SMU Professors Hope Milestone Promotions Will Spur Greater Diversity

Two women who became the first African Americans to earn the title of full professor at Samuel Merritt University (SMU) hope their historic promotions will encourage students of color to pursue healthcare education.

Nursing Professors Michelle DeCoux Hampton, PhD, and Paulina Van, PhD, say their academic advancements can help boost diversity efforts underway at the University and serve as a model of success for underrepresented students.

“I am very proud of these faculty members for their accomplishments and the leadership they have demonstrated at Samuel Merritt University,” said SMU President Sharon Diaz.  “Both women have overcome significant challenges long faced by people of color in higher education to enter the professoriate and to achieve career advancement. This must change if we are to reduce healthcare disparities and reap the profound benefits of greater inclusion.”

Hampton, the director of SMU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program, said that when she began teaching at the University in 2005 she felt uneasy about the lack of Hispanic and African American students on campus. Since then, she said she has witnessed a growing diversity.

“I hope my presence here is something that the students of color can see, and in seeing me in my role can feel like they belong here as well,” she said.

Hampton attributes the positive changes in recent years to the work of SMU’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion as well as an increased focus in admissions on recruiting underrepresented students and using holistic methods that look beyond test scores and grade point averages.

Recognizing the vital role that a diverse health care workforce plays in reducing healthcare disparities, the University adopted a Diversity Plan in 2012 that called for increasing the number of underrepresented students to at least 25 percent of the total enrollment. Hispanic students now represent more than 17 percent and African Americans account for just over 4 percent of students enrolled across all five SMU healthcare programs, according to enrollment statistics compiled by SMU’s Office of Institutional Research and Evaluation.

“I always would like to see more,” said Hampton, a former fellow of the American Nurses Association Minority Fellowship Program who previously worked in a variety of mental health programs in administrative and direct care positions.

Van, who teaches in pre-licensure and doctoral nursing programs, said she views her promotion to full professor as an acknowledgement of her contributions to the nursing profession, SMU, and the community at large.

“Being part of the history of Samuel Merritt University and a role model are what grab me the most about earning this designation,” said Van.

In a career that has included administrative positions for Bay Area hospitals, universities and the California Department of Health Services, Van said she spent many years being the only person of color in a nurse executive leadership role in those organizations.

“I’m used to cracking ceilings, and also feel a responsibility toward students who want to see people who look like them when they come to an institution,” she said.

Van began teaching at SMU in 2007. After leaving the University on a two-year hiatus, she returned in 2014 and said she received a warm welcome from the SMU community.

“It was really like coming home,” said Van, who was voted president of the faculty in 2015. She said that she mentors her colleagues to help them understand how to best support students and faculty of color.

Both Van and Hampton acknowledge that their promotions are a milestone for SMU.

 “It’s long-awaited, and I’m ecstatic it’s happening,” said Van.