Interim Dean Margaret Parsons, at left, and former Dean Dyanne Affonso at nursing school graduation, May 1998.

he School of Nursing has had few eras to equal the 1997-1998 academic year in intensity and significance. Within the past 12 months, the long-planned-for doctoral program received approval from the Emory University Board of Trustees; the much-needed new building received approval; and a transition in leadership began at the school. Each of these events has a link to the theme of this issue of Emory Nursing: faculty research. Planning for the school's doctoral program first began more than 15 years ago, advancing to a period of intense concentration during the past five years. Paralleling that planning was a comprehensive examination of the school's research capacity, which culminated in the development of an ambitious plan to strengthen and extend the research mission. Under the leadership of Drs. Sandra Dunbar and Lynn Lotas, this plan was crafted by faculty and conveyed to leaders of the The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center and Emory University. The plan clearly articulated the fact that the goals of any research strategic plan could not be achieved without a doctoral program. Further, the school could not advance into the top tier of schools in the nation without the synergism created by a robust research environment which both feeds and is nourished by a doctoral program. Drs. Dunbar and Lotas helped complete the doctoral program proposal that was finally approved. They, along with other faculty, will oversee the first phase of implementation. Looking forward to a new School of Nursing building which once again honors Nell Hodgson Woodruff is a long-anticipated pleasure for all faculty and staff, who for many years have struggled in a less-than-optimal physical environment. The scholarship of a research-active faculty demands different spaces than those designed for a school whose single mission was teaching. Furthermore, today's student seeking a high-quality nursing education requires a sophisticated teaching/learning environment enhanced by appropriate technology. Doctoral students, expected to enroll in the fall of 1999, will also have unique needs which could not be met in the current structure. Finally, the school is engaged in a search for a new dean. As has been reported elsewhere, after five years as dean and an invitation by the university to continue in that role, Dyanne D. Affonso decided instead to pursue a sabbatical year devoted to scholarship. Upon her return to Emory, she will be developing plans and grant proposals for patient-based outcomes research, a central focus of the doctoral program and the objective of the faculty research highlighted in this issue. While all faculty and staff are energized by this time of great optimism in the school, we are keenly aware also of the high expectations for success. Throughout this journal are representative reports of faculty work which justify those expectations. Please join me in recognizing the contributions these and all faculty are making to the school, the university, and the profession. Margaret Parsons, 75MN, PhD Interim Dean, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing