Connie Moore to Present 22nd Annual Presidential Lecture
As part of the Fairmont State University Presidential Lecture Series, Connie S. Moore, APRN, BC, MSN, Abelina Suarez Professor of Nursing, Senior Level, will present “Simulation as a Teaching Strategy for Nursing Education.”
The 22nd annual lecture will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 26, in Multi-Media Room A of the Ruth Ann Musick Library. The Presidential Lecture Series was established in 1989 to provide faculty the opportunity to share their work with colleagues and members of the community. A reception in the Library lobby will immediately follow the lecture. Admission to the event is free and open to the public. Parking will be available on the top level of the parking garage.
The FSU School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration has developed a state-of-the-art Simulation Center in Colebank Hall that includes six training stations featuring adult simulators, a child simulator, an infant simulator and a birthing simulator. The center allows students to participate in real-life situations to help increase their skills and support team building and critical thinking. Students are assigned roles and must respond to the simulators, which are life-sized robotic mannequins that simulate body functions. Moore’s lecture will discuss the advancements made in the Simulation Center since 2007 when she was honored with the Abelina Suarez Professorship.
The Abelina Suarez Professorship, the first named professorship at FSU, was established in 2001. In addition to carrying the title of Abelina Suarez Professor in perpetuity, honorees receive a stipend for five years, have the opportunity to develop a special course or project, and present the Presidential Lecture within the award period. Candidates are nominated by faculty peers, deans or department chairs. A panel, led by the provost and comprised of faculty members and students, evaluates the nominees and submits a recommendation to the president. The award is made every five years.
Abelina Suarez, who was born in 1910 in Spain but grew up in Anmoore, W.Va., was the first woman to graduate from Ohio University in a field called German chemistry. She was a math and science teacher in Harrison County for more than 30 years. She attended Fairmont State Teachers College in the 1940s and also earned a master’s degree in education from West Virginia University. Through her generosity and foresight, Suarez designated a portion of her estate to support educational opportunities at Fairmont State.
“The Abelina Suarez professorship isn’t just about developing new courses for the students; it also helps the faculty develop new teaching strategies,” Moore said.
As part of her lecture, she will discuss how technology is helping students nationwide, and how the addition benefits the rest of the University and community.
“The Simulation Center provides a safe and controlled environment for the students to learn and grow. The students need this kind of hands-on experience to think critically about their work, outside of the real-life hospital setting,” Moore said.
The newest addition to the Simulation Center is the child birthing simulator, which allows students to take an active part in assessing a mother and baby. During the lecture, Moore will give a demonstration of how the simulators work and how students are being taught and evaluated using the equipment.
Moore has been a faculty member at FSU for 25 years. In addition to her work with the University, she is also an active member in 4-H, a wife and mother of three and the proud grandmother of six grandchildren.
Born in Parkersburg and raised in St. Marys, W.Va., Moore always has had a passion for nursing. She can remember being interested in nursing from the age of 7 and credits her interest to her love of science and watching her mother care for her grandmother when she was young.
After receiving bachelor of science and master of science degrees in Nursing from West Virginia University, she moved to Columbus, Ohio, and began working at Riverside Methodist Hospital. During her time there, she was assigned student nurses for clinical support even though she was not a teacher. She enjoyed watching the students develop into better nurses. Her fellow staff members observed her interest and offered her a job teaching at the hospital, which she accepted.
From there, the rest of Moore’s career fell into place. After making a move to Charleston for her family, she was contacted by the University of Charleston and offered a job in that nursing program. When she moved from Charleston to Fairmont, Fairmont State College asked her to join the faculty as well, and she taught as an adjunct for five years. In 1987, she was promoted to full-time faculty status and later achieved the rank of Associate Professor-Senior Level.
Moore served as a member of the Fairmont State Board of Governors for eight years and as Fairmont State’s representative to the Advisory Council of Faculty for the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission for 10 years. Her teaching endeavors earned her the William A. Boram Award for Excellence in Teaching, Recognition of Outstanding Faculty Achievement and the Outstanding Community College Service Award. She recently was honored with the Florence Nightingale Award for the impact she has made on Fairmont State’s School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration through her philanthropy and service.
Aside from her work with FSU, Moore serves as the organizer for the 4-H Teen Leaders, the 4-H camp nurse and a member of the Marion County 4-H Camp Board. She is dedicated to 4-H because she often attended camp as a child and she met her husband at 4-H. She enjoys spending time with her family, including her husband, Dennis Moore, DVM; her children, Lisa Flower, MD; Chris Moore, PT; and Scott Moore, DVM; and her six grandchildren, Sophia, Nate, Samuel, Riley, Avery and Eva.
Connie MooreSchool of Nursing and Allied Health AdministrationAbelina Suarez Professorship
