Three finalists for dean of the College of Health Professions have been selected, and students can contact search committee officials on who they think will be the best fit. 

Susan Hanrahan is the dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions at Arkansas State University (ASU) in Jonesboro, Ark. 

She said she recognizes the importance of working with the community. Hanrahan also emphasized the need for maintaining strong standards in ethics, morals and professional values. 

Hanrahan completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Kansas. She said she maintains a connection with Kansas and wants to return to be closer to her elderly father.

Hanrahan has a strong fundraising history. She raised $14.5 million for the three-story Donald W. Reynolds Center for Health Sciences at ASU, which opened in 2009. 

“I love to lead. I love students, and my strengths are in community and partnerships,” Hanrahan said. 

Donald Simpson is the chairman of the Department of Laboratory Sciences at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Fayetteville, Ark. 

His experience crosses a number of fields in the health professions, including pediatrics, emergency medicine, pathology, laboratory sciences, health behavior and health education. Simpson said he feels a connection to Wichita State. 

“I think my background is in alignment with the mission, role, scope and culture of WSU,” he said.

Simpson has special knowledge on cytotechnology as a past president of the American Society for Cytotechnology (ASCT) with the a past chair of the Cytotechnology Programs Review Committee of ASCT. He also teaches 40 credit hours in ten different courses.   

Stephen Walston is the associate dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Oklahoma’s Health Sciences Center in Norman, Okla. Walston boasts an extensive background in the health professions. 

He speaks Spanish fluently and has spent time in Argentina, Mexico and New Zealand. He has also assisted the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health.

Walston said he wants more interaction between departments and the university. 

“(We need to have) involved, collaborative arrangements with their health care systems and universities,” he said. 

Walston has spent over a decade working in a leading position in the health professions. 

He served as CEO of a  large hospital, where he was in charge of budgeting over $130 million and employing over 2,000 people.

 “As dean, I will work to sustain and advance the College of Health Professions as a primary source of innovation, talent and knowledge creation at the local, national, and international levels,” Waltson said. 

Students can voice their opinions on candidates by contacting members of the Dean Search Committee. 

To do this, students may contact Don Gilstrap, Dean of University Libraries, or Provost Keith Pickus until the semester ends.