Andrea Koepke
Dean, School of Nursing
Hospitals are full of instruments. Stethoscopes dangle from the necks of doctors and IVs swing from stands. But the most important instrument a doctor or nurse can possess is their own heart, full of the desire to help others live healthy lives. Anyone who has spent time in a hospital as a patient or visitor knows that a nurse’s kind and giving heart makes all the difference. But have you ever wondered whether nurses are born with generous hearts—or if that instrument is a gift passed down by the example of others? Dr. Andrea Koepke shows that good nurses learn from even better nurses. At AU, nursing students learn the art of kindness from models like Koepke, Dean of the School of Nursing. While she regrets that she doesn’t get to spend as much time with the students, her concern for them skims the surface of a compassionate, driven woman who gives her all to help people in her community.
Koepke’s interest in nursing started early in life. Like many in her field, she experienced a health event at a very young age which inspired her to want to join the medical field. A nurse, she said, "was something I always wanted to be." She started her work in the field in 1973, serving at Community Hospital after moving to the Anderson area with her husband. She taught nursing full-time at AU from 1979 until 2000, when she took an administrative role as chair of the department. Although she only teaches a few classes now, she stays as close as possible to the nursing students. "I enjoy seeing students change and develop into professional people," she explained. She holds her students to high standards of ethics and morality, but also expects them to "be interested in learning" and open to change. One way she continues to work with students is through Tri-S. Beginning at spring break, Koepke will lead 12 students on a trip to South Korea, where they will serve the children of an orphanage for the physically, mentally, and emotionally disabled.
As much as she contributes to her students’ growth as nurses, she also acknowledges the great benefit provided for her by the AU community. "It’s a learning environment for me," Koepke said. She enjoys the opportunity to work across disciplines; she has a number of close friends who teach in other subjects, which she finds "stimulating." She has not only made an impact on the campus of AU, but also the larger Anderson community. She serves as the Chair of the Board for the Madison County Community Health Center, which focuses on providing healthcare for the underprivileged residents in the local community.
Koepke, who now lives in Noblesville with her husband, Ron, an engineer, also has a proud family story. Her daughter Laura Koepke Albrecht was recently married and works in the field of finance in Chicago, IL. Her son, Todd, a Carmel resident, works in sales. As Koepke continues her work to help the people of her community, her ‘heart of kindness’ will be passed down as an heirloom to aspiring nursing students and to her family. Some instruments aren’t just for the hospital.
