On March 1, 2022, the faculty and staff of the IU School of Nursing Bloomington (IUSON BL) learned that we had a new associate dean: IUSON BL alum Dr. Wendy Trueblood Miller.
At the time, we could scarcely have imagined the ways in which our school would change and grow. Join us now as we look back at some of the many events that took place under Wendy’s leadership as our associate dean.
March
Wendy Trueblood Miller becomes IUSON BL’s new associate dean.
April
We host our world-famous IU Day photo booth & pizza party, celebrating all things IU and featuring our ever-popular IUSON BL fanny pack giveaway.
May
We announce plans to grow enrollments in our traditional BSN program by 50% (from 80 to 120 students) in fall 2023.
Dr. Greg Carter is named one of the Indianapolis Business Journal’s Health Care Heroes.
Stately Presidents Hall is the site for our May Recognition Ceremony as we welcomed 98 new graduates into the nursing profession.
June
Indy’s Hilton Homewood Suites by the Canal and the Indiana Historical Society were the sites for IUSON’s spectacularly successful, first-ever IUSON Core Staff Retreat & Mixer. IUSON BL’s Ashley Burelison and John Simmons were members of the Retreat Planning Committee.
July
Our e-newsletter, The Nursing News, wins an Award of Excellence in the 2022 Apex Awards competition. Now in its 34th year, APEX is a national competition celebrating the best in corporate communications.
August
We become the first nursing school in Indiana to pilot new high-tech manikins that enable our students to learn the latest advances in CPR.
We welcome 100 new students to our Traditional and Second Degree Accelerated Track programs at New Student Orientation. The day featured absorbing interest sessions, engaging meet-and-greets with our faculty and staff, and an Amazing Race-style game that had our students searching the Health Sciences Building (HSB) for clues that would help them learn more about their new home on the Bloomington campus.
We launch our Finer Things Writing Group. Finer Things offers an inclusive, welcoming space for faculty and staff to work together on writing projects – journal articles, grant proposals, dissertations, or whatever is in their writing queue.
September
IU President Pamela Whitten and IUSON Dean Robin Newhouse join us for the unveiling of our new mural: "A Commitment to Diversity". The mural’s permanent home is in the HSB, where visitors to our school will see it every day.
IUSON BL’s Red Scrubs Runners join teams throughout Bloomington as part of Hoosiers Outrun Cancer. The event raised $364,000 in support of members of the Bloomington community who are fighting cancer including patients, their families, and friends.
October
Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams visits the HSB. Dr. Adams’ remarks focused on his life growing up in rural America and the need for greater representation in health care. A sincere ‘thank you’ to IU Health and the Kelley School of Business for bringing Dr. Adams to our school.
Our IUSON BL extended family of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and donors celebrate Homecoming Weekend at our IU-famous School of Nursing Tailgate party.
November
We ‘Soar to New Heights’ with cupcakes and hot air balloon rides as we celebrate U.S. News & World Report’s ranking IUSON as the #1 nursing school in Indiana and the #22 nursing school nationwide.
IUSON BL joins with other schools on campus in bringing a section of the AIDS Quilt to Bloomington. Featuring nearly 50,000 panels dedicated to the more than 110,000 individuals who have died from HIV/AIDS, the quilt is the largest community arts project in the world.
December
A beloved and much-respected faculty member, Dr. Sharon Gates, retires after 18 years of service to our school.
We celebrate the 21 outstanding women and men graduating from our Second Degree Accelerated BSN and RN-to-BSN programs at our December Recognition Ceremony.
January
We unveil our new student lounge, The Nursing Nook, on the third floor of the HSB. The Nursing Nook offers our students a friendly place where they can lunch, learn, and hang out with their friends.
February
February becomes known as ‘Career Month’ as we host a Career Fair that enabled our students to network with potential employers across Indiana.
Students also attended a panel of health care professionals and IU grads who discussed strategies for taking the NCLEX, what to expect on your first days on the job, grad school, career paths, and much more.
We award our first-ever Excellence Awards recognizing outstanding student performance (see Student Corner in this e-newsletter).
March
We premiere a new video about our school (see Around the Health Sciences Building in this e-newsletter).
We go global as Ashley Burelison and Dr. Bethany Murray join IUSON Indy's Dr. Barb deRose in traveling to the National Autonomous University of Mexico to explore shared study abroad opportunities. Earlier in the week, the group enjoyed a surprise visit from IU President Pamela Whitten.
Wendy joins the new Irsay Institute as a scientist member and co-leads the Stigma and Social Inclusion research line. The Irsay Institute was established with a $3 million gift from the Irsay family, owners of the Indianapolis Colts.
April
We say ‘thank you’ to our clinical partners by hosting a luncheon in their honor.
We give our students time to Relax, Refresh, and Renew, a well-attended two-day wellness event featuring yoga classes, a relaxation room, the building of an affirmation chain, the mood-elevating making of plant buddies, and a little ‘love on a leash’ with cuddles therapy from some four-legged friends.
April
We host yet another IU Day pizza party, while raising money for our Red Scrubs Scholarships.
IUSON BL is a co-sponsor of the Bloomington Boys & Girls Clubs’ “Smart Girls, Strong Women” fundraising dinner, raising enough money to sponsor 132 kids and featuring the Big 10 champion IU Women’s Basketball Team as its guests of honor.
Thirteen of our faculty and staff are recognized for their outstanding achievements during 2022–23 at the all-IUSON Faculty and Staff Recognition Ceremony.
May
We return to Presidents Hall for our May Recognition Ceremony, welcoming 82 new graduates into the nursing profession and IU Health as a sponsor.
We launch our new Nursing Faculty Fellowship program, attracting talented new professionals to join our adjunct faculty.
The big classroom in the HSB was the site for poster presentations featuring stellar work by our Traditional and Second Degree Accelerated R375 students and hosted by Drs. Amy Wonder and Greg Carter.
June
Following up on our March visit, we welcomed visitors from UNAM to the HSB as we continue to explore shared study opportunities abroad (see Around the Health Sciences Building in this e-newsletter).
IU School of Nursing
Bloomington
