Dr. Patricia Ladewig: A Career of Service and Inspiration to Others

Jesuit Higher Education Dr. Patricia Ladewig : A Career of Ser vice and Inspiration to Others Pamella Stoeckel 0 1 0 Associate Professor, Loretto Heights School of Nursing , Regis University 1 Thi s Reflection is brought to you for free and open access by ePublications at Regis University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal by an authorized administrator of ePublications at Regis University. For more information , please contact Recommended Citation - Article 3 Follow this and additional works at: https://epublications.regis.edu/jhe Dr. Patricia Ladewig: A Career of Service and Inspiration to Others An interview upon retirement as Provost of Regis University with Dr. Pamella Stoeckel, Associate Professor, Loretto Heights School of Nursing, Regis University () Biography PATRICIA A. LADEWIG received her BS in Nursing from the College of Saint Teresa in Winona, Minnesota; her MSN from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC; and her PhD in higher education administration from the University of Denver in Colorado. She served as an Air Force nurse and discovered her passion for teaching as a faculty member at Florida State University (FSU). In addition to teaching at FSU, she taught at the Catholic University of America, Pikes Peak Community College, and Loretto Heights College, where she earned tenure. When Loretto Heights closed in 1988, she found a home at Regis. She also became a women’s health nurse practitioner and maintained a part-time clinical practice for many years. In 1988, Dr. Ladewig became the first director of the nursing program at Regis College. In 1991, when the college became Regis University, she became academic dean of the School for Health Care Professions, now known as the RueckertHartman College for Health Professions (RHCHP). Under her guidance, the School of Nursing added an accelerated nursing program, master’s programs, and a family nurse practitioner program. In addition, she established the School of Physical Therapy and the School of Pharmacy. From fewer than 100 students, RHCHP grew to over 3000 students. In 2009, Dr. Ladewig became Vice President for Academic Affairs, and in 2012 she became Provost at Regis University. As Provost, she instituted the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) and established a business intelligence unit, now called the Office of Institutional Analytics and Research. She also fostered the growth of the Office of Academic Grants and secured increased funding for faculty research. Dr. Ladewig oversaw the restructuring of the 3 existing colleges (Regis College, the College for Professional Studies [CPS], and RHCHP) to allow for the creation of two new colleges — the College of Computer and Information Sciences and the College of Business and Economics — and the refocusing of CPS as the College of Contemporary Liberal Studies. All five college deans assumed their positions during her tenure. Dr. Ladewig was active in the community, serving for eight years on the Craig Hospital Board including a term as Board Chair. In addition, she served for ten years on the St. Anthony Hospital Board including four years as Chair. Currently she is a member of the Community Health Value Committee of the Centura Board of Directors. Pat spent fifteen years as a public member to ABET (the accrediting board for engineering and technology), including six years each on two different commissions and three years on the ABET Board of Directors. In addition, she was a Higher Learning Commission accreditation visitor and team chair for many years and earlier in her career was active in many nursing organizations. She is a co-author of three major textbooks: Maternal-Newborn Nursing & Women’s Health, now in its tenth edition, Contemporary Maternal-Newborn Nursing, eighth edition, and Maternal-Child Nursing Care, fifth edition. In March 2016 she received her 35-year employee pin and a Lifetime Achievement Award from President John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J. On May 1st, at her last commencement ceremony as Mistress of Ceremonies, Father Fitzgibbons named her Provost Emerita. Pat and her husband, Tim, enjoy skiing, baseball games, and traveling. However, their greatest pleasure comes from their family: son Ryan, his wife Amanda, and grandchildren Reed and Addison Grace; and son Erik, his wife Kedri, and grandchildren Emma and Camden. Interview Q: Looking back, share the experience of moving from Loretto Heights to Regis 28 years ago. The last year at Loretto Heights was marked by sadness and uncertainty as a college we loved closed its doors and many of our colleagues lost their positions. Sadly, this closing was a harbinger of the challenges many small liberal arts colleges are now facing. The Spring 1988 Commencement, our last, was especially poignant. And so the move to Regis from Loretto Heights that summer was both exciting and a little frightening — we simply didn’t know what to expect. Regis did not have (...truncated)