By Ann Marie Brooks PhD, MBA, RN, FAAN, President of Catalyst4Leadership.

The construction of the new Catholic University of America School of Nursing( CUASON) is underway and in large part due to Dr. Patricia McMullen’s transformational leadership, passion for learning, commitment, and her profound ability to engage others during her tenure as Dean. With a focus on ensuring that nursing students and nurses educated at the School are prepared to succeed through their core values, competencies, and caring,  she has instilled the “human connection” that makes a difference in the hearts and lives of others.

When I think of Dr. McMullen, the image of Mother Teresa comes to mind. While both of these remarkable women are small in stature,  their similarities are reflected in their shared vision, voice, and vitality, resulting in a call to action. Mother Teresa and Dr. McMullen share a fervor for  “doing something beautiful for God with your life” through service to others. While Mother Teresa’s work was  highly visible to the world and recognized through sainthood, the Nobel peace prize, and other external recognitions, Pat exemplifies Mother Teresa’s humility and gratitude, always extending meaningful recognition to others. 

Kouzes and Posner’s leadership framework provides an understanding of  Dr. McMullen’s contributions and legacy in the CUA School of Nursing. The framework emphasizes practices that contribute to exemplary leadership; it is clear that Dr. McMullen’s contributions leave an honorable legacy that will be sustainable for decades to come. 

"Dr. McMullen is heart-driven, and she exemplifies the leadership framework with her  presence, purpose, and passion. "

Model the Way – As a practicing leader and educator, women’s health nurse practitioner and attorney, Dr. McMullen brought to the Deanship a “can do” attitude  that enriched the learning environment. Through her role modeling, Dr. McMullen took the mission of “preparing nurses with the skills to succeed and the values to guide” to a new level in implementing the Spanish Certificate for Healthcare and other programs ensuring that nursing students would be ready  for the challenging and complex work environments pre- and post-COVID. 

Inspire a shared vision – Dr. McMullen enthusiasm for nursing and preparing nurses as leaders and interprofessional practice partners inspires others to act. Her ability to articulate the story of CUA nursing education engaged others to invest in our students, resulting in  the establishment of the Conway Scholars program over eight years ago. The generosity of  Bill and Joanne Conway and the Bedford Falls Foundation Charitable Trust made it possible for hundreds of nursing students to attend the University and succeed free of financial constraints. . 

Challenge the process – Dr. McMullen turned her commitment into action to secure the funds needed for construction of a new building for learning. The healthcare environment requires nurses to possess skills and knowledge that require new learning strategies including simulation and sophisticated use of technology not possible in a building constructed in the 1950’s. Dr. McMullen did not let the initial reluctance to funding a new building derail her pledge, and she partnered with Bill Conway to establish a gift that would ensure a plan for moving ahead to secure nursing education’s future.

Enable others to act-  Dr. McMullen’s unique ability to role model, encourage ideation and innovation, and collaborate  with others made it easy for faculty, staff, and students to accept risks and act on behalf of themselves and others. By creating a trusting, transparent space, she empowered others to excel, resulting in momentous growth in student enrollment and outcomes, national rankings in graduate programs, sizable growth in research funding, serious scholarly productivity by faculty and students, and a consequential investment in nursing.

Encourage the heart –  Dr. McMullen is heart-driven, and she exemplifies the leadership framework with her  presence, purpose, and passion. By mentoring and appreciating others, she motivates each of us to reach out and stay connected. Her love of people,  commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and health equity, and  capacity to love is remarkable; these qualities have contributed to the growth of outstanding faculty, staff productivity and teamwork, student and alumni engagement, and recognition of outcomes. She is committed to servant leadership within and beyond the classroom. 

A consummate leader, compassionate human being, and a shining example of the goodness in each of us—  the “rest of her  story” is yet to come. Dean Emeritus McMullen plans to return to the School of Nursing after a well-deserved sabbatical. We know that she will continue her efforts  to make The Catholic University of America School of Nursing the “best place for learning and the best place to work.” This will be her highest priority because this is her mantra. WE ARE GRATEFUL for her time as Dean and all her contributions to CUA!