Dr. Ann B. Bain has been named founding dean of the new College of Education and Health Professions (CEHP) at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock effective July 1, according to Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Zulma Toro.

Bain is currently serving as interim dean of the College of Science and chair of the Department of Nursing at UALR.

“I am delighted Dr. Bain has accepted my invitation to be the founding dean of the College of Education and Health Professions,” said Provost Toro. “She is nationally recognized for her involvement in the accreditation of nursing programs, a proven leader, and a facilitator of faculty and student success. We are fortunate to have her in this position.”

The new College of Education and Health Professions brings together several of UALR’s established professional programs that are each individually accredited: Educational Leadership; Teacher Education; Audiology and Speech Pathology; Health and Human Performance and Sports Management; Nursing; CARE (Counseling, Adult and Rehabilitation Education); and the School of Social Work.

“The restructured departments and programs within CEHP will provide new opportunities for interdisciplinary and collaborative initiatives that will open doors to high-demand careers for graduates of all ages,” said Bain. “The opportunity to work with faculty in developing a model of teaching, governance, research, and service offers unique challenges that made this position so attractive.”

As interim College of Science dean, Bain interfaced with clinical, applied, and research faculty in a variety of disciplines. She collaborated with the Graduate School and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to review issues such as funding for research equipment and supplies and the allocation of teaching and graduate assistants.

She also collaborated with departments across campus to enhance online options for learning, expanding the availability of resource support that has improved the quality of online program delivery.

In addition, Bain’s work over the years with the UALR Office of Development to secure external support and grant funding has provided innovative technology and resources for the Department of Nursing. She also helped establish partnerships with St. Vincent Health System and Baptist Health System. Under Bain’s leadership, the UALR nursing program has grown to an enrollment of more than 600 students with licensure pass rates that consistently surpass state and national averages.

Since 1997, she has been active with national accreditation initiatives as a site team leader and accreditation visitor at the state and national level. She has served for many years on the Evaluation Review Panel for the Accrediting Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), formerly the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.

Bain is currently serving as secretary of the ACEN Board of Commissioners and as a board member for Career and Technical Education.

She joined the university in 1987 as an assistant professor of nursing and attained both tenure and promotion to the rank of full professor. She formerly worked as a nurse at several hospitals in Little Rock and was assistant manager at Controlmed Medical Auditing.

Bain received a doctorate in higher education administration in 1998 from UALR and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in nursing from the University of Central Arkansas.

Deborah Baldwin, associate provost and dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, led the campus search committee. Academic Search, a subsidiary of The American Academic Leadership Institute, assisted with the national search.