INDIANAPOLIS--Constance M. Baker, Ed.D., has been named director of graduate studies for the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, Center officials announced today.
Baker will guide implementation of the new interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies program and provide curriculum leadership to the Center's graduate programs. She also will teach in the program, work with philanthropic studies faculty in enhancing teaching strategies, and offer leadership in developing international partnerships in philanthropy. Her appointment to the new position will be effective July 1, 2003.
"As a graduate of our Executive Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies program, Dr. Baker is a perfect choice to lead our curriculum initiatives at this historic juncture in the development of the field of Philanthropic Studies," said Dwight Burlingame, associate executive director and director of academic programs for the Center on Philanthropy.
Baker has extensive experience in developing and implementing doctoral programs and curricula. Currently a professor of nursing administration at the Indiana University School of Nursing, she previously served as dean of the school. As dean, she initiated formal planning for a Ph.D. program in Nursing and the transition from a Doctor of Nursing Science program to the Ph.D. in Nursing.
As dean of the University of South Carolina's College of Nursing prior to coming to Indiana University, Baker developed a Ph.D. in Nursing Science degree program and obtained substantial federal funding for the college. She has taught doctoral students at Indiana University, the University of South Carolina and the University of Illinois. She also has held faculty positions at Lake Superior State University and Columbia University.
Baker is a consultant to domestic and international universities developing doctoral and graduate nursing programs. Her international experience includes work in the Philippines, Jordan and Cuba. In 1999, she began consulting with the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon in Monterrey, Mexico, to develop Mexico's first Ph.D. in Nursing program, which will begin in August 2003. Baker was instrumental in creating a partnership between Indiana University and the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon to strengthen graduate nursing education, a project which has been approved for significant funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Baker has conducted research and authored numerous articles on nursing education and worldwide healthcare, including a global comparative study of more than 80 doctoral nursing programs.
"The Center's dual degree options and the new course Connie will develop in nursing and philanthropy will benefit nursing," said Angela B. McBride, university dean and distinguished professor for the Indiana University School of Nursing. "We're delighted that Connie Baker's work will help to forge a stronger link between nursing and philanthropy. In the future, nurse leaders will increasingly be responsible for linking the two."
"We are fortunate that Dr. Baker is joining our team. Her higher education leadership experience and her deep commitment to advancing Philanthropic Studies will be a tremendous benefit as we expand and enrich our academic programs," said Eugene R. Tempel, executive director of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.
Baker is a member of the American Association of University Professors, the American Association of Higher Education, the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action, and the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Arts in Sociology at Case-Western Reserve University, and master's and doctoral degrees in Education from Columbia University, in addition to the Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies at Indiana University.
"As an alumna and one who has directly benefited from the Center's offerings, I'm excited to be part of its work in strengthening and researching philanthropy," she said. "My association with the Center has been extremely positive and I'm looking forward to contributing to the field in this new capacity."
The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University is a leading academic center dedicated to increasing the understanding of philanthropy and improving its practice through research, teaching, public service and public affairs programs in philanthropy, fundraising, and management of nonprofit organizations. It is headquartered at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
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