Susan (Gebhardt) Taylor
Susan (Gebhardt) Taylor
From the beginning, Susan Taylor was a natural leader in the School due to her expert power and skills of persuasion. For 24 years, she served an exemplary role model for what it means to be a faculty member at a research intensive university. She consistently demonstrated excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.
As a master teacher, her knowledge of the ethics and philosophies undergirding health care decision making was phenomenal. Taylor would leave students spellbound as she brought historical and current cases to life as the context for examining underlying ethical principles.
Class assignments were developed to ensure students not only understood the assigned material but that they were able to articulate the strengths and limitations of ethical frameworks as the basis for decision making.
Taylor moved beyond the usual superficial rubric based on having the "right" answer in her classroom in her system of grading assignments. And it came as no surprise that Taylor's expertise in teaching was acknowledged by the University in 1996 when she received the Kemper Fellowship Award for Teaching Excellence.
"Opportunities to discuss student papers with Dr. Taylor significantly enriched my ability to push my own students beyond regurgitating information to critically analyzing materials and articulating original scholarly ideas in writing," says JoAnne Banks-Wallace, former instructor at the School.
Many say her relentless efforts to ensure that nursing theory remained the foundation for nursing practice and research was critical to the survival of nursing discipline.
She is widely recognized, both nationally and internationally, as an expert on nursing theory, in general, and Orem's Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory (S-CDNT), specifically. In a major curricular revision, Taylor was a critical resource when the School's faculty incorporated S-CDNT as the theoretical framework for the undergraduate curriculum in the 1970s.
The significance of her contributions was evident as the School developed a reputation as a leader. The School's use of S-CDNT in education was first in the state of Missouri and eventually throughout the nation and beyond.
"Many of our graduates integrated the theory into their practice in various health care delivery settings. Masters' students used the theory as a framework for their theses," says Shirley Farrah, assistant dean of nursing outreach. "This would not have happened, perhaps at all and certainly not as easily, without the on-going guidance and support of Sue Taylor."
Her influence and legacy extends far beyond the walls of the School and the Mizzou campus. Next to the theorist for whom the S-CDNT is named, Dorothea Orem, Taylor is arguably the next most recognized expert in the development and use of the theory. She has been involved in international endeavors to help nurses use the theory in their own countries.
"As a leader in the nursing profession, Taylor challenged the sacrosanct, deftly argued either side of an issue and challenged both students and peers to account for their views on the world," Farrah continues. "Every graduate student needs at least one ‘Sue Taylor' in their academic program to raise the bar and challenge them to surpass anything they thought they could do."
Throughout her career, Taylor mentored others through effective communication - allowing essential elements to be framed, supported and argued through until clarity is achieved. In a non-threatening way, she proposes "jumping off" points for tackling issues or clarifying meaningful purposes.
"To this day, Dr. Taylor and I schedule breakfast meetings where she provides insight and mentoring directed at understanding and improving hospital/clinic patient safety and quality improvement," says Karen Cox, PhD, RN, quality improvement and patient safety manager for University of Missouri Health Care. "Her continued willingness to work with me coupled with her extraordinary interests and experience provides me the continued opportunity of being mentored by a true sage."
Taylor's peers recognized her contributions to nursing when they inducted her as a Fellow in the prestigious American Academy of Nursing. She is also a long-time member of the Missouri Nurses Association, Midwest Bioethics Center board as well as a founding member of the International Orem Society for Nursing Science and Scholarship.
During her time at the School, Taylor also served as the president of the graduate faculty senate and as chair of the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee. Her leadership in the Title IX implementation elevated women's athletics to its present status in the University system.
"She is first and foremost a professional nurse, a consummate educator and concerned friend. She's helped nurses expand their knowledge and expertise for their personal enhancement and for the advancement of the nursing profession," says Caroline Davis, former School faculty member.
Taylor retired from MU in 2000 with emeritus status and is receiving the Nursing Alumni Organization's 2009 Honorary Alumni Award. This award is given to an individual who is not a graduate of the school, but has demonstrated a continued interest toward enhancing the school's reputation. They have also shown outstanding achievement in nursing or support for the nursing profession.