On July 1, five University colleges will become two. The colleges of Nursing and Physical Education, Athletics and Recreation will merge into the new College of Health and Nursing Sciences, under the leadership of Dean Betty Paulanka. This new College of Health and Nursing Sciences will include the departments of Medical Technology; Nursing; Nutrition and Dietetics; and Health and Exercise Science; and the Biomechanics and Movement Science Program.
Also on that date, Dan Rich will become the dean of the new College of Human Resources, Education and Public Policy, which merges the colleges of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, Education and Human Resources. The new college will house the departments of Individual and Family Studies; Consumer Studies; Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management; Educational Development; and Educational Studies; as well as the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy.
The college also includes more than a dozen major public service and research centers with programs at the local, state, national and international levels.
The mergers are designed to maximize the strengths of the faculty and promote new links and connections for learning, research, public awareness and community service.
Paulanka came to Delaware in 1977 and has been dean of the College of Nursing since 1992. Long interested in the use of technology in nursing education, she implemented the University's innovative and successful distance education nursing major, which allows nurses to complete courses at their places of work.
Her research interests also include health needs of the homeless, childbearing women and nursing interventions for the memory-impaired.
She is a member of the Delaware Nurses Association, the American Nurses Association, the National League for Nursing and the Pennsylvania League for Nursing.
Rich joined the University in 1970 and has served as dean of the College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy since 1991. He has held a concurrent honorary appointment as visiting professor at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland since 1987 and is a senior research associate in the University's Center for Energy and Environmental Policy.
A recipient of a University excellence-in-teaching award, Rich has numerous publications to his credit, including 13 books and edited volumes and more than 100 articles, monographs and professional papers. An elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he currently serves on a number of national and international editorial boards.
His public service contributions include recent work with the Delaware Center for Educational Technology, the Wilmington Community Development Partnership and the Delaware Chamber of Commerce, as well as with numerous local and state agencies and nonprofit institutions.
Deans D. Allan Waterfield (Physical Education, Athletics and Recreation), Dene G. Klinzing (Human Resources) and Interim Dean Roberta G. Golinkoff (Education) are returning to the faculty.
With the July 1 reorganization, the University will have seven colleges instead of the current 10. The other colleges are Agricultural Sciences, Arts and Science, Business and Economics, Engineering and Marine Studies.