Tributary

Ann Branchini, the Academic Dean of Three Rivers Community College, achieves her PhD from the University Of Connecticut School of Nursing

The title of Ann’s dissertation was: "The Leadership of the Pioneers of Nursing Informatics: A Multiple Case Study Analysis". Dean Branchini defended her dissertation on May 2 and graduated on May 5th. She received a Sigma Theta Tau Excellence in Research and Leadership award at the School of Nursing Award ceremony prior to commencement where she was "hooded" by her advisor, Dr. E. Carol Polifroni. Ann will be presenting a paper on some of her research she did prior to her dissertation on the Pioneers of Nursing Informatics at an International meeting of Nursing Informatics in Montreal, Canada at the end of June. Ann is looking forward to publishing several papers from the work she did on the dissertation.

She began the PhD program, at President Jone's suggestion, in 2006, and followed a part-time program of doctoral study until her completion this month. Ann’s area of study in her doctoral work was in qualitative research methods and in the study of leadership in nursing.

Dean Branchini has administrative oversight of all full and part time faculty and staff. She started at TRCC when it was known as Mohegan Community College, in 1987 as an adjunct faculty member. Ann began full time in 1988, and taught in all of the courses of the nursing program and in each clinical area except Psychiatric Nursing. During that time, she was promoted from Instructor to full Professor with Tenure, and became the Director of Nursing and Allied Health in 2000. Ann served in that capacity until 2003, when she was appointed Interim Academic Dean. She became the full time Academic Dean following a national search in 2004, and has been in this position since that time.

As the Academic Dean, her responsibilities include oversight of the entire Academic unit of the College. Ann is responsible for the discharge of a budget that is over a million dollars, which streams from general fund, operating fund and grant dollars. Her area includes all the academic programs, the Tutoring and Academic Success Center, Continuing Education, and all the staff and faculty who support those areas. Her administrative responsibilities include: development and assessment of all programs, including the curriculum and schedule for all programs and all faculty. She has administrative oversight of all accrediting activities in her area including specialty accreditations by TAC/ABET, NLNAC, ACBSP and soon NAYEC for Early Childhood Education, in addition to regular accreditation activities for our college NEASC accreditation.

Ann has been a board member of the Visiting Nurses Association of Southeastern Connecticut for 8 years, and has been the Chair of the Board of the VNASC for the past 3 years.