FSU Honors Retirees with Reception

Fourteen Fairmont State University employees were honored during the annual Retiree Reception on April 30.

Faculty, staff, retired FSU and Pierpont Community & Technical College employees and the community gathered in the Turley Center Ballroom to honor 2009-2010 retirees. Dr. Tom Krepel, FSU President, presented the retirees with individual plaques for their years of service to higher education.

The following faculty members were among the retirees:

Gary Bolyard, Assistant Professor of Technology, Department of Technology, 1984-2009

Gary Bolyard received his B.A. from Fairmont State College and his M.A. in Technology Education from West Virginia University. He taught in the public schools in West Virginia for 15 years prior to coming to Fairmont State in 1984. He has taught Manufacturing, Construction, Transportation, Communication, Tech Design & Problem Solving, Technology & Society, Control Technology, Organization Administration and Methods courses. He has participated in several grant projects, including developing high school Technology Education curriculum for the West Virginia Department of Education, working with WVU and California University of Pennsylvania on the Appalachian Technology Education Consortium project funded by the United States Office of Education where eight concept based Technology/Math/Science teacher directed learning modules were published, and running an Electric Powered Vehicle Project for Allegheny Energy Company in which he drove an electric vehicle produced by the Ford Motor Company in the 1994 American Tour De Sol Electric Vehicle Race. His team placed first of 63 entries. His most recent grant was to set up a design and production center at Fairmont State University for the Formula One in Schools project. He has also presented at numerous WVTEA state and ITEA national Technology Education conferences and workshops. Gary's family includes his wife, Cathy, and a daughter, Leigh Anne, who is a recent graduate in Music Education from Fairmont State University.

Joseph Larry, Associate Professor of Psychology, Department of Behavioral Science, 1974-2010

Joe Larry began his undergraduate work at WVU in 1959, then served with the U.S. Army from 1961 to 1964. While in Europe with the military, he continued taking college courses and finished his bachelor's degree and then his master's degree in social work in 1971. He is married and has three children. Joe worked with Catholic Charities and the state Department of Health and Human Services from 1969 to 1973 and was employed by Fairmont State in 1974 to assist in the development and accreditation of a federally funded social work program. He served as director of the newly developed social work program for four years, during which time he advised and guided students through the program, provided practicum opportunities and worked with community agencies to make the program the best of possible experiences for his students. After federal funding ceased and the program closed at Fairmont State, Joe continued for six years to provide workshops and learning opportunities for community human service professionals. Working with West Virginia University's Center on Aging, Joe also established an undergraduate certificate in gerontology at Fairmont State. He edited and wrote a sociology workbook, titled "Private Greed vs. Public Need: Contemporary Issues in Social Problems," published by Ginn Press. He has been a member on numerous committees and panels, including the Advising Council, Student Grade Appeals, College Action for the Community; and he served as coordinator for college volunteers serving in the Marion County area. He recently initiated a 2+2 program in social work that he coordinates while serving as an instructor for classes in sociology, social problems, social psychology and psychology of aging. He has taught numerous other courses and been involved in many academic and community efforts to improve the quality of learning and life. He was nominated for the Outstanding Faculty Achievement Award in 1990. He continues to work as a board member of the Youth Academy and Stepping Stone as well as a consulting supervisor for Medicare Home Health-Fairmont Clinic.

Dr. Mary Meighen, Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration, 1972-1974 and 1983-2010

Dr. Mary Meighen, Professor of Nursing, will be completing her tenure at FSU through the phased retirement option. Mary has 40 years of experience in nursing. She has been a full-time faculty member serving from 1972-1974 and continually from 1983-2010. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from West Virginia Wesleyan College, her Master of Science degree in Nursing and her doctorate in higher education administration from West Virginia University. She is a certified family nurse practitioner and is currently serving as a parish nurse in Marion County. Mary is Assistant Director of the School of Nursing, Director of the BSN Program; and in 2006, she served as co-interim dean of nursing. She has been instrumental in the BSN program receiving initial and continuing Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education accreditation. Meighen spear-headed the process for our School of Nursing to become a member-at-large in conjunction with West Virginia Wesleyan's Epsilon Delta Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nursing. Mary has served as the coordinator of the collaborative MSN program with Marshall University. In addition to teaching, she has been involved in student advising, student recruitment and various committees and councils. During her tenure at FSU, Mary has received the Faculty Achievement Award and was nominated for the William A. Boram Award. Mary previously worked as a staff nurse at Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital in Beckley; Community Hospital in Marion, Ohio; and Fairmont General Hospital. She also worked as a family nurse practitioner at Middletown Health Care, Inc. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing; vice president of the Epsilon Delta Chapter-at- Large for STTI; West Virginia Nurses Association; National League for Nursing; and the Advanced Nurses Practice Group. Mary is married to Rev. D.D. Meighen, and they have three children and five grandchildren. Mary serves on the Health Right Committee for Marion County, is a Review Board member for the Marion County United Way, and is a member of the Health Council at Central United Methodist Church.

Connie Moore, Abelina Suarez Associate Professor of Nursing, Senior Level, 1988-2009

Connie Moore, associate professor of Nursing-senior level at Fairmont State University, is completing her tenure at FSU through the phased retirement option. Connie has 35 years teaching experience in nursing. She has been a full-time faculty member at FSU since 1988. Prior to that time, she was an adjunct faculty member for five years. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from West Virginia University. She is also certified as a clinical specialist in adult health. In 2006, she served as co-interim dean of Nursing. She is currently coordinator of the Simulation Center. In addition to teaching, she has been involved in student advising, student recruitment and various committees and councils. Connie previously taught nursing at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and at the University of Charleston in Charleston. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing; West Virginia Nurses Association; National League for Nursing; and the American Nurses Association. She recently served as a member of the Fairmont State Board of Governors and served 10 years as Fairmont State's representative to the Advisory Council of Faculty to the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. While on the council, she worked with the Legislature and the policy commission on legislation to benefit higher education and faculty. Her teaching endeavors have earned her the William A. Boram Award for Excellence in Teaching, Recognition of Outstanding Faculty Achievement and the Outstanding Community College Service Award. She currently holds the Abelina Suarez Professorship, an honor that was bestowed upon her in 2007. Connie is married to Jamie Moore, and they have three children and four grandchildren. Connie is an active 4-H leader for Barrackville and Marion County. She and her family, as an ongoing 4H project, raise Seeing Eye Dogs.

The following staff members were among the retirees:

William Bickerstaff, Program Administrator Senior, Department of Public Safety, 1974-2009

Bill Bickerstaff served in a variety of roles at FSU and Pierpont Community & Technical College. He was also recognized with many awards during his time here, most notably the Adjunct Faculty Member of the Year Award and the prestigious Classified Employee of the Year Award. Bill began his employment as an hourly electrician aid in October 1974. He was hired full-time in December 1974 as an electrician helper. In 1976 he transferred to senior electrician. He was promoted to Building Maintenance Supervisor in November 1988. During this time, Bill earned a master's degree in safety and accepted a position as Health and Safety Specialist. Bill spent the last six years as Chief of Police and Director of Campus & Occupational Safety. He retired Dec. 31, 2009.

Edward Bock, Administrative System Senior Support Specialist, Computer Center, 1967-2010

Prior to his long career at FSU, Ed Bock worked as an electrical engineer for IBM in Ohio.  After a short stint there, he returned to Fairmont and has worked continually for Fairmont State since 1967--43 years in total. During that time, he has worn a number of different hats:  application developer, server administrator, director, instructor and systems analyst. Holding a master's degree in electrical engineering, Ed has forged a rather unique position for himself on campus, having been key in advancing campus IT infrastructure and even developing and maintaining systems to perform and track the day-to-day operations of the university as a whole.  His role in developing and maintaining FSU's original online student information system (Morris) and, later, developing for and maintaining SunGard Banner, has kept the institution alive and thriving for many years and made him a statewide leader in technology and a pillar of the campus community. Ed, who did much of his programming in the pre-Banner environment in the Fortran code, re-trained himself to do coding in "C" and "C Plus" and has been instrumental in implementing the Banner Accounts Receivable module and the interfaces to Banner Finance and the state system. He also implemented the Banner Position Control module and built tools to create state position/WV-11 documents, saving many man hours of work for staff. Ed also was the primary force for implementing the Banner Payroll System and the interface to the State Auditor's Payroll System. He has built at least three of these interfaces for Payroll in the past 15 years. Ed's work has been so thorough that he has provided the employees in these areas tools that have improved both services and saved many man hours keeping staffing needs to a minimum. Administrative and Fiscal Affairs has benefited greatly from Ed's ability to know what is needed and deliver it. He will be participating in the Phase Retirement program.

Shirley Collins, Program Manager, Physical Plant, 1989 - 2010

Shirley Collins has been employed at FSU and Pierpont since August 1989. She started out in shipping and receiving and has evolved through the years to Program Manager in charge of event set-ups and moves on and off campus, litter control and assisting with her crew in the roads and grounds area. Shirley has been a vital part of the management team at the Physical Plant for several years. For more than 20 years, she has seen the physical and academic growth of campus, from college to university. Shirley has worked with several administrations and strategic plans. With the daily schedules changing at any time, maybe the best word to describe Shirley would be versatile. Shirley will now have a lot more time to spend with her children and grandchildren. 

Janet Dudash, Administrative Assistant, President's Office, 1968-1973 and 1979-2010

Janet Dudash has worked at Fairmont State since July 1968, when she was hired by Roxy Dillon, Dean of Women. Her first campus job dealt mostly with housing issues for women and with sororities. Dr. Eston Feaster was president at that time, and - as a point of reference - parking decals cost $5 a year. From November 1973 to February 1979, Janet "stopped out" for a while to stay home with her son. She returned in 1979, working part-time for Dr. Jim Hales in the Division of Technology. A few short months later, in July 1979, Janet's talents were spotted by the President's Office, and she went to work for Assistant to the President Lois Laughlin. She helped with personnel issues and the scheduling of campus activities. Over the years, Janet has worked on a wide range of events from golf tournaments, to ground breakings, building dedications and four presidential inaugurations. Student Government has honored her with an Appreciation Award, and she has been honored with the Women of Diversity Achiever's Award. Janet will be entering phased retirement at the end of June.

Ann Lester, Student Program Advisor, Financial Aid & Scholarships, 1974 - 2010

Ann Lester graduated from Fairmont Sate College in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. She began her career in Student Affairs in March 1974 and served in this area for 31 years. Her areas of responsibilities included serving as Assistant to the Dean of Student Affairs, an Academic Advisor for Undecided Students, Supervisor of Women's Housing, Student Organization Development and Information Coordinator, Director of the Governor's Summer Youth Program, College Level Examination Program Administrator, Advisor to Women's Panhellenic Council and Co-Advisor for Inter-Panhellenic, Judicial Administrator and Institutional Testing and Student Employment. In 2005, Ann moved to the Office of Financial Aid, Scholarships and Student Employment and continued to serve the last five years in the areas of Student Employment, Judicial and Praxis testing until her retirement which will be effective July 1, 2010.  Ann has also served as a Classified Staff representative on the Board of Governors as a long-term member of the Classified Staff Council and has served on numerous committees.  She plans to participate in the phased retirement program beginning July 1 and will continue to value the opportunity to serve the students, faculty, and staff of FSU and Pierpont.

Carol Mainella, Food Service Manager II, Dining Services, 1980 - 2010

Carol Mainella started her career with Fairmont State College in a temporary position in September 1979. This position changed to full-time in 1980. She worked in the Fine Arts Division until the summer of 1981 when she was transferred to the Dining Services Department. During this time, Carol worked as the department's Administrative Assistant for Frank Pulice.  She continued working on her education and graduated in 1995 with an Associate in Applied Science degree. Upon Pulice's retirement in 1993, Carol took on a managerial role at Fairmont State with a contracted food service provider. In 1994, Carol accepted the responsibility of directing the Cafeteria for the following seven years. Confidence grew in her as well as in her culinary reputation with catering being her forte. In 2001, administration developed a growth plan that included contracting with Aladdin Food Management Service, LLC. In her new role, Carol was charged with making sure the customer was well served, that the department's catering reputation was maintained plus contributing to the further development of the best food program possible. Based on her reputation and results, Carol accepted a request to conduct a series of presentations on creating ambiance in the food service area for Aladdin at the company's annual meeting.           

Sharon Montgomery, Administrative Secretary Senior, School of Business, 2001 - 2010

Sharon Montgomery retired from FSU in January 2010. She worked at Fairmont State for about 10 years, with positions in the Library, the Foundation and the School of Business. Sharon always conducted herself in a very professional manner. She was a very dedicated employee throughout her entire career at Fairmont State. She took great pride in doing her job well, and it was reflected in her work product. She enjoyed interacting with students, faculty and staff and always greeted visitors with a smile. Sharon was excited about the continual learning opportunities and personal growth her position at Fairmont State afforded her. Currently, she resides in Bridgeport with her husband Bill and enjoys spending more time with her family. Since retiring, she also enjoys having more time to pursue other interests and hobbies. 

Paulette Nuzum, LPN, Student Affairs, 1999 - 2009

Paulette Nuzum has worked in the Student Health Service Office at FSU and Pierpont as a full-time nurse since August 1999. She came to Fairmont State after her graduation as an LPN and worked as a part-time nurse for several years in the Student Health Service Office before being changed to full-time status. Prior to becoming a nurse, she spent several years working in the banking industry. Paulette is a native of Shinnston. Since her retirement in September 2009, she has enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and serving at her church. She is currently working phased retirement and will continue working two days per week for the next two years.

Louella Rennie, Administrative Associate, School of Education, 1986 - 2010

Louella Rennie currently serves as Secretary to the Dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Performance. In that role she provides a long list of support services to students, faculty and other staff members. She provides support to the dean for the administration and processing of budget activity. She has a central support role in scheduling and coordinating classes. She assists the dean and faculty in the coordination of meetings, events, conferences and various grant projects. Louella began working at Fairmont State in October 1986. In her first position that year she worked as a part-time staff member in Language and Literature and part-time in the Small Business Development Center. She has worked in the School of Education since 1987. Along with her office responsibilities, she has served on the Classified Staff Council for several years. Louella is a 1970 graduate of Fairmont State College with an A.A. in Secretarial Studies. She is a life-long resident of Fairmont. She and her husband, John Michael Rennie, have been married for 40 years. They have two children: Michael Rennie and Julie Jeffries. Louella and Mike also have three grandchildren: Elissa Marie Rennie, Jordan Anna Jeffries and Thomas Michael Rennie.

Sherrie Strawderman, Executive Secretary to the President, President's Office, 1987-1994; 1995-2010

Sherrie Strawderman began her Fairmont State career in September 1987, working as a "floater" between the Department of Language and Literature and the Department of Commerce. She would also travel to all areas of campus to fill in for secretaries who were out for extended leave. Sherrie has also served as Secretary for the Vice President of Academic Affairs, Executive Secretary for the Vice President for Community College, Secretary for the Director of the Small Business Development Center and Administrative Secretary-Senior for the School of Business and Economics. She served as president of the Classified Staff Council for four years and has been active in the life of the institution. As it turns out, this broad experience would serve her well in her eventual position as Executive Secretary to the President. Since taking on the job in 2001, Sherrie has handled the high-stress and high-stakes drama of running a president's office with dedication, wit and a steady hand. She coordinates the president's busy schedule and correspondence, acting as a de-facto liaison between the President's Office and the Higher Education Policy Commission, Board of Governors and the president's senior staff. Sherrie will be entering phased retirement at the end of June and plans to stay involved in the life of FSU.

Ed BockSandra PetryGary BolyardMary MeighenSharon MontgomeryConnie MooreBill BickerstaffCarol MainellaJanet DudashPierpont Community & Technical College President Blair MontgomerySherrie StrawdermanPaulette NuzumLouella RennieAnn LesterSteve Leach