Wendy Kooken, Assistant Professor School of Nursing
January 28, 2021 – Millikin University has announced that Dr. Wendy C. Kooken, associate professor of nursing at Illinois Wesleyan, has been named director of the Millikin School of Nursing. Dr. Kooken will begin her appointment as director on August 1, 2021.
Dr. Kooken has taught at Illinois Wesleyan University since 2012. Her career at Illinois Wesleyan has been marked by her interdisciplinary projects, her commitment to student-centeredness, and her work for diversity and inclusion. She recently held a TEDx talk at Illinois Wesleyan that focused on her long-term work with men who are homeless and her research to validate a reduction in biases of nursing students towards men who are homeless.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Wendy Kooken serve as the next director of the School of Nursing,” said Dr. Pam Lindsey, Dean of the College of Professional Studies at Millikin. “Dr. Kooken brings extensive experience in nursing practice and nursing education along with an exciting vision for the School of Nursing. I am confident that under her leadership the School of Nursing will continue to expand on its rich history and strong reputation.”
As a nurse and tissue coordinator at American Red Cross, she received the highest award, the Tiffany Award, for her work in the inclusion of diverse donor families in awards ceremonies honoring their loved ones.
“I am very excited about joining an excellent team at the School of Nursing and inheriting a successful School of Nursing, with high NCLEX pass rates,” said Kooken. “I look forward to learning the School of Nursing traditions and working to think of new ways to advance nursing education at Millikin. I am looking forward to meeting interdisciplinary colleagues and finding ways to develop projects with nursing and other disciplines.”
Dr. Kooken is a member of the Midwest Nursing Research Society and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. She has been awarded regional, state and national funding including an Illinois Board of Higher Education Nurse Educator Fellowship in 2007. Dr. Kooken reviews manuscripts for several journals including Cancer Nursing, Journal of Advanced Nursing, Nurse Education Today and Journal of Transcultural Nursing.
