UT Arlington’s newest Fulbright Specialist will spread mentoring lessons abroad
Mary Lou Bond, a long-time professor and administrator in the University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing, has joined the roster of the Fulbright Specialist Program, an international initiative that helps U.S. academics collaborate with universities in 140 countries.
Bond, who has held the Samuel T. Hughes Professorship and the Hazel M. Jay Professorship, is co-founder and currently the assistant director of the Center for Hispanic Studies in Nursing and Health at UT Arlington. She was also the founding associate dean of the College of Nursing’s PhD in nursing program. She recently retired from teaching full time but remains an adjunct faculty member and advisor for the PhD program.
Through two to six-week projects, specialists such as Bond travel to “collaborate with professional counterparts at non-U.S. institutions in curriculum and faculty development, institutional planning and a variety of other activities," according to the Fulbright Specialist website.
Bond said her focus will be on faculty development and on mentoring programs in the academic environment - how they are designed and or could be applied globally. Her experience building a robust mentoring program for College of Nursing PhD students - as well as her own experiences as a learner and professor - give her a good background to collaborate on the subject, she said.
“As both a faculty member and educational administrator I have always had the philosophy of being ‘rigorous, but not ruthless,’” she said. “It is my belief that along with expectations for rigor in scholarship, we also must be willing to lend that guiding hand.”
Bond, along with College of Nursing PhD program graduates, Kristina S. Ibitayo and Susan M. Baxley, recently co-authored a book called “Mentoring Today’s Nurses: A Global Perspective for Success.” Jose Alejandro, president of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses and a UT Arlington College of Nursing graduate, presented her the President’s Award for mentoring in August. The UT Austin School of Nursing also recently named Bond a distinguished alumna.
“I have had the privilege of being mentored by Dr. Bond and know firsthand her commitment to improving minority health. Her selection as a Fulbright Specialist recognizes her extensive and international leadership in nursing education and research, ” said Jennifer Gray, interim dean of the UT Arlington College of Nursing. “We are very proud to call her one of us.”
Bond said she also will explore how she can address the topic of health disparities among ethnically diverse and varying income groups through the Fulbright Specialist program.
The University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing is one of the largest and most successful in the country. Please visit http://www.uta.edu/nursing/ to learn more about the UT Arlington College of Nursing.
The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive research institution of more than 33,300 students and 2,200 faculty members in the epicenter of North Texas. It is the second largest institution in The University of Texas System. Total research expenditures reached almost $78 million last year. Visit www.uta.edu to learn more.
Media contact: Traci Peterson, tpeterso@uta.edu, 817-272-9208
The University of Texas at Arlington, www.uta.edu
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