Nebraska Methodist College President/CEO to Retire in 2017

Omaha - Dennis Joslin, Ph.D., will retire from his position as president and CEO of Nebraska Methodist College effective July 31, 2017. Dr. Joslin has served Nebraska Methodist College for the past 41 years after beginning his career in healthcare as a critical care staff nurse.

Joslin then moved into teaching as a faculty member at Methodist School of Nursing. Prior to becoming president and CEO he held many positions within the college including executive vice president, vice president of academic affairs, dean of academic affairs and director of curriculum.

Joslin earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Iowa, his Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and his Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Throughout his career, Joslin has promoted the expansion of roles and education for nursing and allied health professionals. As one of the first men to enter nursing in the 1970s, Joslin saw the need for an expanding number of male nurses. The promotion of nursing as a profession for men is something that Joslin continues to support through his participation as a charter member in the Nebraska Chapter of the American Association for Men in Nursing.

Under Joslin’s executive stewardship, the college experienced substantial transformation which included the first capital campaign for the college, the design, construction and opening of a state-of-the-art campus, annual record enrollments for each of the past 15 years (resulting in nearly tripling enrollment to 1,100 students), the launching of degree offerings at the doctoral level and the expansion of offerings at the master’s, bachelor’s and associate’s degree levels as well as several certificate level offerings. To ensure that the college’s mission of “promoting the health and well-being of the community” is realized, the college has developed numerous partnerships throughout the community to extend the reach of NMC students, faculty and staff.

“The growth we’ve established, along with our consistently high job placement rates, lend credence to the idea that we are a premier school in the Omaha area for a healthcare education,” said Dr. Joslin.

Deb Carlson, Ph.D., executive vice president, will assume the position of president and CEO on Aug. 1, 2017. The Nebraska Methodist College Board of Directors unanimously selected her to succeed Joslin as the next president.

Carlson has been with NMC for 14 years and has served as a faculty member in the Arts and Sciences division, president of the Faculty Senate, director of the Office of Institutional Research, vice president of operations and, for the past three years, executive vice president.

“Dr. Carlson is an outstanding educator and administrator who brings over 20 years of higher education experience from the University of Nebraska and Wayne State College,” said Joslin of his successor. “As a cognitive psychologist, she really understands people and excels in organizational development, strategic planning and accreditation. Deb is committed to serving the community with a focus on community-based healthcare, a direct reflection of the mission of the college.”