Former Red Raider to Take Nursing Helm

University officials named Texas Tech alumnus Michael L. Evans, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, as the new School of Nursing dean.

President Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., said the School of Nursing has a promising future under the direction of Evans.

“Dr. Evans is an accomplished leader in nursing education, and we are proud to have him join our institution,” Mitchell said. "I am confident he will continue the momentum in growth we've experienced with quality students and programs. He is a bridge builder as well as a leader."

Steven L. Berk, M.D., executive vice president, provost and School of Medicine dean, said the search committee completed a national search, and Evans was the unanimous first choice.

“He has an extraordinary record of accomplishment as dean of a highly-rated nursing school and has a national reputation for leadership in shaping the nursing profession," Berk said.

Evans, a Texas native, has served as professor, Maxine Clark and Bob Fox Dean and CEO of the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College (BJC) in St. Louis since 2006. The Goldfarb School is a 650-student nursing college on the Washington University Medical Center Campus. The school is a part of BJC HealthCare System.

Under Evans’ direction, the Goldfarb School of Nursing has experienced growth in research, an increase in the number and quality of graduates and two successful re-accreditations. He was also instrumental in transitioning two historic nursing schools &ndash the former Jewish College of Nursing and Barnes College of Nursing &ndash into what is today an institution that offers innovative bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs.

Before Evans came to the Goldfarb School of Nursing, he was vice president for learning and chief learning officer for Texas Health Resources, a 13-hospital health care system with 18,000 employees, where he oversaw educational activities and created a corporate university model for health care education.

Evans also has served as chief nursing officer at several Texas hospitals, including Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas and St. David’s Medical Center in Austin. He has also served as an adjunct professor in several Texas nursing schools including the University of Texas System.

In January 2011, Evans was appointed as the next president of the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the largest nurse credentialing organization and subsidiary of the American Nurses Association.

Evans earned his undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University in 1971, and his nursing diploma from Northwest Texas Hospital School of Nursing in Amarillo in 1973. He then began his nursing career as a critical care and emergency staff nurse.

In 1974, Evans received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from West Texas State University School of Nursing in Canyon. He earned a Master of Science in Nursing in 1978 from the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Nursing in Houston. He received his Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Texas at Austin.

Evans will begin his new post at the School of Nursing in January. He succeeds former nursing dean Alexia Green, Ph.D., R.N.