Rate My Professor Lisa Rettenmeier

Lisa Rettenmeier, Ed.D., serves as Chair and Professor of Nursing at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa. She earned her Doctor of Education with a specialization in Administrator Leadership for Teaching and Learning from Walden University in 2012, a Master of Science in Nursing from Clarke College, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Mount Mercy College in 1992. With over two decades of experience in higher education, Rettenmeier advanced from Associate Professor of Nursing to her current position as Chair of Nursing and Health since 2021. She instructs core courses in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, such as nursing research, advanced research, nursing theory and leadership, and nursing statistics. Her professional philosophy underscores holistic nursing care: "I believe that nursing is not only about teaching skills, nursing is about caring for whole person, the body, mind, and spirit. Nurses are driven intrinsically by 'the virtues of serving, caring, respecting, empowering, and helping without asking for anything in return'."

Rettenmeier's academic interests include nursing research, education, leadership, theory, administration, community health nursing, clinical teaching, and statistics. Her publications feature "Conducting Research During Disasters" (Annual Review of Nursing Research, 2012; co-authored with Roberta Proffitt Lavin and others) and "Reconsidering 'Special Needs' Populations During a Disaster" (2012). Her doctoral dissertation, "The Association of Mentorships and Leadership Practices with Nursing Faculty Retention" (Walden University, 2011), examines mentorship's role in faculty retention. A Certified Nurse Educator, she is among approximately 4,000 nationwide holding this distinction. In 2025, she received Clarke University's Meneve Dunham Award for Excellence in Teaching, honoring her embodiment of teaching excellence after three years of service. Students describe her as always available, approachable, kind, supportive, firm, and an infectious role model. As Chair, she led the Nursing department in obtaining major grants totaling over $127,000 from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust and the SC Ministry Foundation in 2025 to renovate the simulation lab, upgrading mannequins and software for enhanced training. She also oversees clinical adjunct faculty recruitment and contributes to convocation addresses and program milestones.