Three Finalists for Dean of Nursing and Health Professions to Visit Campus
 Hal Strough |
 Shawn Drake |
 Scott Gordon |
JONESBORO – Three finalists for the Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions at Arkansas State University will visit the campus this week and next week for search committee interviews and campus presentations, Provost Alan Utter announced this week.
The chair of the search committee, Dean of Sciences and Mathematics Lynn Boyd, said the committee named three finalists: Dr. Hal Strough of Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Dr. Shawn Drake of Arkansas State University, and Dr. Scott Gordon of Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga.
Each candidate will make a public presentation open to the campus community during their visit to A-State. All three sessions will be in the Health, Physical Education and Sport Sciences (HPESS) building.
Dr. Hal Strough is the first finalist on Thursday, April 29, with his presentation at 1:30 p.m. in room 202 of the HPESS building. Currently associate dean of the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences at Nova Southeastern University since 2016, Strough previously was founding department chair, program director and assistant professor of athletic training in the School of Health Sciences at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn.
A graduate of Central Michigan University, he completed his master’s in sports administration at Eastern Kentucky University, and his Ph.D. in sports psychology at Purdue University.
Dr. Shawn Drake is the second finalist, with her presentation at 3:30 p.m., Monday, May 3, in room 202 of the HPESS building. Currently a full professor and department chair of the Department of Physical Therapy at Arkansas State, she also serves as assistant dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions. Drake joined the A-State faculty in 2002, previously serving as an assistant professor at Valdosta State University.
A graduate of Arkansas State, she earned her master’s degree in physical education and exercise science from A-State prior to completing her Ph.D. in human performance at Southern Mississippi. Drake also earned a second master’s degree, in physical therapy, at A-State.
Dr. Scott Gordon is the third finalist, with his presentation at 11:30 a.m., Friday, May 7, in room 112 of the HPESS building. After becoming associate dean of the WellStar College of Health and Human Services and professor at Kennesaw State University in 2017, he served almost a year as interim dean. Previously he was department chair and professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
A graduate of Bowdoin College, he earned his master’s degree in exercise physiology and his Ph.D. in physiology, both at Penn State.
The current vitas of each candidate are available on the dean of Nursing and Health Professions search webpage, AState.edu/CoNHPDeanSearch.
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