Augusta University has recently announced the appointment of a new dean for the College of Nursing, which took effect on May 20.
Following an extensive national candidate search, the AU search committee, chaired by Nancy Young, has successfully recommended Beth NeSmith to take over as dean.
After serving the College of Nursing for 16 years, AU President Brooks Keel said NeSmith has remained committed to helping nursing students and patients.
“I am confident that she will continue to faithfully guide CON with energy and poise while upholding the college’s values,” he said.
A faculty member since 2008, NeSmith has served in the interim role since Nov. 6, 2023. Prior to being identified as the college’s interim dean, NeSmith served as chair of the Department of Nursing Science and program director for the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing program.
“I take the flagship role of our college very seriously, as we have accountability and a responsibility to the citizens of Georgia to continue educating the best nursing workforce in the nation to care for our fellow Georgians,” NeSmith said.
With more than 30 years of experience in trauma, emergency and disaster nursing, NeSmith has held several leadership roles at local, regional and national levels, according to an AU press release.
She is an active advocate for nursing research and faculty development, and has even been awarded a nearly $400,000 grant from the University System of Georgia to launch a research-based, interdisciplinary nursing faculty expansion program.
NeSmith’s research focuses on the effects of inflammaging on outcomes in trauma, and her work has been funded multiple times by the National Institutes of Health.
In addition to co-founding the Trauma Interdisciplinary Group of Research, she has also authored many trauma-related publications and nationally presented abstracts, in addition to co-founding the Trauma Interdisciplinary Group of Research.
As a triple graduate of AU’s Medical College of Georgia, including a master’s degree in Nursing and a doctorate in Nursing Science, university Provost Neil J. MacKinnon said NeSmith’s leadership during the interim period has been “nothing short of exceptional.”
“Faculty, staff, students and alumni consistently praised her approachability to the College of Nursing during this time,” MacKinnon said. “I look forward to working alongside Dr. NeSmith as she continues to guide the college with a steady hand, and I know she will foster a culture of innovation and compassion.”
NeSmith has also earned numerous awards during her tenure at AU, including induction into the Phi Kappa Phil Collegiate Honor Society in 2015, after receiving the Dean’s Award of Achievement in 2013.
Most recently, in April, NeSmith was inducted as a Distinguished Fellow into the National Academies of Practice.
“It is my honor to serve Augusta University and the state of Georgia as the newest dean of the flagship college of nursing for our state,” NeSmith said.
