After 26 years of service to the university, Linda Hennig is retiring this month.
“It has been a privilege to work alongside Dr. Hennig who has played an instrumental role in building the college into what it is today, especially our online programs,” said Dr. Mary Lou Sole, dean at the UCF College of Nursing.
Hennig served as the founding associate dean for undergraduate affairs from 2007 to 2013 and returned to the classroom exclusively for the past two years to focus on her first love – teaching. She has held numerous other appointments including coordinator roles for the RN to BSN and RN to MSN programs, and nurse educator program which is offered as a master’s degree and graduate certificate.
During her tenure, Hennig has made significant contributions to the college. Most notably, she developed the web-based RN to BSN program – the first of its kind in the state of Florida – and received a federal grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the program throughout the state to rural areas. In addition, she facilitated the BSN course offerings at UCF regional campuses and was instrumental in developing the graduate certificate in nursing education.
Throughout her career, she has been honored with teaching excellence awards and in 2009, was recognized as one of the “Great 100 Nurses” by the Florida Nurses Association for her significant contributions to nursing education. Prior to joining UCF, Hennig enjoyed a successful career as a clinical nurse specialist, a rehabilitation nurse consultant, and spent 15 years in leadership roles at rehabilitation facilities in Florida, Mississippi and Texas.
In addition to her academic contributions, Hennig has left a lasting legacy at the College of Nursing through the establishment of the Drs. Linda M. and E. Glenn Hennig, Jr. Endowed Scholarship in memory of her late husband who was a neuropsychologist and supported nursing education. Her scholarship is awarded to students in the graduate nurse educator program.