Cox College leadership changes as healthcare alliance emerges
A leadership change has been announced for Cox College, which will eventually cease to exist as a standalone entity and will be absorbed into the new Alliance for Healthcare Education.
CoxHealth recently announced Amy Wutke, president of Cox College since 2017, will serve through June 21. She has accepted a job as president of Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences in Cincinnati.
Amy Townsend, vice president for student nursing and dean of institutional effectiveness at Cox College, will serve as the next president of the private college.
The decision to promote Townsend was made by the Cox College Board of Directors.
In the coming years, Cox College will cease to confer degrees in its name and will be completely absorbed by the Alliance for Healthcare Education — a partnership between CoxHealth, Missouri State University, Ozarks Technical Community College, and Springfield Public Schools.
Through the alliance, the partners will work together to expand the number of healthcare professionals educated and employed locally in a more efficient and less expensive way.
The plan calls for Cox College programs to eventually be absorbed by OTC and MSU.
The 70,000 square feet of classrooms, offices, and healthcare technology, equipment and laboratories the college currently occupies in the northeast corner of Cox North hospital will be used instead by students enrolled at MSU, OTC and possibly SPS.
In a news release, Wutke — who started working for Cox College in 2014, three years before being named president — was credited with leading the institution through significant growth.
During her tenure, the entire Springfield campus and simulation center was renovated and expanded, a Monett campus was established, new health science degree pathways were added, and the college became a doctoralgranting institution.
“Dr. Wutke's influence on Cox College, CoxHealth, and our community has been significant,” said Andy Hedgpeth,
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CoxHealth's vice president of human resources, in a news release. “Her leadership has shaped the lives of many students, and helped drive the next generation of our workforce.”
The News-Leader has left messages seeking comment from Wutke, who has a doctorate in education leadership and policy analysis from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
She was director of Springfield Catholic Schools from 2007 until she joined Cox College. During that time, she led a nearly $14 million renovation and expansion of the Springfield Catholic High School campus, expanded the preschool program, and added the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Elementary School.
Townsend, who will move into the president's job this summer has worked at Cox College since 2011, starting as a professor, department chair, and chief nurse administrator.
“Dr. Townsend has a proven track record of leading educational programs and developing effective solutions,” Hedgpeth said, in the release. “I am proud to welcome her to this role, and I know Cox College will continue to benefit from her expertise.”
Townsend is expected to oversee the absorption of Cox College into the alliance and then move to a new role, director of student experience at CoxHealth.