39 YEARS 0 F EX C ELLENCE On Sept. 6, Dr. Cathleen Shultz announced her retirement after 39 years as a member of the Harding faculty and 35 years of serving as founding dean of the Carr College of Nursing. Shultz's love for nursing started long before becoming the dean. It was after serving as a hospital volunteer, then known as a candy striper, in a local hospital at age 15 that she knew she wanted to dedicate her life to the profession. "We spent so many volunteer hours a month at the hospital so that you got accustomed to the hospital setting," Shultz said. "I got to see what nurses did, and I was very impressed with them. It is just a tremendous way to serve other people." Chancellor Emeritus Dr. Clifton Ganus, Jr. approached Shultz in 1976 and asked her to help grow the university's brand new nursing program. While flattered, Shultz said she was hesitant at first, not knowing if she wanted to give up face-to-face patient contact. After many requests from Ganus, however, Shultz agreed to help develop the program. "She was in Atlanta working at Mercer," Ganus said. "I remember talking with her and insisting that she come to help us. Cathie came to stay, and I appreciated that in her as I do with a multitude of our teachers who have dedicated their lives to Harding. That is what Cathie did." During her time as clean, Shultz made many improvements to the college, such as implementing computer use in the classroom. She also introduced varied areas of nursing to the overall curriculum, integrated students into the community through service projects and networking opportunities, and oversaw the movement of the program to the Swaid Center for Health Sciences. Shultz received many honors and awards, including an appointment to the Arkansas State Board of Nursing by Governors Bill Clinton and Mike Beebe, and became the first Arkansan elected to the national board of governors of the National League for Nursing. Despite her accolades, Shultz said she was most proud of her students. "I am most proud of what the graduates have been doing," Shultz said. "They have changed the world in the spaces they are working. It has been amazing to watch them grow." Dr. Susan Kehl, dean of the Carr College of Nursing, was one such graduate under Shultz and said she would be missed for her wisdom and dedication to the field. "I believe she was a visionary, an educator and a professional who was concerned about nursing at the state and national level," Kehl said. "It was the foundation for providing the good reputation that we enjoy today. I owe her my career and so do hundreds of other Harding nursing graduates. All of us who graduated when she was the dean knew that we graduated from a program that promoted excellence." Hy Toriu l'a rr<'ll nr. Cathlec11 Shu//;,: 1u1s uttencliny qrndualc ::;dwol ut limory U11iuersily i11 .Hlcrnta oncl became the founding d<·un of the Curr Colleye of Nursiny four years letter in 19Ro. I Photo by Ka;,:11 Fujisuu·a F .\C:l' LTY i o ."i
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