By Jordan Beach
Dr. Glynis Blackard, dean of Reinhardt’s Cauble School of Nursing & Health Sciences, recently was honored by her alma mater for her service to the healthcare profession.
Blackard traveled to Union University Nov. 1 where she was given the Distinguished Achievement Award in Healthcare, one of Union’s Meritorious Alumni Awards.
“I feel both humbled and happy to be acknowledged for my role in healthcare and specifically the opportunities that I have had in all four areas of nursing—practice, leadership, research and education,” Blackard said. “I am thankful to Union for including a nurse in this recognition ceremony.”
Blackard started her time at Reinhardt University in 2016, the same year she earned her doctorate degree in philosophy with a focus in nursing education and leadership. In her three years, she started the University’s first nursing program and leads the Cauble School of Nursing & Health Sciences as the founding dean.
“I’m thankful to our Lord for providing me the opportunity to learn how to be a nurse, for giving me the strength, the knowledge and skills, and the ability to help those that have been in my care achieve their healthcare goals; for providing me the opportunity to be a faculty member and share my knowledge, and for the blessing and unique skill set to build nursing schools and lead nursing faculty build these schools. I am truly blessed.
Reinhardt’s nursing program will graduate its first cohort this December. The young program continues to thrive under the direction of Blackard’s 36 years of experience in the nursing field.
“Nurses are still the most trusted profession. It’s a difficult job. It’s a sacrificial life,” said Blackard. “I am grateful to be acknowledged for the work done in the healthcare arena and proud to be part of this wonderful profession that impacts and changes the lives of people around the world every second of the day.”
