Provost names acting dean for KCON

Lola Coke has been appointed as acting dean of the Kirkhof College of Nursing, taking over leadership of the college as Cynthia McCurren accepted a role as dean of nursing for the University of Michigan-Flint.

Provost Maria Cimitile said Coke's duties as acting dean will begin February 27. Coke is now KCON's interim associate dean of practice and oversees the Wesorick Center for Health Care Transformation, working closely with health systems and community agencies to develop and nurture clinical relationships.

Prior to working at Grand Valley, Coke served as assistant dean of generalist nursing at Rush College of Nursing and the director of the clinical nurse specialist DNP program at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.

"Dr. Coke brings many years of outstanding leadership experience to this role," Cimitile said. "She is an excellent colleague and I appreciate her stepping in to fill this role."

McCurren has served as dean of KCON since 2007, following teaching and leadership roles at the University of Louisville. Last year, McCurren was appointed to a leadership position at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the national voice for academic nursing. 

Cimitile said she was grateful for McCurren's leadership in building a nursing college with a national reputation for providing quality education.

"Dean McCurren led KCON at a critical time as the nursing programs continued to expand and the Health Campus was in its infancy," Cimitile said. "Her commitment to interdisciplinary collaborations, coupled with her inclusive and supportive leadership style and a vision for the college, ensured Grand Valley’s leadership role in nursing education in West Michigan and beyond."