Helen Melland named interim dean of nursing Helen Melland has been named interim dean of nursing. Melland, who served as interim dean in 2005, starts her new duties Jan. 1. Chandice Covington, dean of nursing since 2005, has recently taken a position as professor and Florence Thelma Hall Endowed Chair for Nursing Excellence in Women's Health with the Laura Bush Women's Health Institute at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing in Lubbock, Texas. "Dr. Melland brings a wealth of experience and talent to her new position of interim dean of the College of Nursing. She currently serves as associate dean of undergraduate studies and has held a variety of other administrative positions in the College of Nursing, including service as interim dean during 2004-2005. Dr. Melland is highly regarded within the college and across campus as an excellent administrator and nursing educator. Her leadership as interim dean will enable the college to continue its current trajectory of success while the institution searches for a replacement for Dean Chandice Covington," Provost Greg Weisenstein said. Weisenstein had praise for Covington, as well: "Within the relatively short period of three years, Dean Covington has helped elevate the national reputation of the College of Nursing, placing the college within the top tier of such colleges by many measures. Her passion for excellence in nursing research and education, as well as her incredible energy level, made a significant impact on our entire campus. She will be greatly missed." A professor and associate dean in the College of Nursing, Melland has expertise in teaching evaluation, classroom assessment and assessment of student learning outcomes. She was a member of the North Dakota Board of Nursing from 1998 to 2006, serving as president from 2002 to 2004. Melland earned her doctorate in higher education administration at the University of Minnesota in 1992. She is married to married to Jim Melland. They have two grown daughters.