Dean Potempa Speaks at Event to Recognize the Journey of Women
"U-M Women Leaders Making a Difference: Stories to Inspire your Path" features many powerful women in the University of Michigan community.
On June 8th, “U-M Women Leaders Making a Difference: Stories to Inspire Your Path” took center stage at the University of Michigan’s Power Center. It was a morning full of compelling stories of women who followed all different trajectories to eventually find themselves in powerful positions at the University. The event played out through a series of interviews, with powerful women taking the positions of both interviewer and interviewee. Among those who shared their stories was our very own School of Nursing Dean Kathleen Potempa.
While each woman shared her story in a different way, some themes emerged throughout. In particular, there was much discussion surrounding the balance of work and family, how to rise up the ranks in a business, and the importance of both giving and receiving strong mentorship.
Dean Potempa talked at length about the importance of having strong mentors. Before she took the stage to be interviewed, Dr. Potempa had just learned that one of her most important mentors, Luther Christman, the first dean at the Rush College of Nursing, had passed away. She shared with the attendees how he had changed her life and compelled her to tap into a potential she didn’t even know she had. She expressed that she has “never met anyone who believes they got where they are today by themselves,” and credits Christman, among others, with helping her to reach her current prestigious position. She remarked, “I didn’t choose leadership. It sort of found me.” The dean also expressed that she tries to embody the philosophy of reaching out to young people, just as Dr. Christman reached out to her.
When asked why she felt that she stood out to Christman while just a nursing student, she cited her “willingness to step up.” In her family, she recalled, “it was just expected that you step up and do whatever needs to be done.”
Much of Dr. Potempa’s discussion also surrounded the nursing field. She stated that “the hayday of nursing is yet to come,” but believes that the discipline is making great strides, especially at the University of Michigan. She spoke particularly of how important it is that nursing be appreciated for what it is, not just for what it may appear to be.
“I’m always amazed what people think nursing is,” she said, specifying that it is usually defined by “the image of what they’ve seen on television.” People are constantly surprised, she added, by “the amount of science around nursing.”
Dean Potempa’s remarks, along with those shared by the other women on stage (including Chancellor of U-M Flint Ruth Person and Director of the Center for the Education of Women Gloria Thomas) show the strides that have been made in achieving gender equality, but also highlight the fact that there is still much work to be done. Dr. Potempa said, regarding her own life, that “it’s been an incredible journey.” “Women Leaders Making a Difference” continues to highlight the incredible journey of women and show that much of that journey is yet to come.
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