The last time Afaf Meleis came to Philadelphia was to visit colleges with her two sons.
Now, 20 years later, the situation has been reversed.
Meleis is currently settling in after her first full month as the new dean of the Nursing School. And although she has only been on the job for mere weeks, Meleis has set her goals high.
"I want to know all the parts of this school inside and out," Meleis said. "My goals are to get to know the strengths of the faculty and work with the faculty toward a shared vision."
Since her arrival at the end of January, Meleis has made it her primary objective to meet with the deans of all of Penn's undergraduate schools and to become increasingly familiar with the Nursing faculty.
She says that many of her long-term objectives as dean range from increasing the diversity of the Nursing student body and faculty to revamping the physical environment of the school itself.
While the Nursing School has always been predominantly attended by white females, Meleis claims that this lack of diversity is not specific to Nursing. She says that many other schools have had problems diversifying their student bodies, as well.
Still, Meleis says that it is a problem worth addressing.
"Our job is to make the school open to minorities," Meleis said. "We need to develop models of recruitment that seek out these students."
The addition of Meleis may be a step in the right direction. Meleis, who is of Egyptian heritage, has also devoted a majority of her research to racial and gender equality within the field of health care.
In addition to ensuring that her students receive the best education possible, she said she believes support for faculty research is of equal importance. Meleis stressed the need for an international initiative among faculty, both in research and lecturing.
Meleis began teaching full time as a professor in 1980 at the University of California in San Francisco. She went on to hold the position of assistant dean for Academic Programs before making the trip to the East Coast.
The majority of Meleis' prior work at UCSF addressed the increasing disparity in health care services for minorities and women. She finds many conventional models to be unfairly developed "for men, by men."
"We must develop models of care that are ethnically sensitive," Meleis said.
Meleis also ranks the improvement of the physical environment of the school high on her "to do" list. The Nursing School is internationally renowned for its research, as well as its world-class faculty. Despite this, its visibility on campus is close to nonexistent.
"The entrance is not appealing and not inviting," Meleis said. "It is so difficult to even find the school."
Last month, Marilyn Dodd, a fellow colleague at UCSF, came to Penn to give a talk on cancer treatments. At that time, she also shared her vote of confidence for Meleis in her new position.
"Meleis just does not wear out," Dodd said. "She is also charming and delightful. I think she will be dynamite as dean."
While Meleis has little time for recreation, she says she is looking forward to her new urban life.
"Philadelphia has great restaurants, a wonderful history and a magnificent skyline," she said.
