The Katharine J. Densford International Center for Nursing Leadership A Tribute to the Three Directors

Abstract

Dean Connie White Delaney notes: The purpose of “Katharine J. Densford International Center for Nursing Leadership: Tribute to the Three Directors” is to honor the first 3 directors spanning the initial 23 years of this Densford Center and the precious namesake legacy; lift up the major accomplishments of each director and applaud the uniqueness of each director and the common strands across leadership foci and priorities; create an official archival capture of this significant commitment of the school; and to inform the next era of the Densford Center, including leadership models and initiatives that span the “I Am — We Are” enlightening the School’s waves of impact on global and planetary health. Unwavering commitment to the next era of the Densford Center includes the continuing evolution of the Center as an incubator for foresight and futures thought leadership, an incubator of wisdom, and boldly leading action with impact. The Densford Center is called now more than ever called to nurture and empower Richard Olding Beard’s core constructs of the founding of this School and birthing its impact on the world: “help society recognize the worth of human life, conserve human health and provide for social justice”. The next era of the Densford Center is informed by the work that has gone before and as T.S. Eliot reminds us, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” This document describes the creation and evolution of the Densford Center with attention to the first, second and third Directors of the Center.