Northwest State Community College is pleased to announce the hiring of its new Dean of Nursing, Kathy Keister. Keister will now be in charge of a nationally-renowned nursing program that has experienced tremendous achievement in terms of NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) exam passage rates, and job placement in healthcare facilities throughout northwest Ohio. Her first official day on campus was Tuesday, September 4, and it is expected that the NSCC Board of Trustees will officially confirm her appointment at their next regularly-scheduled meeting on October 26.
CREDENTIALS
Keister graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology in 1979, and a BSN in Nursing in 1982. She continued her education, earning her MS in Nursing in 1988 from University of Illinois at Chicago, and then earned her PhD in Nursing in 2004 from Case Western Reserve University. Prior to earning her current position as Dean of Nursing, Keister was an associate professor at Wright State University in Dayton, OH, and had also held education positions at Miami University, Owens Community College, Medical College of Ohio, and others.
A CAREER THAT HAS COME FULL-CIRCLE
Perhaps the most fascinating and heart-warming aspect of the story is precisely 30 years ago, Keister was one of two original faculty hired to implement the nursing program at Northwest Technical College, which would eventually become Northwest State. Noting that family in northwest Ohio encouraged her to apply for this position, Keister appreciated the thought of her career coming full-circle. “My long-term plan was to return to this part of the state once I retired, but that timeline sped up thanks to this opportunity,” Keister said.
FAVORITE PART ABOUT NURSING EDUCATION
Kathy Keister loves the daily challenges and opportunities in nursing education. “I love seeing the students develop from the first day they walk through the door to the last day they walk out with that diploma,” she said. Keister also noted that she has enjoyed the loving and accepting campus culture at Northwest State, from staff and students alike.
Northwest State Community College offers 70 degree and short-term certificate programs in the divisions of Allied Health, Business & Public Services, Arts & Sciences, Industrial Technologies, Nursing, and Science, Technology, Engineering Technologies & Math (STEM). For more information, visit NorthwestState.edu or call NSCC Admissions at (419) 267.1320.
