WVU’s Dean Hulsey to be recognized during Potomac State’s Homecoming
WVU’s Dean Hulsey to be recognized during Potomac State’s Homecoming
West Virginia University Potomac State College will recognize various individuals during Homecoming festivities this fall. Among those being honored at the awards banquet on September 28 is Tara Hulsey, who will be recognized with the Distinguished Service Award.
Tara Hulsey PhD, RN, CNE, FAAN is the vice president of Health Promotion and Wellness for West Virginia University and the dean of the WVU School of Nursing.
During her tenure as dean, enrollment at the WVU School of Nursing has doubled, and as a result, Dr. Hulsey signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Potomac State College in June 2017 to offer the Bachelor of Science in nursing degree on the Keyser campus. In July 2018, the College received final approval for the BSN degree, with the first cohort of students offered in fall 2018.
Dr. Hulsey worked closely with the College, visiting Potomac State throughout the process as she often observed the progression of the high-tech simulation labs and classrooms. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Dr. Hulsey acknowledged her excitement and commitment to WVU’s BSN program being offered on the Keyser campus and the opportunity it creates for students. She also oversaw the move of the WVU School of Nursing campus from Montgomery to Beckley.
Under Dr. Hulsey’s leadership, the School added a number of new nursing programs including an MSN/MBA and a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Anesthesia; and is planning to add a mental health nurse practitioner program and an acute care gerontology nurse practitioner program. As well, test scores are on the rise for first time-test takers of the national nursing certification exam (NCLEX).
Dr. Hulsey was appointed by the Governor of West Virginia to serve on the West Virginia RN Board of Examiners and was elected to serve two terms as board president. She has also been appointed by the Governor to serve on the board of the West Virginia Center of Nursing.
Among her many honors and awards, Dr. Hulsey was named an AACN- Wharton Executive Leadership fellow; received the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse fellowship, and is a past board member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nursing.
Prior to joining WVU, Dr. Hulsey served as the dean and professor at the College of Nursing and Allied Health, Charleston (SC) Southern University; and the associate dean for Academics and the associate dean for Faculty at the College of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina. In addition, she has held a number of teaching, leadership and nursing positions during her career. She has served as the principal investigator on more than 20 research projects and has written numerous published articles, book chapters and abstracts.
The annual Alumni Awards Banquet will be held on Saturday, Sept. 28. The door will open at 5 p.m. with dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Davis Conference Center. Reservations are required and can be made by contacting Derek Artimez at dartimez@mail.wvu.edu or at 304.788.6870 by Tuesday, Sept. 24. The cost is $25 for adults, and $10 for children 12 and under.