University of Louisville Magazine

FALL 2011

The University of Louisville Alumni Magazine: for alumni, faculty, staff, students and anyone that is a UofL Cardinal fan.

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Highlights New vision for the heart of learning University Libraries welcomed Robert Fox, Jr. as its new dean in February. The former associate dean of libraries at Georgia Institute of Technology, he now has big plans in his sights as he heads a library system that is among the top 100 research libraries in the country and includes six separate libraries. "Since the libraries are integral to nearly every person and unit on campus, it is important to make and maintain connections," said Fox. "I foresee relative stability in the basic services and resources we provide the teaching side of campus such as reference, instruction and developing collections. We will continue to see increasing reliance on electronic resources and I want to keep moving towards the goal of meeting faculty needs when and where they occur, whether that is in a lab, a medical facility or in offi ces and classrooms." Fox also sees signifi cant potential for the support that libraries can provide the Giving from the heart In honor of his mother and the many pediatric nurses he encountered throughout his years of work and education, UofL Pediatrics Chairman Gerard Rabalais, MD, MHA, has established a student scholarship fund at the School of Nursing. "This pays tribute to my mother and all the pediatric nurses who infl uenced, trained and helped me over the past 30 years," said Rabalais. Carrie M. Rabalais was the fi rst and only college graduate in her family of six siblings. A 1939 graduate of Charity Hospital School of Nursing in New Orleans, La., she was a quiet but passionate advocate for pediat- ric patients, working for a short time in obstetrics and then as a pediatric nurse until her retirement in 1984. "The scholarship fund was started in my mother's memory for inspiring my career in medicine, and specifi cally in pediatrics," said Rabalais. "Her unwavering support, constant encouragement and dedication to the care of children were key factors in my career." The scholarship will be used to support nursing students in graduate or undergraduate programs with a primary interest in pediatrics. Making the grade with high test scores Nursing students are passing their national boards at higher rates than ever, a testament to the quality of the university's program. In 2010, 97 percent of fi rst-time test-takers passed the licensing exam, known as the NCLEX-RN test. In 2011, all 18 UofL students who took the NCLEX-RN test also passed. The national 2010 pass rate for BSN graduates was 88.7 percent. "These pass rates are adding some of the very best nurses to our workforce," said School of Nursing Dean Marcia Hern, EdD, CNS, RN. She credits the dedication of UofL faculty with helping the nursing students achieve these outcomes. "We produce the most licensed RNs in Kentucky and they have the training, knowledge and critical skills required in clinical care," said Hern. 36|LOUISVILLE.EDU research and clinical areas as the campus continues its move toward being a premier research-focused university. Providing open access to digital scholarship and managing research data sets are examples of this type of support. "For students, I think that the physical spaces we provide are critically important. Students value access to technology-rich, fl exible and attractive spaces where they can engage in collaborative learning projects," said Fox. To meet these needs, he has initiated a new, inclusive, strategic planning process to clearly identify the most important needs and to shift resources as necessary. The plan will align with UofL's 2020 Plan and provide input for a scorecard that will measure progress. "I hope we can rework and fi ll some vacant positions soon to move the libraries forward in meeting our strategic planning goals. Additionally, we need to investigate developing new skill sets for existing library staff so they can transition into new roles," he added. "We also need to renovate and repurpose some of our library spaces. Areas of the Ekstrom and Kornhauser libraries, for example, have not been updated since they were constructed in the 1970s and early 1980s. And we must increase our development efforts. Raising more private funding will be essential to acquiring new collection resources and for physical updates." UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES SCHOOL OF NURSING

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