Marie Cowan, dean of the School of Nursing, passed away on Friday, Feb. 22.
Cowan died following a lengthy battle with cancer and had her family at her side when she passed, according to a message from Chancellor Gene Block.
Cowan joined UCLA in 1997 as dean of nursing and was set to retire in June. In her time here, she helped restore the school’s undergraduate nursing program and created 50 spots for pre-registered nursing undergraduate students.
Dr. Gerald Levey, vice chancellor for medical sciences and dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine, met Cowan when she first came to UCLA. He said the school really needed her at that point.
“She was very determined, very smart, and the School of Nursing needed superior leadership at that time because they had gone through a very difficult period when they were severely cut back in the 1990s,” Levey said.
Due in large part to her efforts, UCLA’s School of Nursing attained top-10 status nationwide, Levey said.
“She worked very hard to rebuild the school, and the reason it is so highly ranked today is because of the things that she did. … When all is said and done, of all the wonderful things she said and did ““ recruiting faculty, building up the research base ““ this is probably going to be the thing she is most remembered for,” Levey said.
Scott Waugh, acting executive vice chancellor and provost, said Cowan was widely admired by the rest of the faculty.
“She had a very energetic agenda of improving the quality of the school, improving its research profile and improving its general standing in the community of nursing schools. She accomplished a tremendous amount during the time she was dean,” Waugh said.
Last year, the American Academy of Nursing applauded Cowan’s efforts to relieve the state’s nursing shortage and presented her with their “Living Legend” award.
Cowan also helped to design an entry-level master’s program for students from other disciplines wishing to pursue nursing, recruited 22 new faculty members and created a bioscience program for doctoral students in nursing.
In Cowan’s private career, she published more than 110 articles, served on the first National Institutes of Health peer review group for nursing and studied cardiovascular science.
Cowan was born Marie Jeanette Johnson on July 20, 1938, in Albuquerque, N.M. While earning her undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, Cowan went abroad and met her future husband, Samuel Joseph Cowan.
Marie Cowan went on to receive her nursing diploma at Mary’s Help Nursing School. The day after her graduation, she and Samuel Cowan were married. They were together 46 years.
Cowan began her academic career in 1972 as an assistant professor at Seattle University’s nursing school. In 1979, she joined the nursing and medical schools at the University of Washington.
Cowan attained a rare triple appointment in the departments of nursing, pathology, and cardiology. Cowan went from an assistant professor to a full professor in all three fields at the University of Washington.
In 1997, Cowan accepted the position of dean of nursing at UCLA. She quickly prioritized goals such as funding research and increasing faculty. Waugh said that in her years at UCLA, Cowan increased the profile of the nursing school throughout the medical community.
“Her real goal was to improve the school, and she did,” Waugh said.
Nancy Woods, the dean of the University of Washington School of Nursing, told the Associated Press about Cowan’s revitalization of UCLA.
“(Cowan) restored the UCLA School of Nursing to its status as a top-ranked nursing school and … made UCLA a leader in nursing research,” Woods said.
After retiring, Cowan had planned to take a one-year sabbatical, and then return to UCLA to mentor, teach, and continue her own research.
Waugh said Cowan will be missed both as a professional and as a person.
“She was widely respected, greatly admired and greatly loved,” Waugh said.
Memorial services for Marie Cowan will be held at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, located at 11955 Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles. On March 7, the rosary will be said at 7:45 p.m., and the funeral mass will be led by her brother Jerry Johnson the next day at 11 a.m. The family requests that donations be made to the Dean Marie J. Cowan Endowed Scholarship Fund, c/o the UCLA School of Nursing, Box 951702, Los Angeles, CA 90095. Please make checks payable to The UCLA Foundation.
With reports from Bruin wire services.