For many nurses, nursing is a “calling.” Some became exposed to what it is like to be nurse when a loved one is in the hospital, and others because a family member was a nurse.
And then there are those who have had the rare opportunity to work alongside nurses since they were teenagers. Such is the case for Dr. Linda Weglicki, who remembers spending her teenage days as a "candy striper,” a term used for teenaged volunteers who would assist nurses with non-clinical tasks in the hospital.
“I was first a candy striper when I was 13 and 14 years old and then I enrolled in the health careers program in high school and spent my senior year in the hospital as opposed to taking classes and immediately applied for nursing school,” Weglicki said. “Nursing as a profession is one of the most rewarding professions anyone can pursue. Our professional values align so well with who I am as person and being a nurse has allowed me to be a better person, to contribute in a small way to society and in caring for people in a meaningful way.”
That first experience as a candy striper was the first of many in an accomplished career transcending the clinical, research, academic and government worlds, culminating as the recently appointed interim dean of the Michigan State University College of Nursing.
“It's such an honor to have been appointed the interim Dean of the College of Nursing,” she said. “It's such a transformational time for Michigan State University and for the College.”
While only having joined MSU a few short weeks ago, Weglicki has been eager to meet people and to learn how the college works. Some early priorities are also starting to take shape.
“My priorities are, first, to set the tone for a culture and environment within the college that expects and supports respect, trust, collaboration, transparency, and where people feel that they belong, where they find joy in the work and among their colleagues. Secondly, to apply a new lens when evaluating current challenges and some of the risks and barriers that we confront. This approach allows me, allows us, to look at new opportunities for growth with the goal of promoting team-based solutions that leverages creativity and developing bold new ideas and ways of engagement.”
Weglicki has decades of experience in the nursing field, having most recently come from the Medical University of South Carolina, where she was dean of its College of Nursing from 2018-2023. While there, she was responsible for the financial operations, budgeting, leadership, planning, and growth focused on advancing nursing education, innovation, research, philanthropy, practice and community engagement. Previously, she served as the Schmidt Family Foundation Distinguished Professor and associate dean for nursing research and scholarship and PhD studies at the Florida Atlantic University Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. Early in her academic career, she was an assistant professor at Wayne State University’s College of Nursing. She has also served as chief for the Office of Extramural Programs, Division of Extramural Science Programs, and as a health scientist administrator at the NIH/National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). Outside of work, she enjoys animals and gardening.
But her focus now is on MSU, and Weglicki says it’s been clear from her first interactions, what it means to be a “Spartan Nurse.”
“I believe that Spartan Nurses are driven by intense passion, a strong commitment to our mission and to our core values, and in promoting excellence in the work that they do every day,” Weglicki said. “This is especially true when it comes to our students and their success. That commitment to student success is palpable in the college.”
Dr. Weglicki encourages you to connect with her. You can email her at weglick2@msu.edu.