaureate degrees, a
bridge program between bachelor's and master's degrees and the
FOCUS program.