Creighton News
Nursing dean, health sciences VP announces plans to retire
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Catherine Todero, PhD, BSN’72, RN, FAAN, professor and dean of the College of Nursing and vice provost for Health Sciences Campuses, has announced plans to retire in June.
“I am so thankful for my time at Creighton, and for having the opportunity to work alongside such a dedicated and committed group of students, faculty and staff,” Todero said. “I look forward to finishing this academic year and cheering on their success well into the future.”
Todero has served as dean of the College of Nursing since 2015 and vice provost for the University’s health sciences campuses in Omaha and Phoenix since 2019. A 1972 Creighton nursing graduate, she also served as an assistant professor of nursing at Creighton from 1977 to 1980 and directed the RN to BSN program from 1979 to 1980.
“We will surely miss Dr. Todero’s impressive presence on both our Omaha and Phoenix campuses, and her leadership and collaboration in moving our health sciences and nursing programs forward over her tenure,” said Creighton Provost Mardell Wilson, EdD, RDN.
“In the College of Nursing, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021, Dr. Todero’s passion and vision for raising funds for faculty support inspired the generosity of others and elevated a culture of research within the college.”
We will surely miss Dr. Todero’s impressive presence on both our Omaha and Phoenix campuses, and her leadership and collaboration in moving our health sciences and nursing programs forward over her tenure.
— Mardell Wilson, EdD, RDN, Provost
Under Todero’s leadership, the first endowed chair dedicated solely to nursing, the Keough Family Endowed Chair in Nursing, was inaugurated, and the Center for Faculty Innovation, Research and Education (FIRE) was established – together representing nearly $3.5 million in support for faculty teaching and research. The establishment of the Lenke Scholar and Brooks Scholar, through the Center for FIRE, continues this commitment to furthering and enhancing faculty research and development.
“As vice provost for health sciences campuses, Dr. Todero has been instrumental in extending Creighton’s outstanding health sciences programs in Phoenix,” said Provost Wilson, “where there is a critical need for more healthcare professionals and where Creighton opened a $100 million health sciences campus in the fall of 2021.”
The first cohort of accelerated nursing students began in Phoenix in 2018, the same year the College of Nursing enrolled more than 1,000 students for the first time in the University’s history. The state of Arizona has announced it will invest nearly $5.9 million in Creighton’s Phoenix campus for nursing scholarships and support services, and an additional $6 million to add classrooms and academic support space.
Todero also has been active in advancing rural healthcare education. In 2021, she helped facilitate the move of Creighton’s central Nebraska nursing program from Hastings, Nebraska, to a new campus in Grand Island at CHI Health St. Francis, a regional hospital and referral center with more than 100 physicians and more than 1,100 employees.
Todero’s retirement is officially June 30, but she has agreed to be flexible depending on the progress of selecting a successor. The University plans a national search for a new nursing dean, while reassessing current and future needs for the vice provost for health sciences campuses role.
