Georgia Southern University Presidential Finalist Kathleen A. Long, Ph.D. to Visit Campus

September 8, 2009

Kathleen A. Long, Ph.D., a finalist in the Georgia Southern University Presidential Search will visit the University campus this week.

Long is one of a select number of finalists who will be visiting the University and the Statesboro area as the search for Georgia Southern’s 12th President continues. Long’s visit will include meetings and interviews with University officials and open forums for the campus and community.

Kathleen Long is an Associate Provost at the University of Florida (UF). She also serves as Dean of the College of Nursing in the UF Health Science Center. Dr. Long became Dean of the University of Florida College of Nursing in 1995. She has been actively involved in baccalaureate and higher degree education for more than 20 years, serving as a faculty member, administrator or consultant at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, Husson College in Maine and Montana State University. She served as Dean of the Montana State University College of Nursing prior to coming to the University of Florida.

Long served as President of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) from 2002-2004, in addition to serving several terms on its Board of Directors. Dr. Long received her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from the Catholic University of America, and earned a Master’s Degree in Nursing from Wayne State University, specializing in child psychiatric nursing and nursing education. She earned her PhD in Behavioral Sciences from Johns Hopkins University and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Long is also an elected member of Sigma Theta Tau, Phi Kappa Phi and Delta Omega honorary societies. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) and a Life Fellow of the American Orthopsychiatric Association.

The Community Open Forum will be held Thursday Sept. 10 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. in Georgia Southern’s Performing Arts Center. Members of the community are invited to attend.

The finalists’ visit to campus is the last step in the initial phase of the Presidential Search process. The University System of Georgia Board of Regents formed a Presidential Search and Screen Committee made up of Georgia Southern faculty, staff, and student leaders and members of the local community.

A nationwide search of candidates was conducted and the Search Committee reviewed the qualifications of the applicants. After on-campus interviews are completed, the campus committee will forward the credentials of three to five unranked candidates to a Special Regents’ Search Committee for the second phase of the search.

Regents Felton Jenkins, William H. NeSmith Jr., Benjamin J. Tarbutton III and Richard L. Tucker serve as members of the Special Regents’ Search Committee chaired by Regent Donald M. Leebern, Jr. This committee is responsible for recommending finalists to Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr., who will make a recommendation to the full Board of Regents.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 115 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.
Note to Media: Media will be allowed to cover the campus/community forum. However, videotaping will only be allowed for