TTUHSC School of Nursing Dean Recognized by Texas Nurses Association

• By Melissa Whitfield
• June 18, 2020

The Texas Nurses Association named Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Nursing Dean and interim provost Michael Evans, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN a 2020 Texas Nurses Association Leader and Legend. Evans, a TTUHSC Grover E. Murray Professor, was recognized for his noteworthy contributions to the nursing profession. He was nominated by District 18 of the Texas Nurses Association.

Multiple letters of recommendation praised Evans and cited several examples of his leadership. Those examples included:

• Pioneering new hospital services such as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) program at Northwest Texas Hospital (Amarillo, Texas), which was one of the first in the nation.
• Developing the Texas Peer Assistance Program through the Texas Nurses Association: a first-in-the-nation program, it has been replicated by many other state nursing associations.
• Facilitating the development of the Magnet Hospital Recognition Program which resulted in part from his scholarly work on staff nurse job satisfaction.
• Fostering the growth of national and international credentialing program though his leadership of the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

“This is a well-deserved recognition. Dr. Evans’ commitment to the discipline has made a significant impact across the board and most certainly within our nursing program,” said Lori Rice-Spearman, Ph.D., TTUHSC president. “We are fortunate to have him leading our School of Nursing.”

Evans’ reputation as a national leader in the profession of nursing has made him an often sought out expert with more than 100 speaking engagements in the U.S. and internationally. He also has numerous publications to his credit, many of which emphasize leadership in public policy and political action related to nursing.

He has received honors from many different societies and communities including Fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing, the Margretta Madden Styles President’s Award from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the Luther Christman Award from the American Nurses Association. He has also received Distinguished Alumnus recognition from both the University of Texas at Austin and University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston.

Evans became dean of the TTUHSC School of Nursing in 2012. Since then, the School of Nursing has expanded in size with more than 2,000 students, making the School of Nursing the largest school at TTUHSC and one of the largest in the state of Texas.

Before coming to TTUHSC, Evans was founding dean for the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College in St. Louis. He has more than 30 years of experience in hospital administration, including as vice president of operations and chief nursing officer at St. David’s Health Care System in Austin, Texas, vice president for nursing and patient care support services and chief nursing officer at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas; vice president for learning and chief learning officer for Texas Health Resources.