Elms College School of Nursing Dean Kathleen Scoble Retires
CHICOPEE, Mass. — College of Our Lady of the Elms has announced the retirement of Kathleen B. Scoble, Ed.D., M.Ed., M.A., RN, dean of the college’s School of Nursing.
Scoble’s retirement will be effective September 10. The college has been conducting a national search for Scoble’s successor since she notified the college of her retirement this past January.
In accepting Scoble’s retirement, Harry E. Dumay, Ph.D., MBA, president of Elms College, said, “On behalf of the entire Elms community – students, faculty, alumni, and staff – I am grateful for everything Kathleen has accomplished in her 18 years at the college and for leading the Elms School of Nursing through nearly two decades of tremendous growth.”
During her tenure, Scoble has had an extraordinary impact on the nursing program at the college. When she joined Elms College in 2003, the Division of Nursing consisted of one baccalaureate program with 100 students. In the 2020-2021 academic year, there were nearly 500 nursing students enrolled in the 12 programs that now comprise the School of Nursing.
“Another example of Kathleen’s legacy is the fact that the School of Nursing is now consistently ranked among the Top 10 Nursing Schools in the state. Having a top-ranked program is something everyone at Elms can be proud of and we can thank Kathleen for making this happen,” said Dumay.
According to Walter Breau, Ph.D., vice president of academic affairs, Scoble had the strategic vision to establish several forward-looking programs, such as the Doctor of Nursing Practice and the Master of Science in Nursing programs, as well as the Accelerated Second Degree program.
“Over the 18 years that I have known Kathleen, she has made every decision with her nursing students top-of-mind by developing new, innovative nursing programs both here and abroad,” said Breau. In March 2019, Scoble, Dumay, and Breau began a unique partnership with the Episcopalian University of Haiti to offer a continuing education certificate program that prepares the future Haitian nursing workforce to deliver competent, patient-centered care within their communities.
In recognition of her stewardship of the School of Nursing, Scoble has been named Dean Emerita of the School of Nursing, becoming the first Elms College Dean to receive this distinguished title.
The college has also created the Kathleen B. Scoble Leadership in Nursing Award that will be presented each year to the nursing student who best exemplifies the ideals of servant leadership, as demonstrated by Scoble, through academic excellence and the individual’s impact on the School of Nursing, Elms College and the greater community.
On September 13, Teresa Kuta Reske, DNP, MPA, RN, will become interim dean of the School of Nursing and remain in that role until a new dean is hired. Reske is currently the associate dean of Graduate and Doctoral Studies for the School of Nursing and director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program.
Scoble has over 30 years’ experience in academic, administrative, and consultant roles. Prior to Elms, she held faculty appointments at Teachers College, Columbia University, and the University of Massachusetts Boston, as well as several administrative positions in acute care organizations ranging from manager to chief nurse executive.
She has held leadership positions at several Massachusetts nursing associations and in 2014, became the first nurse to serve on Baystate Health’s Board of Trustees. Internationally, Scoble has consulted for the INHL and Partners Healthcare International (formerly Partners Harvard Medical International) since 1999. She also has had programmatic experience in multiple countries including Colombia, Mexico, India, China, Dubai, and Turkey.
About Elms College
Elms College is a co-educational Catholic college offering a liberal arts curriculum that prepares students holistically for a purposeful life in a diverse and interconnected world. Founded in 1928 by the Sisters of St. Joseph, Elms College has a tradition of educating reflective, principled and creative learners, who are rooted in faith, educated in mind, compassionate in heart, responsive to civic and social obligations, and capable of adjusting to change without compromising principle.