Effective March 1, Cynthia Russell, a 17-year employee of UTHSC, was appointed assistant vice chancellor for Faculty Administration in the Office of Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs.
Effective March 1, Cynthia Russell, a 17-year employee of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), was appointed assistant vice chancellor for Faculty Administration in the Office of Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs. Russell reports to Cheryl R. Scheid, PhD, vice chancellor for Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs.
“I am very happy that Cindy has accepted this expanded role. As a ‘seasoned’ UTHSC faculty member, Cindy understands campus culture and has a first-hand knowledge of faculty needs, an understanding derived from 17 years as a Nursing faculty member and from membership on numerous campus-wide committees. Cindy is also an accomplished educator with extensive experience in the area of educational technology and with an understanding of the challenges faculty face in adopting new tools. She is also an experienced clinician and a successful grant-writer — indeed she has strength in all of our campus missions and is willing to share her expertise. I look forward to working closely with Cindy to provide additional support for our faculty,” said Dr. Scheid.
In her new role, Russell is responsible for academic personnel policies and procedures, core faculty development programs, faculty excellence and retention, assessment and evaluation activities, campus-wide initiatives and programs, online faculty evaluation process, campus-wide purchase and implementation of technologies, and online courses and programs.
Prior to her appointment, Russell held administrative appointments as director of the Faculty Resource Center in the Office of Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs (2008-2010); associate dean (2003-2006), assistant dean (2001-2003), and director (2000-2001) of Distributive Programs in the College of Nursing. She served as assistant professor (1993-1999), then associate professor with tenure (1999-2005), and was appointed as a full professor in 2005 in the College of Nursing. In her clinical appointment from 1993-2000 at the Memphis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Russell developed a Chronic Cardiac Clinic and provided care as an advanced practice nurse. Before joining UTHSC in 1993, Russell held varied positions in research, education, community health, psychiatric care nursing, and acute and long-term care nursing.
Russell holds a PhD in clinical nursing research from the University of Arizona in Tucson. She received a MSN in adult health nursing from West Virginia University in Morgantown and a BSN from Ohio University in Athens. The UTHSC Faculty Senate has honored Russell with three Presidential Citations, an Exceptional Meritorious Achievement Award, and the 2001 Faculty Senator of the Year designation. She has received Student Government Association Teaching Awards and nominations, and was a member of the UTHSC Academy of Distinguished Teaching Professors.