Shelley F. Conroy has been named dean of the College of Health Professions at Armstrong Atlantic State University.
(Savannah, GA, February 4, 2008) Shelley F. Conroy (BS ’77, MS ’84), an experienced educator with more than two decades of knowledge in allied health and medical education, has been named dean of the College of Health Professions at Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU). Conroy assumed her role on February 1.
Conroy comes to Armstrong Atlantic from Ogden, Utah where she has been dean of the Dr. Ezekiel R. Dumke College of Health Professions (DCHP) at Weber State University. During her four-year tenure, she expanded student enrollment at DCHP by 1,000, established two new graduate degrees, a certificate program, and a new associate’s degree. Conroy also forged ties with China, where DCHP now has a presence in several universities. She championed a strategic plan and supported 80 full-time faculty members. She had a markedly positive impact on the development dollars available to the Dumke College of Health Professions.
Ellen V. Whitford, AASU vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty, lauded Conroy on her previous accomplishments and shared her enthusiasm about Conroy’s appointment to AASU. “Dr. Conroy’s experience as an educator in the health sciences is expansive and well complemented by her practical experience in nursing and nursing administration,” Whitford said. “Her scholarship and scope of knowledge will serve her well as she takes the reins of AASU’s College of Health Professions and continues to build community partnerships to extend the college’s breadth of service in the region and the state.”
Prior to joining Weber State University, Conroy served at John Tyler Community College in Chester, Virginia where she rose from clinical instructor to dean for Professional and Technical Studies, responsible for one of two academic divisions in the two-campus community college.
Not a stranger to the Southeast, Conroy served as assistant professor of nursing at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. She also held teaching positions at Florida Southern College and Valencia Community College in Orlando.
“I am pleased to be able to return home to the South and be closer to my family, friends, and many professional colleagues,” said Conroy. “I have been impressed with the healthcare workforce initiatives underway in the state of Georgia and have watched as AASU has played a prominent role in becoming a regional leader in health professions education. It is a privilege to serve with such innovative and dedicated faculty.”
Her professional activities include membership in the National League for Nursing and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) Joint Task Force on Global Nursing Education. She served for eight years as an appointed member of the NLNAC National Evaluation Review Panel. She was appointed to chair the Accreditation Committee for the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP) in 2007 and elected member of the ASAHP Nominations and Elections Committee from 2006-2008. She was appointed to the Utah Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse Prevention and was appointed to serve two four-year terms on the Virginia Board of Nursing.
She held a clinical faculty teaching appointment at Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia School of Nursing for six years.
Conroy holds a doctorate in education from the University of Central Florida with a concentration in curriculum and instruction. She earned a master of science in nursing and a bachelor of science in nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University.
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Armstrong Atlantic State University’s College of Health Professions is one of the largest and most comprehensive health professions education centers of its kind in Georgia. The focus of the College of Health Professions is on educating the highest quality health profession graduates to meet the professional employment needs of the area. Eighty percent of local nurses and non-physician medical staff have attended AASU.