Accelerate Faculty

Patricia Varga, Ph.D., MSN, RN, CNE, has been named dean of Alverno College's JoAnn McGrath School of Nursing and Health Professions, President Andrea Lee, IHM, announced.

Varga, an associate professor of nursing who has been at Alverno since 2004, will lead the implementation of the college's ambitious strategic plan, which seeks to expand on its widely admired history in nursing and make a significant contribution in the evolution of health care to improve access, increase quality and lower costs. Varga also will lead college efforts as it makes final preparations for accreditation renewal by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the national agency devoted exclusively to accrediting baccalaureate and higher-degree nursing education. Previously, Alverno was granted the maximum 10-year accreditation period, extending from December 2009-December 2019.

Margaret Rauschenberger, MSN, RN, CCHP, who has served as associate, interim dean and dean of the JoAnn McGrath School of Nursing and Health Professions since 2012, will return to the faculty and assist in the leadership of Alverno's strategic plan initiatives. Lee named her dean emerita of Nursing.

Rauschenberger's professional experience as a mental health nurse will be particularly valuable in the college's work. Under Rauschenberger, Alverno launched a doctorate of nursing practice; a graduate clinical nurse specialist program, graduate family nurse practitioner program, graduate clinical nurse specialist program and graduate adult geriatric primary care nurse practitioner program; and RN to BSN program. Rauschenberger will partner with Varga during her transition into the dean's role.

“We are thrilled to have a dean of Dr. Patricia Varga's caliber as the college expands its footprint of excellence in nursing and health care,” Lee said. “At the same time, we thank Peg Rauschenberger for her years of principled, high-energy leadership and are fortunate that she will continue her excellent work at Alverno.”

Varga received her doctorate in nursing from Marquette University. Her areas of expertise include community health, nursing education and leadership, and parish nursing. Her area of scholarly research focuses on the factors impacting diverse students in nursing programs. Working with a team of Alverno faculty and students, she served as primary investigator on a grant-funded program through the college's Center for Academic Excellence. It extends the topic of her dissertation, which proposed a new model and theory: the Theory of Diverse Student Faculty Partnerships. Using findings from these two studies, she anticipates testing interventions aimed at attracting students from diverse populations and successfully retaining them through graduation.

“This is an exciting time at Alverno College,” Varga said. “I look forward to building on our strong history in nursing and embracing bold approaches that address primary care needs and engage in cutting-edge advances in access and delivery for the community.”