By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – For decades, Dr. Crystal Bennett has been caring for others around her in the medical field. Now, she is leading the next generation of healthcare professionals as the inaugural dean of the University of Montevallo’s College of Health Professions.

“From being a teen volunteer in a children’s hospital to becoming a registered nurse with 20 years of experience teaching in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs, Dr. Crystal Bennett is passionate about preparing students for successful healthcare careers,” read a statement from the University of Montevallo.

Bennett grew up in Pensacola, Florida where she became interested in nursing after witnessing her grandmother receiving care at a nursing home. She then was a teen candy striper in a children’s hospital, and grew into the role that she now holds at UM after decades of nursing experience.

She previously served at the University of West Florida, where she was the director of the School of Nursing and an assistant professor of clinical practice. Bennett’s son, Preston, is a junior track and field athlete at UM, granting her a personal connection to the campus.

Bennett traces her nursing roots back to her experiences as a candy striper and with her grandmother.

“They called them candy stripers because we wore a candy-cane striped outfit, and I started volunteering at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Pensacola, so that’s where I was first drawn to healthcare in general,” Bennett said. “I also visited my grandmother a lot in a nursing home and observed people caring for her… holding her hand, helping to feed her, brushing her hair, helping her to get dressed…that’s just something different than doing a job that puts you behind a desk.”

Bennett has held a bevy of different roles in her career, and talked about what inspired the transition from being a nursed educator to becoming the inaugural dean of the College of Health Professions at UM.

“I never imagined myself leaving Pensacola,” Bennett said. “My son being a student at Montevallo is what initially drew me to explore this as a potential career job. I really fell in love with (UM) on the very first visit.”

Bennett was and still is heavily inspired by her time witnessing the compassionate care being applied to her grandmother, adding that it informs her career to this day.

“We need to ensure we are preparing our nurses and anybody in healthcare to better care for our older adult population in particular,” Bennett said. “That really kind of ignited a new passion in me to focus on our care of older adults.”

Looking to the future, Bennett outlined her vision for the College of Health Professions in the first years of her tenure.

“Montevallo is known to be an arts university,” Bennett said. “I want to be recognized as having health professional programs that are high quality, that are preparing students to deliver care to communities and populations in the state of Alabama. For me, that’s what I really want to be known for. We might be small, but we’re mighty over here in Montevallo… Just because we’re small doesn’t mean that we are not providing the same high-caliber (healthcare) educational opportunities for our students.”

Bennett broke down the specific goals she wants to achieve in her new role.

“One of (my goals) is interprofessional collaboration,” Bennett said. “We’re going to be adding social work and speech language pathology under our umbrella come August. We’re already having discussions about interprofessional collaboration.”

Bennett added that community engagement is a core pillar of the College of Health Professions.

“It’s really getting out there into the community, ensuring that students and faculty are present,” Bennett said. “If we can deliver healthcare services by partnering with a clinical partner, that would be wonderful. That’s the dream, to go to where the people are.”

Bennett’s extensive experience at the University of West Florida prepared her for the role she now serves in at UM, emphasizing the importance of collaboration.

“I’m going to look at the initiatives that worked well at UW and scale it to where it could hopefully be successful here at Montevallo,” Bennett said. “I came from a place where I was already collaborating with similar disciplines that we have here at Montevallo… you can’t function in a silo, you have to be willing to work as a team player… I understand the challenges of leading a large program, and look forward to the opportunities here (at UM).”

Bennett’s unique perspective as a parent of a student at UM has shaped her understanding of the university’s culture and student life.

“As a parent, you always want your children to feel like they belong in a place, especially when they’re away from home,” Bennett said. “What I think makes (UM) unique is that the faculty know their students. They don’t just know their name, they know about them. The can tell when they’re not having a good day.”

The empathetic qualities of being an educator, Bennett believes, make for an effective leader in higher education.

“First of all, you have to be a good listener,” Bennett said. “As leaders, we have to be willing to listen to the people we serve… You definitely need to be flexible. You need to be able to pivot when challenges or change occurs… You have to be willing to accept the defeats when they come.”

Bennett wants the legacy of the College of Health Professions to be a school that pours back into the state of Alabama as a whole.

“I really want (our graduates) to contribute to workforce needs within the state of Alabama and to also be known as a caring group of individuals that are respectful and truly care for others,” Bennett said. “That is extremely important to me.”

Bennett concluded by giving advice to aspiring healthcare professionals, outlining how to succeed in an ever-evolving industry.

“I would say early on, in middle school or even fifth grade, start to think about what you are passionate about,” Bennett said. “What’s going to get me up in the morning… explore that passion. It’s important at an early age to explore career options… see if you can shadow somebody to learn about what a career might look like.”

Bennett aims to continue to lead with forward thinking and compassionate care, directing UM into a new chapter of a growing emphasis on healthcare and leadership.

For more information on the UM’s College of Health Professions, visit Montevallo.edu/program/nursing.