Published on October 28, 2020  

Melondie Reeves Carter, RN, Ph.D., has been named dean of Samford University’s Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing effective July 1, 2021. The appointment was announced Oct. 28 by Samford Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs J. Michael Hardin.

Carter, an accomplished administrator and educator, comes to Samford from the Capstone College of Nursing at The University of Alabama, where she currently serves as assistant dean of undergraduate programs and professor.

Photo of Melondie Carter

“We are extremely pleased to have Dr. Melondie Carter join the leadership team at Samford University,” said Hardin. “Her extensive experience in all aspects of nursing education will be a tremendous asset to Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing. With her strong Christian faith and background in the development of wellness programs, she is the right person at the right time to be our next dean of nursing.”

Previously, Carter served for five years as the assistant director of the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness at The University of Alabama, where she co-developed the WellBAMA health screening program. Thousands of University of Alabama employees have participated in the onsite screening and health promotion program. Carter also maintained a worksite wellness faculty practice for 10 years in Sumter County, Alabama.

Carter earned both her Ph.D. in community mental health with a functional role of nursing service administration and her M.S.N. in adult health nursing with a functional role in nursing education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She received her B.S.N. degree from Troy University. Carter has received multiple awards and recognitions for her teaching and service, including the Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award from the National Alumni Association of The University of Alabama and the Outstanding Nurse Educator/Academe Award from the Alabama State Nurses’ Association in 2000. She has participated in numerous grant-funded projects and has authored an impressive list of scholarly publications and presentations.

For nearly 100 years, Samford’s Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing has equipped students with the knowledge, critical thinking and practice skills needed to effectively care for patients in a variety of clinical settings. Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing currently boasts an enrollment of 900 students within its three certificate programs and 16 academic programs with degree pathways at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level. Graduates consistently achieve impressive employment rates, certification and licensure pass rates that exceed national averages.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.