|
By LOIS BAKER
Contributing Editor
Funeral services were held on Saturday for Mecca S.
Cranley, dean of the School of Nursing since 1991, who
died on Nov. 20 in the hospice unit at Sister's
Hospital, surrounded by her family.
The cause of death was multiple myeloma, cancer of
the bone marrow. She was 67.
Cranley was the university's senior dean when she
stepped down from her position earlier this month due to
her illness.
President John B. Simpson said the UB community was
deeply saddened by Cranley's passing.
"She was a lovely person and extraordinary
leader, and she will be sorely missed, both as a friend
and colleague," Simpson said. "Her passing is
a tremendous loss for our academic community, but she
has left a legacy of excellence, innovation and vision
that will have an enduring impact on UB's nursing school
and the university at large. She has made a lasting
difference in the lives of so many individuals here at
UB and in our larger communities, and for that we are
deeply grateful."
Satish K. Tripathi, provost and executive vice
president for academic affairs, called Cranley "an
exceptional individual." He noted her dedication to
UB, to her faculty and her genuine care and compassion
for her students.
"Her progressive approach to nursing education
and her mission to improve the health and well-being of
members of the broader communities through a sustained
focus on innovative interdisciplinary nursing research
and clinical education will inspire those who follow in
her footsteps," he said.
"Mecca will be greatly missed," Tripathi
continued, "but my colleagues and I are comforted
by the knowledge that her understanding, wisdom and true
passion for the broad field of nursing and nursing
education will live on through countless students. They
will carry forward these values into their professional
roles as health care practitioners, senior health care
administrators, faculty and university leaders."
Jean K. Brown, interim dean of the nursing school and
Cranley's associate dean, said: "Mecca was
respected and loved by the faculty, students and staff
of the School of Nursing. During the 16 years of her
deanship, she made significant advances in our research
enterprise, led the development of new educational
programs to address shortages in the professional nurse
and nurse faculty workforces, and was a champion of
professional nursing in the region, state and nation.
"A hallmark of her administrative style was an
insistence on high standards combined with genuine
compassion for others. Her graciousness and generosity
will long be remembered."
Cranley's family remembers her best as a warm,
loving, brilliant and witty woman, who was an
accomplished composer of silly limericks, a dedicated
Girl Scout cookie lady, swim-meet timer, creative
casserole chef, collector of ridiculous puns and
"World's Greatest Mom" to seven children.
A native of Guthrie, Okla., Cranley graduated from
St. Mary's College in Indiana and earned master's and
doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin. She
held nurse-instructor positions at hospitals in South
Bend, Ind., and in Tulsa, Okla., and Oklahoma City,
before joining the faculty at the University of
Wisconsin in 1972. She was professor and associate dean
for academic affairs at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing when she was
recruited by UB.
During Cranley's 15 years as dean, the nursing school
increased its enrollment through several innovative new
academic degree and certificate programs, and
aggressively pursued research dollars. The school jumped
from 73rd to 43rd among U.S. nursing schools in National
Institutes of Health funding during her tenure.
Highly respected in her field, Cranley was a member
of the board of governors of the Healthcare Trustees of
New York State, a not-for-profit organization dedicated
to strengthening the governance of New York's non-profit
and public health care facilities. She was active in the
American Association of Colleges of Nursing, where she
chaired task forces and authored the position papers on
violence as a public health problem and on the place of
the American with Disabilities Act in nursing education.
Her professional activities also included memberships
on the National Council on Family Relations, Sigma Theta
Tau—the national nursing honor society, the National
Perinatal Association, the Childbirth and Parent
Educational Association, and the Wisconsin Association
for Perinatal Care.
Cranley authored many articles and book chapters on
issues related to maternal and child health, her
specialty, and was a vocal advocate for the nursing
profession. A member of the Commission on Nursing
Education, she served on several committees and was an
on-site evaluator of university-based nursing programs.
She was active in the March of Dimes Birth Defects
Foundation, serving on several national committees.
The family has requested that friends give blood
and/or donate to the Mecca S. Cranley School of Nursing
Memorial Fund, which the university has established in
her memory
|
