Sharon Chappy

Sharon Chappy earned a BSN in secondary healthcare from UW-Madison, an MSN in primary healthcare with an educator focus from UW Oshkosh, and a doctorate in women’s health and perioperative issues from UW-Milwaukee. During her career at UW Oshkosh, Sharon served as an associate professor, associate dean, and graduate program director in the College of Nursing. She left UW Oshkosh in 2014 to become the Dean of the School of Nursing at Concordia University.

While at UW Oshkosh, Sharon, along with three others, founded the Accelerated Nursing Program, which was the first program in the country to allow individuals with a bachelor’s degree to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 12 months. Sharon was named a Wisconsin Idea Fellow in 2004 and received the Edward M. Penson Faculty Award in 2007.

She established the Willard and Margaret Blanke Nursing Scholarship, named after her parents, to honor parents and grandparents who instill the value of education in their family. As a laborer, Willard Blanke had to quit high school to work on the family farm during the depression. After marrying Margaret and starting their own business, they raised four children and gave unending love to them and their six grandchildren. They wanted their children and grandchildren to have more than they did. They never stopped teaching the value of education and achieving success, whatever that was perceived to be. Proudly, their family boasts three members with Ph.D. degrees, one with a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree, two with master’s degrees, and two with bachelor’s degrees.