Three decades of service

CCRHS DEAN DR. DON SAMPLES RETIRES

Dr. Don Samples, Dean of the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences (CCRHS), retired from his role in 2022 after serving at East Tennessee State University for more than 30 years.

In addition to his years of service on faculty and in administration, Samples is a four-time alumnus of ETSU, earning degrees in business administration, respiratory therapy, adult education, and educational leadership and policy analysis.

The ETSU community gathered to celebrate his retirement on August 15, 2022.

Samples spent 23 years of his tenure serving in administrative roles. He was Chair of the Department of Allied Health for nine years and spent five years as the college’s Associate Dean of Academics before becoming Dean in 2013. Within the college, he oversaw the transition of the social work program into the college, and he led the recent development of several new academic programs, including the Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitative Health Sciences and the Doctor of Occupational Therapy.

He helped convert the Respiratory Therapy and Radiography programs from associate degree programs to baccalaureate programs and developed B.S. completion programs for both offerings. Also during that time, he developed the proposal and the curriculum for the Allied Health Leadership Program. Later, he did the same for the Master of Science in Allied Health, which is the only M.S. in Allied Health in the state and is also offered completely online.

In addition to leading the college through several successful reaccreditation site visits, he served on several outside boards, including acting as a committee member of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs and President of the Committee on Accreditation for Polysomnography Education. He was also a site visitor for Respiratory Therapy and Sleep programs accreditation.

Dr. Samples’ legacy also includes the implementation of nearly $7 million in facility improvement projects. These include renovation of the Physical Therapy program space, Nave Center renovations, Dental Hygiene Clinic facility improvements, and renovations to the first floor of Building 2 on the VA campus for the occupational therapy program.

Williams appointed Interim Dean

Dr. A. Lynn Williams was appointed Interim Dean of the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences (CCRHS) upon the retirement of Dr. Don Samples.

Williams had served as CCRHS Associate Dean for Academic Affairs since 2014 and has been a Professor in the ETSU Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology since 1995. During her time at ETSU, she has been a strong leader and advocate, not only for CCRHS programs, but also for ETSU’s commitment to interprofessional education.

In addition to her administrative work, Williams is a clinical scientist with interests in models of assessment and intervention of communication disorders in children, as well in translational research and implementation science. She also served as the 2021 President of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, which is one of the 10 largest professional or trade associations in the U.S. with over 223,000 members.