Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
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Description area
Dates of existence
History
Roberta K. Olson served as dean of the College of Nursing at South Dakota State University from 1994 to 2013. During her tenure, the college experienced significant growth in enrollment and academic programming. The number of entering undergraduate students increased from 136 to 304, and graduate student enrollment more than doubled. Under her leadership, the College of Nursing expanded its degree offerings to include an online master’s degree program in 2002, a Ph.D. program in nursing in 2005, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program in 2009, reflecting broader changes in nursing education and professional practice.
Olson earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from South Dakota State University and completed a doctorate in organization and administration of higher education at Saint Louis University. Prior to her appointment as dean at SDSU, she held faculty and administrative positions at the University of Kansas and the University of Texas–Houston schools of nursing. In recognition of her contributions to nursing education, she received the Sr. Bernadette Armiger Award from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and was inducted into the South Dakota Nurses Association Hall of Fame in 2017. Following her retirement as dean, she returned to the university to serve as interim dean in 2018.