From the Editor’s Desk
Dear School of Nursing Community,
On November 12, 2025, the UW–Madison community learned that, due to a sudden and serious illness, Dean Linda D. Scott would step down from her role, effective immediately. Shortly after, on the evening of November 17, she passed away. (For more information, please see page 6.)
Dean Scott had initially announced in August 2025 that she would step down as dean and return to the faculty in June 2026. Since that time, the ForwardNursing team has been planning a magazine feature that will showcase her legacy and far-reaching impact as the eighth dean of the UW–Madison School of Nursing. This feature will be published in the Spring 2026 issue. Until that issue is published, a tribute website has become a source of comfort for those looking to honor her legacy. We encourage you to visit the page, and submit quotes, memories, stories, or photos if you feel so inclined.
In this issue of ForwardNursing, we underscore that Badger nurses are critical in providing health care throughout Wisconsin and beyond. The stories reflect years of Dean Scott’s leadership and influence, and her continued emphasis that Badger nurses are innovators, advocates, push boundaries, and break barriers. They are rooted in her belief that Badger nurses have the power to do their part — no matter how big or small — to meet the health needs of today and transform the future of health care.
The Dean’s Corner letter in this issue was written by Dean Scott prior to knowing she was facing health challenges, but with the understanding that she was soon to be entering into her final semester as dean. Though her circumstances changed soon after finalizing the letter, her message to the School of Nursing community is still one that resonates. We hope you are inspired and encouraged by her words.
Warmly,
ForwardNursing Editorial Staff
Dean’s Corner
Throughout 2025, the theme “Transform the Future” has been used to capture our aim for the next 100 years. We have emphasized that change at this level will be a collective result from the ongoing efforts of many, across generations, who are dedicated to advancing a vision of health and health equity. It is now an extension of our centennial pride to coalesce around the School of Nursing’s potential to sustain the level of impact needed for transformative change.
Why do I believe the School of Nursing is uniquely positioned for an endeavor of this magnitude? Badger nurses continually identify and address “missing pieces of the puzzle” that keep health, wellbeing, and access to quality care out of reach for so many. We are innovative in our research, scholarship, partnerships, advocacy, dissemination, and approaches to teaching and learning.
However, to be achieved, the aspiration to transform must be internalized, modeled, mentored, and handed down with intention. This is our calling card. As nurse leaders do their part to meet the health needs of their time, our next generations are being inspired and prepared to do the same. The identity of nurse leadership is cultivated and reinforced in the school and, just as importantly, in our wider community.
While I often reflected on the idea of doing one’s part in one’s time throughout the celebration of our centennial, it also resonated with me personally. Most notably, it framed my discernment and the decision that I shared in August: that this will be my final academic year as dean.
Since assuming my deanship in July 2016, I have known that the School of Nursing would be the place at which “doing my part” would position me to have the greatest positive impact on improving health for all people. Now, as I approach my last semester in this role, I take immense pride in what has transpired — in partnership with so many of you — during “my time.”
Holding the eighth deanship of the School of Nursing is the pinnacle of my professional journey. And, it has opened the door for impact and fulfillment beyond what I could have imagined personally.
I am humbled to consider that the decade in which I have served as dean is a segment in a more expansive timeline of impact that neither begins nor ends with me. I make this reflection with deep appreciation for our shared past, present, and future.
Seeing myself as a part of the school’s century-long legacy and knowing I have contributed to transformation is incredibly special to me. To be clear, the belief that I am a part of our legacy is not reserved for me as dean. Rather, it is a sense of belonging and pride that every Badger nurse, School of Nursing partner, and friend should feel about their contributions, too.
Gratitude for what I am a part of at the School of Nursing will frame my reflections in my final semester as dean and remain with me as I enter a new chapter. What we have accomplished as a community of leaders is truly life changing. I hope you experience your own sense of belonging as a Badger nurse, friend, or supporter. I also invite you to keep directing your expertise toward places where missing pieces of the puzzle are yet to be found. As nurse leaders for the profession and society, it is always our time to do our part in transforming the future.
With Gratitude,
Linda D. Scott