Dean of Nursing Program Appointed for Assumption’s New Froelich School of Nursing
Assumption has appointed Caitlin M. Stover, Ph.D., RN, PHCNS-BC, CNE, as the new dean of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Dean Stover possesses more than two decades of academic and nursing experience, as well as several honors and certifications that have been instrumental in the development and early stages of Assumption’s new nursing program.
This fall, Assumption announced the addition of a new direct-admission Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) that will prepare students to practice high quality, patient-centered professional nursing care. On November 14, the institution received Initial Approval Status from the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing followed by accreditation approval from the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), which allowed the College to begin accepting students into the BSN program. Classes for the BSN will launch in fall 2019.
The cornerstone of Assumption’s BSN curriculum is fundamental nursing courses coupled with clinical education in acute-care, community-based, and simulation environments that provide a comprehensive education to promote the health of individuals, families, and communities across the globe. Students who pursue a degree in nursing at Assumption are provided a strong liberal arts education that will allow for well-reasoned decision-making, engagement in critical thinking, effective communication, and the ability to make ethical decisions that respect the fundamental dignity of every human person.
“Assumption is renowned for its exemplary academic programs and the nursing program will support efforts to maintain and enhance the institution’s academic profile,” said Dean Stover. “I am fortunate to be at Assumption where there is such a supportive campus and community. This nursing program will not only deliver much-needed nurses to the workforce but nurses with a liberal arts foundation steeped in academic excellence, commitment to service and infused with a foundation of ethical health care practices.”
Dean Stover was most recently a tenured associate professor of nursing at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where she was also the chair of the Community Nursing Department and the Master of Science in Nursing program director. Prior to her six years at UMass-Dartmouth, Dean Stover served as an assistant professor of nursing at Worcester State University, and a clinical faculty member at Northeastern University and Boston College. Prior to her academic experience, she worked as a Registered Nurse for ten years.
“Assumption is pleased to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program that will prepare graduates to provide compassionate and effective professional nursing care to individuals, families, and communities as it contributes to improving the delivery of health care,” said Assumption President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D. “Dean Stover’s years of experience in the field and in the classroom will provide our students expert-level instruction and differentiate the Assumption program from other nursing programs through the integration of the liberal arts into the nursing curriculum.”
Dean Stover earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, cum laude, at Boston College in 1997; her Master of Science in Community/Public Health Nursing from Worcester State University in 2007; and her Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts Worcester in 2011. She is a Registered Nurse with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; an AACN Board Certified Public Health Clinical Nurse Specialist; and National League of Nursing Certified Nurse Educator.
She has received a number of grants in which her community-engaged research has focused on the health needs and health disparities in the local area. She is the author of several presentations and articles published in peer-reviewed journals.