Awards

Honorary Degree - 1991

D.S.

Doctor of Science

Commencement

Indianapolis, Indiana

Presenter: Thomas Ehrlich

About Emily Holmquist

Emily Holmquist, the first dean of the Indiana University School of Nursing, is recognized internationally as a leader in the development of nursing education, an innovator in nursing practice, and an articulate spokesperson for the nursing profession. She has served her profession as an officer in numerous national organizations, through which she has significantly influenced nursing science.

Dean Holmquist received the Diploma in nursing from Mount Auburn Hospital School of Nursing in 1931. She continued her education at the University of Pittsburgh and was awarded the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Education in 1941 and the Master of Science in Nursing Education in 1944. Early in her career, Dean Holmquist served on the nursing staff of hospitals in Tennessee, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. She joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing in 1941.

Emily Holmquist came to Indiana University in 1957 as the first dean of the School of Nursing. Under her leadership, three separate programs were brought together to form the school. Anticipating the need for advanced education and research in nursing, she launched the master's and doctoral programs and established a climate for effective interdisciplinary collaboration with other schools in the health sciences. Under her guidance, the School of Nursing rapidly acquired a reputation as one of the most respected schools in the United States.

She is a pioneer in promoting the integration of nursing research and nursing education, serving on the founding Executive Committee of the first research journal in nursing. In 1973, immediately following her retirement as dean, she served as the founding executive director of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing in Washington, DC. She guided the Board of Directors in establishing linkages with governmental agencies and interpreting the ACCN to higher education administrators across the nation.

A distinguished, respected, and beloved teacher, Emily Holmquist has benefited the lives and careers of thousands of nurses.