NUR 811  Philosophical Influences on Nursing Science
NUR 812  Knowledge and Theory Development in Nursing
NUR 816  Foundations of Nursing Education
NUR 818  Leadership in Higher Education

Susan Sweat Gunby is Professor of Nursing at Mercer University’s Georgia Baptist College of Nursing in Atlanta, Georgia and Adjunct Professor of Family Medicine with the Mercer University School of Medicine. For over 40 years, Dr. Gunby has been a leader in nursing education in both the School of Nursing and the College of Nursing at Georgia Baptist. She established the first Nursing Leadership and Management course in the School of Nursing in the 1978 and served as its Chair for a number of years. Dr. Gunby was the Director and later the Dean of Georgia Baptist School of Nursing from January 1, 1986 through March 1992 (when the diploma school was closed). From 1989 through December 2000, she served as the President of Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, the first independent college of nursing accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In January 2001, the College of Nursing merged with Mercer University and Dr. Gunby assumed the position of Dean of the College of Nursing. Under her leadership, the College of Nursing earned accreditation status from multiple accrediting entities and became a nationally-renowned college of nursing acclaimed for its emphasis upon excellence. Additionally, under her leadership, the College of Nursing created a MSN program and a PhD in Nursing program.  

Dr. Gunby served two terms on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s program committee for the Executive Development Series, is currently a member of the Georgia Board of Nursing’s Education Committee, past President of the Georgia League for Nursing, and a member of the Editorial Review Board for the International Journal for Human Caring.

She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Georgia Center for Oncology Research and Education.

She is actively involved in the activities of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and served a two year term on the Sigma Theta Tau International’s Chief Nursing Officers and Deans Advisory Council to the Board of Directors. And, she served on the Chapter Leadership and Mentoring Task Force for Sigma Theta Tau International.

Dr. Gunby is a peer reviewer for the Journal of Nursing Scholarship.

Dr. Gunby is a distinguished speaker at state, national, and international meetings and is well-known for her expertise in pain and suffering.  She is a strong supporter of student leadership development, and was awarded the “2006 Leader of Leaders Award” from the National Students Nurses Association.

Dr. Gunby's clinical specialty area is adult health nursing.  She has focused her research, publications, and presentations on the concepts of pain and suffering, ethics, legal issues in higher education, qualitative research, philosophical and knowledge development in nursing, current issues confronting the nursing profession, and historical perspectives of nursing.