Linda D. Scott, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FADLN, FNAP, FAAN, dean of the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing, announced August 19 to the School’s faculty and staff that she will step down from the position in June 2026. She will remain a member of the faculty.
Dean Scott began her tenure as the eighth dean of the School of Nursing in July 2016, two years after the opening of Signe Skott Cooper Hall, the state-of-the-art home for nursing research and education at UW–Madison. At the time, the School’s centennial in 2024 was on the horizon. This shaped Dean Scott’s sense that her time as dean would hold unique and special opportunities.
“When I accepted my appointment, I recognized the UW–Madison School of Nursing as an innovative environment where significant impact on health could be made,” Dean Scott recalls. “In addition to its earned prestige, there is a compelling history of leadership and impact to build on. I could envision a promising future and was excited to work toward it during my deanship.”
Dean Scott believed the buildup to a centennial celebration and philanthropic campaign would unite faculty, staff, students, alumni, the board of visitors, and other donors and supporters around pride in the school.
“We celebrated our 100-year history of impact together, knowing that it helped position the School of Nursing to lead transformative change in its next century,” Dean Scott says. “We experienced the meaning of legacy.”
The School’s centennial celebration created meaningful engagement, while the philanthropic campaign achieved nearly $45 million in gifts of all types. Dean Scott sees this success as a testament to the strength and dedication of the School’s extensive community and a deeply held belief in the nursing profession and the School’s role in educating future nurses.
Dean Scott is beginning her 10th year as dean, which will complete her second five-year appointment. She says it feels like a natural breaking point and the right time to conclude her tenure as dean and believes the timing will be right for a new dean.
“The strength and position of the school should attract a strong pool of candidates to succeed me,” she says.
While Dean Scott expressed pride in the accomplishments that have taken place during her tenure, with one year remaining, she’s resisting reflecting too soon, stating, “Our shared work is not done yet.”
“Dean Scott’s deep dedication to improving the nursing profession through excellent education and cutting-edge research has provided lasting benefits to the health of Wisconsinites,” says John Zumbrunnen, interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Her commitment to translating academic pursuits into real-world health care environments embodies the Wisconsin Idea.”
Under Scott’s leadership, the School’s direction has reflected the priority to achieve faculty growth more aligned with research peers, and to address the needs and challenges of the nursing clinician and educator workforce shortage. In addition, the School has maintained fiscal and operational stability despite challenges posed by the uncertain higher education landscape.
“As a long-time colleague and fellow dean, I have deeply valued Dean Scott’s unwavering dedication to advancing the nursing profession,” says Soyeon Shim, dean of the UW–Madison School of Human Ecology. “Her steadfast commitment to evidence-based research, generous mentorship, and bold institutional innovation—both at UW–Madison and nationally—has helped shape the future of nursing education and practice.”
Shim adds, “She has demonstrated exceptional creativity and strategic foresight in leveraging campus resources and donor support to strengthen the School of Nursing’s teaching and research capacity—most notably by doubling the number of tenure-track positions. Her calm presence, wise counsel, and collaborative spirit have been a steady source of inspiration and strength among the deans. Dean Scott leaves behind a legacy that will continue to resonate across our campus and far beyond.”
A skilled and prominent scientist, Scott’s research findings in sleep science and effects of fatigue on decision-making are still among the most cited in the field. Her work has influenced policy and practice related to patient safety and the nurse work environment.
Throughout her career, Dean Scott has engaged in service to the nursing profession at the highest levels. After serving a two-year term as president-elect of the American Academy of Nursing, Dean Scott assumed the role of Academy president in 2023. Her two-year term as president will conclude in October 2025, when she will transition to the role of immediate past-president. This will remain part of her focus when she returns to the faculty in summer 2026.
Dean Scott is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), the National Academies of Practice, and the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing. She is a board member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; a past board member for the International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing; and past associate editor for Nursing Outlook, the AAN’s journal. She also fulfilled a gubernatorial appointment to serve on the Wisconsin State Board of Nursing.
Dean Scott earned her PhD in nursing from the University of Michigan, her master’s degree from Grand Valley State, and her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University. She was honored with Grand Valley State’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013. In 2020, Dean Scott received the American Association of Critical Care Nurses Pioneering Spirit Award for her significant contributions to addressing issues facing acute and critical care nursing practice, and in August 2025 she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Black Nurses Association.
For inquiries, contact Assistant Dean for Institutional Affairs Kevin Check.