Kirschling Named Dean Emerita of University of Maryland School of Nursing

Baltimore, Md. - Jane Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, the former Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON), has been named dean emerita by University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, in recognition of her “decade of service, dedication, and extraordinary contributions to the University.”

The dean emeritus title may be conferred by the University president upon a retired dean who demonstrated exceptional service as a UMB dean for a minimum of 10 years. Kirschling retired after the 2022 - 23 academic year.

Upon arriving at UMSON in January 2013, when she was appointed dean of UMSON and director of the UMB Center for Interprofessional Education, Kirschling exemplified leadership, vision, and an unwavering commitment to academic excellence, Jarrell wrote in a letter to Kirschling about awarding her the dean emerita title.

“You left the School of Nursing a better place to work and learn, grounded in civility, respect, and inclusion — as was your plan,” Jarrell wrote. “Your passion and dedication to the School, the University, and to the state of nursing education will have an impact on health care for generations to come.”

Kirschling’s tenure as dean was marked by an emphasis on expanding the nursing workforce; instilling a school-wide commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion; raising the profile of nursing research; promoting community, academic, and practice partnerships; and elevating UMSON, and nursing in general, at the national level.

Kirschling’s clinical expertise is in mental health nursing with a focus on end-of-life care. Early in her career, her research centered on assisting families through the process of providing care for a terminally ill loved one and through the grieving process after death. In a nation long contending with a health care provider shortages, her other main area of focus was workforce development, which she championed for more than two decades. 

On a national level, Kirschling served on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Board of Directors from 2004 - 14 and as its president from 2012 - 14.

Prior to her tenure at UMSON, Kirschling had held administrative and faculty positions at the University of Kentucky, the University of Southern Maine, the University of Rochester in New York, and Oregon Health & Science University.

Kirschling is an alumna of Leadership Maryland (2015), the American Association of Colleges of Nursing-Wharton Executive Leadership Fellows Program (2013), and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Executive Fellows Program (2000 - 03). She was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2009. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Viterbo College Wisconsin and her Master of Science in Nursing and PhD degrees from the Indiana University School of Nursing.

Learn more about Kirschling’s leadership and see a timeline of the School’s accomplishments during her tenure.

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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling nearly 2,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.