Pegge Bell Named Director of UA School Of Nursing

Pegge Bell becomes the new director of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas, effective July 15.

“This is an incredibly exciting time in the life of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing with a new facility and doubling of the enrollment,” said Tom Smith, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions. “We welcome Dr. Bell’s arrival as the new director of the nursing school. She brings a vast array of experience, both in nursing education and in leadership at other institutions.”

Bell, a registered nurse since 1973 and a nurse educator since 1979, became dean of the College of Health Sciences at Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla., in 2008.

She has spent most of her professional career in the south and earned degrees from the University of Virginia, the University of Alabama, Georgia Southwestern College and Columbus College. She also completed post-graduate work at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and worked at UAMS from 1991-2002 as assistant professor, then associate professor of nursing, special coordinator of the women’s health nurse practitioner track, department chair of nursing practice and associate dean of the College of Nursing.

In March, the university dedicated the Epley Center for Health Professions, the new home of the nursing school and the University of Arkansas Speech and Hearing Clinic, which is part of the college’s communication disorders program. The 45,000-square-foot building on Razorback Road features high-fidelity simulation labs to give nursing students practical experience in numerous skills and techniques before they go out into the community to work in clinical settings as part of their course requirements.