Double alumna Carol M. Musil chooses to return to the faculty to continue research, teaching
After six years as dean of Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Carol M. Musil (NUR ’79; GRS ’91, nursing) has chosen to step down from her role and return to the faculty at the end of the 2024–25 academic year.
“Carol has long been an incredible leader of our School of Nursing—first as a student, then as a faculty member and, most recently, as dean,” said President Eric W. Kaler. “Her leadership guided the school through its move to the Health Education Campus of CWRU and Cleveland Clinic, through the COVID-19 pandemic that taxed the nursing profession, and through the school’s centennial of its endowment—all while growing rankings, research funding and donor support. Carol’s guidance over the past six years has positioned the school exceptionally well for its future.”
Musil—a double alumna and faculty member since 1994—was named interim dean of the school in August 2018, then was appointed to the position full time in 2019. The announcement came just a month after nursing faculty began to move into the new Health Education Campus (HEC), an expansion of the school’s facilities into two buildings: the new Samson Pavilion at the HEC and the Nursing Research Building on the university’s main campus. At the HEC, Musil placed immense focus on high-tech nursing equipment, including at the state-of-the-art Center for Nursing Simulation, Education and Innovation, and at the Dorothy Ebersbach Flight Center.
But the growth the school experienced during her tenure as dean was more than physical. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program has grown to more than 125 students per class, while new programs have debuted, such as the Leadership Excel and Achievement Program, the nurse anesthesia Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and the Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy.
Rankings also have continued to rise: The school’s BSN consistently sits among the top 10 in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report, and the school’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding recently landed at No. 12 of all schools of nursing and No. 7 among private institutions. Donor support also has grown, topping $50 million throughout Musil’s time as dean.
But among her greatest accomplishments, Musil said, is the environment she helped build across the school. Faculty members, she noted, are encouraged to work together to develop their ideas, and students are challenged to explore their competencies beyond the required training, whether specializing in health policy or leadership or pushing their boundaries while studying abroad.
“Carol’s leadership has built a culture that encourages collaborative learning and scholarship, and our faculty, staff, students and alumni have greatly benefited from it,” said Provost Joy K. Ward. “I am grateful for her leadership and her continued commitment to Case Western Reserve.”
After her deanship ends in June 2025, Musil, the Dean and Edward J. and Louise Mellen Professor of Nursing, will return to the faculty to teach and conduct research—expanding upon the projects she managed to complete even while dean. Recently, she was a principal investigator on an NIH clinical trial, was co-investigator or consultant on several other NIH-funded projects, and chaired or served on NIH study sections and on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Government Affairs Committee.
“I have been privileged to lead this exceptional school, which has been central to my life for over 45 years. But after six years as dean, I have decided to step back and make more time for scholarship, research and family,” Musil said. “It has been a great honor, both professionally and personally, to serve in this capacity and to represent our school across the globe.”
The university will begin the process of launching a nationwide search for the school’s next dean this month, Provost Ward said.