Chair's Update Fall 2011
Nancy Linenkugel, OSF, DM
It is an honor and a pleasure to have been selected as the new Chair and Director of Xavier’s Department of Health Services Administration. While it is a daunting undertaking to follow the solid and remarkable leadership of the department’s retired chair, Dr. Ida Schick, her continued helpfulness and conscientious passing of the torch have made the transition possible.
Being an alumna of the program (1980), I hold a special love for the department as well as an affinity for our healthcare ministry. Many of you know that I have one more year of service in my four-year term as an elected Council member of my order, the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio. Although I’m full-time at XU, I will complete my service on our Council by serving out my term through June 30, 2012. Xavier has fully understood this from the beginning and is accommodating me, so from time to time during this academic year I will travel to Sylvania (northwest Ohio).
In just a few weeks here, I can assure you that our beloved HSA Department is being served very well by our Core Faculty (Dr. Lin Guo, Dr. Eddie Hooker, Karen Kent MS, Dr. Patrick Redmon, and Tom Ruthemeyer MBA), by our essential Adjunct Faculty, and by our staff (Tina Farrell, Secretary, and Amy Hellkamp, Recruiter/Promotions Coordinator).
As proof of that, let us share what is on our collective to-do list for the upcoming weeks:
• Continue advising our 3rd year class who are in their administrative residencies through May 2012 and continue teaching and advising our 2nd and 1st year classes who are completing another semester;
• Advertise, interview and hire the Director for our new Undergraduate Bachelor’s Degree in Health Services – faculty member Karen Kent is serving as interim director;
• Advertise, interview and hire a replacement faculty member for Dr. Redmon who will be leaving Xavier next year to pursue new opportunities – Dr. Hooker is serving as chair of this search;
• Interview prospective students for the class of 2015 who would start in fall 2012 – Amy Hellkamp is out front on this and we have developed a tighter interviewing process;
• Host our Advisory Board’s fall meeting and honor Joyce Huber as our Preceptor-of-the-Year – Tina Farrell has organized these events;
• Rejuvenate efforts for a partnership with two Philippines universities – led by alumnus Sid Mitchell ’77 and faculty member Tom Ruthemeyer;
• Be part of determining Xavier University’s role in continuing health education on a broad basis;
• Look ahead to next semester’s activities, including the ACHE Congress as one of the highlights.
A very important recent effort was to work through goals for the coming year, and this included determining a tagline that we feel bespeaks our purpose as a Department and our Jesuit roots. While a collaborative effort, Dr. Guo was instrumental in developing this wording which we unanimously and enthusiastically endorsed:
Men and Women for Others: Thinkers, Inspirers and Leaders in Health Services Administration
This tagline will be used for external communications. Another tagline developed by past students will be used internally: Ardently Inspiring Success.
Thanks for your continued interest and support.
Nancy Linenkugel, OSF, DM
Chair/Director
