Dr. Melanie D. Logue, who got her start in nursing as a student at Grand Canyon University, taught in its Family Nurse Practitioner Program and chaired the university’s Doctor of Nursing Practice, has been named dean of the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions.
GCU President Brian Mueller and Provost Dr. Hank Radda announced Logue’s appointment following a six-month national search that drew a competitive field of stellar candidates.
The announcement comes in what is shaping up to be the biggest year ever at GCU, as the school invests a record $200 million in new classrooms, laboratories, dormitories and technologies for its educational infrastructure.
Logue, a 44-year-old Arizona native who grew up in GCU’s west Phoenix neighborhood and earned the first of her four nursing degrees at the university, was head-and-shoulders above the rest in her professional and academic skills, Radda said.
“Melanie came from Grand Canyon, she made a name for herself in practice, and then she continued her education by earning a master’s degree from Arizona State University and two doctoral degrees from the University of Arizona,” he said. “And now she’s returned home and has shown a great passion for the heart of GCU and its nursing program.”
As GCU’s Interim Chief Nurse Administrator for the past six months, Logue earned the respect and trust of nursing faculty, staff and students, and has demonstrated the character, poise and thoughtfulness that are trademarks of successful leaders, Radda said. Furthermore, Logue is a leader in local, state and national nursing circles with numerous appointments to organizations that are charged with steering the profession’s future.
“The College of Nursing and Health Care Professions has for 30 years been producing the most qualified, the most knowledgeable, the most caring nurses in the country, and we look at Melanie as the person who can best guide us as we continue to innovate nursing over the next three decades.”
Logue said she was thrilled to be at the helm of the nursing college, where she will set the tone for its 69 faculty and staff, and nearly 13,000 students.
“I’ve got a great team, and I’m really excited and blessed to lead them, to continue to succeed and to move us into the next generation of nursing education,” she said. “As someone who went to school here, I am GCU, I love nursing and I couldn’t be happier.”
Logue graduated from GCU in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, then worked for more than 20 years in the field, starting out as a pediatric nurse and finishing as a family nurse practitioner. She taught nursing courses at GCU from 2007-2011, and returned to the university in January 2014 to launch the nursing college’s Doctor of Nursing Practice.
Logue has a Master of Science in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner from Arizona State University and a dual Ph.D. and Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Arizona’s College of Nursing. There, for two years, she was a clinical professor and an academic fellow in the Health Outcomes and Practice Effectiveness Research Center.
She has done grant-funded research on integrative medicine, completed several scholarly projects and has published more than a dozen academic papers.
Logue also has demonstrated a passion for nurses in her community, state and country.
She is the newly elected president of the Nu Upsilon chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. She was president of the nurse educator chapter of the Arizona Nurses Association (ANA) and an appointed member of the Arizona Board of Nursing Advanced Practice Committee.
As Arizona’s state representative to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners, Logue is a liaison between the national and state nurse practitioner organizations. She also is an AANP Fellow, in recognition as a nurse-practitioner leader who has made outstanding contributions to health care in research and policy. She was cited for being an expert clinician and patient advocate in the areas of health information technologies and Medicaid extension, for her service on the ANA Public Policy Committee and for championing nurse practitioners and improved patient outcomes.
Logue has always believed that GCU set her on the path to serving her local community, and she said her clinical experiences inspired her research interests in preventing disability and improving health outcomes in vulnerable populations.
