News Releases

A simulation laboratory designed to enhance nursing education will be dedicated in Lander University's William Preston Turner Department of Nursing on Wednesday, March 31.

Lander University hosted a Peace Studies Conference sponsored by the Greenwood and Lander chapters of People to People International (PTPI), on Friday, March 19.

The students who graduated from Lander University's nursing program in December of 2009 and took their licensing examinations have all received passing grades.

Lander University has added a new service to its Wellness Center: a lactation room that provides privacy and a relaxing environment for mothers to use a breast pump or to breastfeed their babies. The room is furnished with a couch, a rocking chair with footstool, a microwave oven to sterilize devices used in the process, and a refrigerator for storing pumped milk. There is also a changing table for occasions when caregivers bring babies to their mothers on campus to be breastfed. A privacy screen is available to allow two women to use the room at the same time.

Lander University faculty member Lisa Brodhacker is a scientist whose goal is to make the perfect plastic telescope mirror for visible light. She cannot define what makes a plastic mirror perfect because she has not seen one. In fact, the scientific community has yet to build one.

A second member of Lander University's nursing faculty has been selected to receive a yearly stipend to help pay the cost of obtaining a doctorate in nursing. Brian Conner, an instructor in Lander's William Preston Turner Department of Nursing, has received a $40,000 grant from the South Carolina Governor's State Workforce Investment Board (SCIB) whose mission is to oversee the state's efforts to develop a skilled, high-quality workforce.

Ellison Poston had her heart set on becoming a veterinarian because she said she is good with animals. But after spending a day shadowing her aunt Jan Sullivan as she performed her duties as a hospital trauma nurse in Columbia, she decided to follow in her footsteps. So Poston transferred from Clemson University where she was a pre-veterinarian major, to Lander University where she is a sophomore in the university's nursing program.

In 1968, a young graduate student at Ohio University was asked to lend his expertise to write a section for a textbook titled "An Introduction to Physical Science." Little did he know that four decades later he would be receiving an award, as a co-author, commemorating the book's longevity. The student, Lander University physics professor emeritus Dr. Jerry Wilson, along with co-author Charles Higgins, was presented the 2009 McGuffey Longevity award for "An Introduction to Physical Science" at the Text and Academic Authors Association (TAA) conference in June in San Antonio, Texas.

Dr. Dan Robinson Jr., a Greenwood County physician, has made a contribution to Lander University from his collection of crystals and gemstones. Robinson has given Lander's Environmental Geology program an emerald specimen with an appraised value of $16,000. Jeff Eller, co-owner of Sharp Facets Gallery in Greenwood who coordinated the transfer, described the specimen as volcanic mica schist containing dozens of large dark-colored emeralds. He said it is a very unusual and rare large-scale specimen from a Muzo mine in the region of Colombia, South America, which is recognized as a source of the world's highest quality emeralds.

Lander University faculty member Dr. Gilliean Lee is one of five educators at American colleges and universities serving on the 61-member international program committee for an upcoming global conference on the use of computer technology and the Internet in education. The Eighth International Conference on Web-based Learning (ICWL) in August will draw scientists from around the world to the conference site at Aachen University in Germany.

Lander University's William Preston Turner Department of Nursing held its annual recognition programs last week as a prelude to the university's May 2nd graduation ceremonies, and five students received a total of eight awards in addition to their four-year nursing degrees.

Nursing students Janet Goff and Rachel Griggs of Greenwood have been named recipients of the 2009 Greenwood County Medical Alliance nursing scholarships.

There are probably few people who understand the importance of quality math education better than Walt and Susan Patterson of Greenwood.

Kellie O'Connell had planned to become a medical doctor so she could help people understand and manage their health. But a semester of study abroad led the Lander University biology major to a different career choice, though she is still helping people manage their health.

Lander University graduate Alexandra Foguth has found herself in select company as she pursues a doctoral degree in material science and engineering at Clemson University.

When Lander University nursing students Larry Middleton Sr. and Eric Puckett receive their diplomas in December, they'll be making history at the university.

Lander University's student affiliated American Chemical Society (ACS) chapter is celebrating its 25 th anniversary, and each year since its founding a quarter century ago, the chapter has won recognition from the national ACS for its performance across a wide range of activities.

How effective would an education be if it relied solely on textbooks and lectures? Imagine a doctor graduating from medical school without working with actual patients; a teacher earning a degree without spending time with real students; a business graduate entering the workforce without interacting with real clients.

Lander University alumna Theresa Gunter Lawson, an instructor in Lander's William Preston Turner Department of Nursing, is one of nine doctoral candidates selected to share in a $1.5-million fellowship grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation to the South Carolina Nurses Foundation.

Research being performed this summer at Lander University could eventually make it easier for professional astronomers -- and backyard stargazers -- to peer out into the universe.