Dr. Sylvia Elizabeth (Betty Lou) Hart, PhD

Dr. Sylvia Elizabeth Hart, (Betty Lou), the second of nine children born to Peter M. and Sylvia C. Streff Hart in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, departed this life on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 in Knoxville, TN where she resided from 1971 until her death. Appointed founding Dean of the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1971, she was responsible for the establishment of high quality baccalaureate, Master’s and doctoral programs in nursing during her 19 year tenure as Dean. She obtained federal funding to support construction and equipment for a “state of the art” nursing education building which stands at the center of the UTK campus. Dr. Hart earned a baccalaureate degree in nursing at Alverno College in Milwaukee, a Master’s degree in nursing at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC and a PhD in nursing at New York University. She began her professional career as a pediatric staff nurse at Waupun Memorial Hospital in Waupun, WI. Her leadership skills were quickly recognized and within two years of graduation as a nurse, she was named a supervisor of pediatric and medical and surgical units at St. Joseph Hospital in Beaver Dam, WI. Her career in higher education began at Alverno College where she taught medical-surgical nursing and held the position of Chairman of the Department of Nursing. Subsequently, she taught research and medical-surgical nursing to graduate students at New York University and was appointed Associate Dean for Undergraduate Nursing Programs at the State University of New York in Buffalo. From there, she was recruited to establish a College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville which opened in 1972. In addition to her academic responsibilities, Dr. Hart also held significant leadership positions and board membership in various state and national organizations. Among these was Chair of the National League for Nursing Council of Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Programs, Chair of the Tennessee Nurses’ Association Council on Nursing Education, Chair of the Southern Regional Education Board Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing, Chair of the National League for Nursing Accreditation Committee, and President of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools. She also served other national organizations in various capacities such as the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the Helene Fuld Trust and the Kellogg Foundation. Dr. Hart achieved national and international recognition for her work in the areas of higher education accreditation, new nursing program initiatives, licensure and regulatory issues, and global alliances. Tapping on her expertise in these areas, more than one-hundred-twenty nursing programs in forty two states sought her services as a consultant. As a result, several new nursing programs were developed and she was instrumental in assisting them to obtain national accreditation. Dr. Hart was preceded in death by her parents, four siblings, Therese Martha Hart Herrington, Robert P. Hart, S.J., Patricia Hart Herrington, and Mary Hart New, niece, Karla Smith and nephew Peter New. She is survived by brothers and sisters Julie Hart McHale from Brookfield, WI; Thomas Hart (Kathy) from Seattle; Frances Hart Smith (Thomas) from Shiloh, IL; and James Edward Hart (Rose Marie) from Evanston, IL., many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews; and a host of close friends and colleagues from Tennessee, Wisconsin, Parham, Ontario, and the School Sisters of St. Francis, a Milwaukee-based Catholic religious community to which she belonged for 18 years. Dr. Hart’s contributions to nursing and health care are significant. She was loved and admired by many and she will be sorely missed by the nursing, health care, and higher education communities as well as her many relatives, friends and colleagues. A Celebration Memorial Mass will be held 10:30 AM Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at All Saints Catholic Church with Reverend Father Michael Woods officiating. A reception and testimonials will be held following the service in the parish hall. Final interment will occur at Holy Cross Cemetery in Milwaukee. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Sylvia Hart Nursing Endowment for Student Scholarship or the Sylvia Hart Nursing Award Endowment for Student and Faculty Awards, c/o University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Nursing Development Office, 1200 Volunteer Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37996-4180. Online condolences may be sent to www.rosemortuary.com. Arrangements provided by Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel.

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Dr. Sylvia Elizabeth (Betty Lou) Hart, PhD

July 26, 1928 - March 29, 2016