A Leader Whose Light Can Never Be Replaced”
Today, we mourn the heartbreaking loss of Linda Scott, the eighth dean of the UW School of Nursing, who passed away at the age of 69. Though many may not have known her name, her influence was immense, far-reaching, and deeply woven into the fabric of nursing education across the nation. She was a leader whose vision reshaped the future of healthcare and whose dedication strengthened programs that continue to save countless lives. Her passing feels unbearably heavy for all who knew her, worked alongside her, or benefitted from her tireless service to the nursing profession. In a world that often overlooks the quiet heroes, Linda Scott was one of the brightest among them.
“A Nurse, A Teacher, A Champion for Better Care”
Linda Scott devoted her life to nursing—one of the most demanding and selfless callings a person can choose. From 2016 to 2025, she served as dean of the UW School of Nursing, where she built programs that elevated the school’s national reputation and expanded opportunities for students, faculty, and staff. What she accomplished was not simply administrative success; it was transformation. She strengthened the school’s research efforts, ensuring that discoveries made in Wisconsin would ripple outward and improve patient outcomes across the country. Her commitment to rigorous training, compassionate care, and inclusive education shaped an entire generation of nurses—nurses who will go on to heal, comfort, advocate, and save lives because she believed in their potential.
Her work was not loud or flashy. It was steady, brilliant, and driven by her belief that the world becomes better when the people caring for others are trained, supported, and valued. At a moment in history when education is too often criticized, misunderstood, or devalued, Linda Scott stood as proof that true leadership in education still exists. She was a reminder that there are people devoted to lifting others up, to guiding institutions forward, and to improving the lives of those they will never even meet.
“A Legacy Written in Every Life She Helped Save”
The loss of Linda Scott is more than the passing of a dean or an educator—it is the dimming of a light that guided thousands. Those who knew her speak of her warmth, her humility, and her fierce dedication to the nursing profession. She worked not for recognition, but for impact. And she achieved it. Every nurse who learned under her leadership, every researcher who found support through her vision, every patient who received better care because of her programs—each of them carries a piece of her legacy forward.
Her life’s work is not gone; it lives on in every hospital hallway, every classroom, every clinic, and every community touched by nurses she helped train. While the world may move quickly past names it doesn’t recognize, those within the nursing community know exactly what has been lost—a champion, a believer, and a builder of better futures.