ATLANTA – Linda A. Streit, Ph.D., has announced that she is stepping aside as dean of Mercer University’s Georgia Baptist College of Nursing and plans to return to the faculty of the state’s longest established nursing program.
“Dean Streit is one of the most respected deans of nursing in the nation,” said Mercer Provost Dr. D. Scott Davis. “She has grown programs in the College of Nursing at both the undergraduate level to address the profound nursing shortage in the state of Georgia and at the graduate level to provide more terminally qualified nurse educators across the nation. I am grateful for her service to the University and pleased that she will remain on our faculty to help mentor the next generation of students and nursing educators.”
Dr. Streit was appointed dean of the College of Nursing in July 2010, following administrative and faculty positions at Mercer, Old Dominion University and Augusta University.
An accomplished, visionary academician with more than 30 years of experience in higher education, her leadership paved the way for graduate-level nursing programs at Mercer, beginning with the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in 2002. During her tenure as dean, nurse practitioner specialty tracks were launched, as well as the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in nursing degrees.
Most recently, in response to the nursing shortage she spearheaded efforts to establish the University’s second-degree accelerated pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, which allows applicants to capitalize on their earned degree while enrolled in nursing coursework.
Dr. Streit also served for more than 15 years as director of the College’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Nurse Faculty Loan Program, which has supported more than 130 nursing graduate students at Mercer and provided more than $6 million in overall awards.
“During my 12 years as dean, the College met critical and key benchmarks while developing multiple degree programs. I am most proud of the efforts of our collective faculty. Together, we have educated thousands of professional nurses, researchers and leaders,” said Dr. Streit. “I can now step aside and feel good about the College’s future.”
Dr. Streit’s clinical experience is in the areas of critical care and the emergency department, as well as oncology. Early in her career, her research centered on gerontology, and more recently, her interests have shifted toward the development of innovative nursing educational models. Her research presentations span the globe, including Greece, Ireland, Taiwan, Russia and Canada.
At the state, regional and national level, she has served on multiple boards, including as chair and treasurer of the Georgia Association of Deans and Directors, chair of the Sigma Foundation Board of Directors and as a member of the Southern Regional Education Board Nursing Division and the ethics board for Northside Hospital. She completed two consecutive two-year terms as coordinator of Sigma’s North America Region 7, which includes support for chapters in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Puerto Rico.
Dr. Streit has received many awards for her accomplishments, including the National Student Nurses Association Leader of Leaders Award, Faculty of the Year Award from two institutions and the Susan Sweat Gunby Excellence in Nursing Award from Mercer’s Pi Gamma Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International honor society. She was inducted into the College of Nursing’s Hall of Honor, and in 2021 she was selected as one of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing’s 70 Visionary Leaders.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University, master’s degree from Old Dominion University and Ph.D. from UAB.
Dr. Davis will announce the appointment of an interim dean and a search committee at a later date.
About the College of Nursing
Founded in 1902 as a school of nursing, the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing is the longest established nursing program in Georgia. Over its 120-year history, the College has graduated more than 8,500 nurses. The College remains dedicated to educating the person, fostering the passion and shaping the future of nursing. The College merged with Mercer in 2001 and offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (including a traditional BSN, RN-BSN and an Accelerated BSN), a Master of Science in Nursing, a Doctor of Nursing Practice and a Ph.D. in nursing. The College of Nursing is one of four academic units within the Mercer Health Sciences Center, along with the School of Medicine, College of Pharmacy and College of Health Professions. For more information, visit nursing.mercer.edu.
