Baylor University Dean of Nursing Named to Baylor University Medical Center Board

January 15, 2013

Dr. Shelley F. Conroy, Ed.D., M.S., R.N. Follow us on Twitter: @BaylorUMediaCom
Media contact: Frank Raczkiewicz , (254) 710-1964
WACO, Texas (Jan. 15, 2013) - Shelley Conroy, Ed.D., M.S., R.N., C.N.E., dean of the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing, has been appointed to a three-year term on the Board of Trustees of Baylor University Medical Center.

"Baylor University Medical Center's vision of being a nationally recognized academic medical center cannot be achieved without outstanding governance. Dr. Conroy provides a unique perspective as a scholar, teacher, clinician, and servant leader," said John McWhorter, President, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and Senior Vice President, Baylor Health Care System. "We value her perspective and her immense talent, and she is an outstanding addition to our Board of Trustees."

All members of Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas' Board of Trustees are leaders in their fields who dedicate hundreds of hours to ensure that Baylor continues to fulfill its mission to serve all people through exemplary health care, education, research, and community service.

"Dr. Conroy's appointment attests to her extensive knowledge and experience in nursing education and patient care," said Elizabeth Davis, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Provost at Baylor University. "It also testifies to the strong and effective partnership that exists between our nursing program and the Baylor Health Care System," said Davis, who also noted Baylor University's long-standing association with health care and health care research in Texas.
Baylor University alumnus Joel T. Allison will be the CEO of the newly announced organization called Baylor Scott & White Health. A Baylor regent, Allison has served as president and CEO of Baylor Health Care System in Dallas since 2000. Another Baylor alumnus, Dr. Robert Pryor, will serve as president and COO of the new organization after having led Scott & White as president and CEO since 2005.
Two other prominent Baylor alumni will lead the joint board for Baylor Scott & White Health. Drayton McLane Jr. has led Scott & White's board for the last 12 years and will serve as chairman of the new board, and Jim Turner, current chair of Baylor Health Care System's board, will be the new chairman-elect. Both McLane and Turner are former Baylor University Regents.
Conroy has more than 35 years of experience in higher education, health care administration, and nursing and health care research. She joined Baylor from Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Ga., where she was dean, professor, and a member of the graduate faculty of the College of Health Professions. Prior to that, she was dean of the Dr. Ezekiel R. Dumke College of Health Professions at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and dean for professional and technical studies at John Tyler Community College in Chester, Va. Conroy also spent 14 years in Florida, where she held positions in hospital administration and was a faculty member at the University of Central Florida and Valencia Community College.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.

ABOUT BAYLOR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
Baylor Health Care System is a not-for-profit, faith-based supporting organization providing services to a network of acute care hospitals and related health care entities that provide patient care, medical education, research and community service. Baylor recorded more than 2.8 million patient encounters, $4 billion in total operating revenue, $5.2 billion in total assets and $502 million in community benefit in fiscal year 2011 (as reported to the Texas Department of State Health Services). Baylor's network of more than 300 access points includes 30 owned/operated/ ventured/affiliated hospitals; joint ventured ambulatory surgical centers; satellite outpatient locations; senior centers and more than 180 HealthTexas Provider Network physician clinics.

ABOUT LOUISE HERRINGTON SCHOOL OF NURSING
The Baylor School of Nursing was established in 1909, as a diploma program within Baylor Hospital in Dallas, which is now Baylor University Medical Center, and in 1950 became one of the six degree-granting schools of Baylor University. The first bachelor of science in nursing degrees were awarded in 1954, establishing the school as one of the oldest baccalaureate nursing programs in the United States. In 1999, the School was renamed the Louise Herrington School of Nursing after Louise Herrington Ornelas, a 1992 Baylor Alumna Honoris Causa, made a $13 million endowment gift to the school. The School of Nursing offers a bachelor of science in nursing degree and a master of science in nursing degrees in advanced neonatal nursing, nursing administration and management, and family nurse practitioner programs, which are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The School also offers a nurse midwifery doctorate in nursing practice and a post-master's doctor of nursing practice degree.