Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing

Jeanne M. Novotny, PhD, RN, FAAN, is former Dean and Professor at the Fairfield University School of Nursing.  She earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Degrees in Nursing from The Ohio State University, and her PhD from Kent State University. Prior to coming to Fairfield in 2001, she held academic appointments at the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, Case Western Reserve University, and Kent State University. Dr. Novotny is an experienced administrator, educator, and leader in program development and evaluation on the national and international level. She received Book-of-the-Year Awards from the American Journal of Nursing for Distance Education in Nursing and The Nuts and Bolts of Teaching Nursing. In 2006, she received the Mother Angeline Teresa Award for Visionary Leadership from the Carmelite Sisters at St. Joseph’s Manor, Bridgeport, CT, for her work at Fairfield University.

Dr. Novotny’s expertise in the area of international nursing includes the following: initiated a collaborative primary care clinical experience for advanced practice nursing students at San Luis Tlaxialtemalco, Mexico, in collaboration with the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico; implemented a distance learning undergraduate nursing course with the Pontificia Universidad Catholica de Chile; developed graduate level distance education courses in remote rural areas of Zimbabwe with the School of Nursing at the University of Zimbabwe (Harare); and consulted with the University of Padua and the International Center for Nursing Education and Research (Italy) to offer continuing education in home care nursing.

At Fairfield University, Dr. Novotny was instrumental in shaping the direction of the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. She facilitated the development of the Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia Program and the Clinical Nurse Leader Master of Science Degree. In addition, she provided the leadership and support for the development of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree which began in 2010. Under Dr. Novotny’s leadership, Fairfield University was one of the first four schools of nursing in the United States to be part of the 40 million dollar VA Nursing Academy grant. This initiative is a partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs and provides the School of Nursing with ten additional faculty members whose salaries and benefits are supported by the grant.

Dr. Novotny just completed her second term on the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education Board of Commissioners and currently serves on the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education Accreditation Review Committee. She is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Advisory Board for the John A. Hartford sponsored grant, Preparing Nursing Students to Care for Older Adults: Enhancing Gerontology in Senior-level Undergraduate Courses and was a speaker at the six Geriatric Nursing Education Consortium Conferences that were held across the country. She served on the Expert Panel for the Competencies and Curricular Guidelines for Geriatric Nursing Care. In addition, she was a member of the St. Vincent’s Medical Center Behavioral Health Services Advisory Board and served on the Audit Committee.

Her current research is focused on creating strategic partnerships and funding opportunities that support the care of vulnerable populations and the advancement of nursing science.