Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Simunek.
Hi Linda, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
On July 28, 1942, the year that Imperial Japan occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines., I was born in the city of San Jose, in the province of Nueva Ecija in Central Luzon, the youngest of 10 children. At that time, the Philippines was a protectorate of the United States, by virtue of the Tydings-McDuffie Act, or Philippine Independence Act, which allowed the establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines with a 10-year peaceful transition to full independence. The United States formally recognized the independence of the Philippines on July 4, 1946.
The Philippines is an island country of Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean… It is an archipelago consisting of about 7,640 .islands lying about 500 miles off the coast of Vietnam. The Philippines became a colony of Spain when explorer Ferdinand Magellan came to the islands in 1521 and claimed it as a colony for the Spanish Empire. In a nutshell, the Philippines was under “the monastery for 400 years and under Hollywood for nine years.” The country’s name is derived from the 16th century King Phillip II of Spain. The residue of the Hispanic influence is reflected in Filipino last names. I was baptized as a Catholic with the name “Erlinda de la Cruz Agustin”…
In April 1962, I graduated from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. At that time, I had two older brothers who were residing in Chicago. My immediate senior brother was a Veterinarian who was a research fellow at the University of Illinois. Thus, following in his footsteps, I came to the United States to pursue graduate studies in 1964.
While working full-time as an Operating Room nurse at Norwegian-American Hospital in Chicago, I was pursuing evening classes at the Downtown Campus of De Paul University, a Catholic private school. In one of my elective classes, a course on the Philosophy of American Higher Education, I came to know a classmate, Dennis Simunek, born and raised in Chicago, and an alumnus of the Art Institute of Chicago. Dennis and I both loved cultural events, museums, movies, air shows, and football. After dating for a year, Dennis and I were married at St. Richards Church in Chicago… While we were dating, I remarked to Dennis that “I came to America to study,” to which he responded, “You can study all you want..”
At that time, I was teaching at Michael Reese Hospital School of Nursing…
On June 24, 1968, our first child, a daughter, Diane Joy was born at Michael Reese Hospital. I continue to work and study part-time and earned my Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from De Paul University. Cognizant of my desire to focus on Nursing Education as my career pathway, II set my eyes to working in an academic setting within a University. I started working as an Assistant Professor of Nursing while contemporaneously studying part-time towards a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Educational Administration at Loyola University. I rose up from an Assistant Professor to a Department Chair and an Assistant Dean of Nursing. While serving as an Assistant Dean, I facilitated the onboarding of a new Dean of Nursing and in an “aha moment”, I said to myself: “If I can orient a new Dean to that position, I should be a Dean myself.”
On April 6, 1972, we were blessed with our son, Dean Edward, who was born in St. Edward’s Hospital in Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. In 1975, I was appointed as Dean of the School of Nursing at Lewis University, a Christian Brothers’ School., the first Asian to be appointed within the United States to serve in the role of a Dean of Nursing in a university setting.
On December 1, 1976, we welcomed our third child, Maureen Lynn., who was born at Hinsdale Hospital, also a western suburb of Chicago. That same month I received notification that I will be honored as a recipient of an: Outstanding Filipino Overseas Award”, with members of the Supreme Court of the Philippines serving as the Awards Committee. In a ceremony presided by then Honorable President Ferdinand Marcos at Malacanang Palace-the White House of the Philippines, I was honored as an “Outstanding Filipino Overseas in Education”. The entire Simunek family, including our newborn infant daughter traveled with me to the Philippines. We were hosted at Manila Hotel, Manila Hotel is a 550-room historic five-star hotel located along Manila Bay… We welcomed the new year 1977 in hotel festivities featuring Dionne Warwick, a legendary Black American singer and a first cousin of diva Whitney Houston.
In 1978, I earned a PhD degree from the Loyola University of Chicago. That same year, I was appointed by the then Honorable governor, James Thompson, to serve in the Illinois State Board of Nursing, the first Asian to serve in that capacity in the United States… A State Board of Nursing is a quasi-legislative and regulatory body that licenses, monitors, disciplines educates and when appropriate, rehabilitates its licensees to assure their fitness and competence in providing health care services to citizens. While serving on the Board of Nursing, I observed that members of the Board relied heavily on lawyers’ counsel in their deliberations. That insight served as an impetus for me to pursue a law degree to become a licensed attorney-at-law to enable me to teach nurses about potential legal liability in their nursing practice.
In 1980, I was recruited to establish a new baccalaureate nursing program at Edgewood College, Madison, Wisconsin. The nursing program at Edgewood College flourished and now offers not only baccalaureate in nursing degree but also doctoral degree in Nursing Practice as of 2021.
In 1981, I was appointed as Dean of Nursing at Chicago State University., a historically Black college. I provided leadership in earning the first accreditation of the nursing school. That same year, I was awarded a Distinguished Alumna Award by De Paul University of Chicago.
In 1982, I was recruited to serve as the founding dean of the School of Nursing at Florida International University (FIU). FIU is a top Hispanic-serving institution. In 1984, I started law studies at the University of Miami School of Law in Coral Gables, Florida, while serving as a full-time dean of nursing. My law studies required a daily commute to evening school for three years. In 1986, I passed both the Florida and Illinois bar examinations. In my service as founding dean of nursing at FIU, I provided leadership in the establishment and accreditation of the baccalaureate and master’s in nursing programs at FIU. I also served as a Consultant in Nursing Education to Kuwait University in the Middle East.
Starting in 1986, I served as pro bono Legal Counselor to the Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA) which has 55 chapters in the U.S. and over 5,000 members. I served as a Dean of Nursing at FIU until 1998. Desiring to have experience in a world-class research university, in 1999, I joined Purdue University in West Lafayette Indiana, as Associate Dean for the Schools of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and as Head of the School of Nursing. I established the graduate program in nursing at Purdue University-Lafayette and provided leadership in the continuing accreditation of the baccalaureate nursing and the master of nursing degree program. While at Purdue University, I made consultation visits to Agder University in Kristiansand, Norway, and at Peking University in China, and at Nova Southeastern University (NSU), in Davie, Florida… In 2002, while at Purdue University, I was awarded a summer internship at the Center of Ethics and Human Rights of the American Nurses Association, ANA, in Washington DC. I was also appointed to the Editorial Board of the Journal of Nursing Law.
In 2004-to the present, I am associated with Nova Southeastern University, a private university in South Florida. I served a Full Program Professor and Lead Faculty for Conflict Resolution at the Fischler College of Education for five years and as Executive Director for a $2.8 million dollar grant from the US Department of Education for the retention of Hispanic and minority students in the Doctor of Education program. At Nova Southeastern University (NSU). My service at NSU is punctuated by my establishing a new international nursing school at the island of St. Kitts and Nevis, West Indies, the Caribbean. in 2005, and in establishing a new baccalaureate nursing program at National University in Los Angeles, California in 2008 and at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Florida in 2015, and a law practice in personal injury in 2016. Currently, I serve as an Adjunct Faculty at NSU, primarily serving as a Dissertation Adviser in the Doctor of Education degree program.
In 2017, I was recruited to be the chief academic officer of a baccalaureate program in nursing at Broward College, with a title of Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, RN-BSN Program, a position I currently hold in 2021. I also teach courses at Broward College on Ethical and Legal Aspects of Nursing and Principles of Leadership and Nursing Management. At Broward College…
in sum, the centerpiece of my professional contribution to the advancement of the nursing profession is the establishment of four new nursing programs in the United States and one in the Caribbean, thereby contributing to the continual infusion of highly competent professional nurses in the workforce. I also serve as a role model for lifelong learning and the promotion of social justice to other minority and immigrant nurses.
I will continue my duty to serve the larger community through scholarly publications, professional presentation, teaching law and ethics to nurses., and the administration of a baccalaureate nursing program for licensed nurses with earned Associate of Science in Nursing degree. I served on the Board of the Florida Initiative for Suicide Prevention and currently with the Board of Haitian Alliance Nurses Association International, Alliance for Nurturing the Aged and Youth (NANAY, and as a pro bono Legal Counselor of the Philippine Nurses Association of South Florida.
On the personal side, my husband and I raised a multicultural family with six grandchildren and one great grand-daughter… Dennis and I have been married for 54 years. At the age of 79, I am grateful to still be working full-time. Our oldest grandson is completing a PhD degree at the University of Central Florida. Our oldest granddaughter is graduating with a law degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder on May 21, 2021. I am looking forward to writing a memoir of my odyssey in America with the title of “A Life Examined: To more Good Times: Res Ipsa Loquitor.”.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I came to America at a time when there were racial tensions rising from prejudice and inequity. In the early 60’s Filipino nurses comprised 75% of foreign-educated nurses. A majority of the nurses were participants in the U.S. Exchange Program… The initial migration of exchange Filipino nurses was the unintended although historically significant outcome of U.S. cold war agenda to combat Soviet propaganda and post-World War II labor changes contributing to the nursing workforce shortage in the U.S.
The Civil Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964., which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin. Despite the provisions of this act, there were subtle and passive ways of discrimination of foreign-born nurses in the U.S. When I first explored administrative positions in nursing, I met with some resistance, which I felt were duly attributable to my national origin.
It was through grit, persistence and faith in my own abilities that propelled me in seeking administrative roles in nursing education.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What sets me apart from others in the early to mid-stage of my professional life as a nursing educator is the fact that I had the audacity to apply for administrative roles. I specialized in developing skill sets on how to provide leadership in earning professional accreditation for nursing programs and in serving in a “founding role” of nursing programs in Wisconsin, Florida, Indiana, California. and the Caribbean. All the schools I have established have transformed into quality nursing programs offering all levels of nursing education from the baccalaureate to the doctoral level. Regrettably, the nursing school I founded in the federation of S, Kitts-Nevis was transformed into a medical school because the predominant number of nursing school students could not get visas to complete their degrees in the United States. The international nursing school’s program of clinical studies was based on the premise that students will transfer to the U.S. to complete their nursing degrees.
My law degree enables me to make scholarly presentations on issues dealing with legal and ethical issues impacting on nursing practice, as well as in teaching a course on the ethical and legal aspects of professional nursing…
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My advice to those who are just starting out is to “know thyself”.. Know what energizes and satisfies you in your work and personal life, Set a goal and be steadfast in achieving your goal.
