Teresa Conner

Dr. Teresa Conner has 30 years of experience in higher education as an academic leader and professor. She has served in two founding deanships and the inaugural associate provost of Health Sciences at Radford University/Carilion. In these positions, she was responsible for developing the organizational structure of these new colleges and Health Sciences. Most recently, she led the College of Health at Idaho State University (ISU). ISU serves the statewide mission for health science education and the College of Health has programs located on three campuses and at three partner institutions across the state of Idaho.

The College of Health offers programs in 16 health care disciplines accredited by fourteen separate agencies and operates 5 separate clinics offered on two campuses. During her tenure at Idaho State University, she procured a $751,000 workforce council grant to support the modernization and refurbishment of the simulation facilities on the Meridian and Pocatello campuses, worked with external partners to place embedded accelerated programs in partner clinical facilities and to jointly develop shared programs with a sister institution in Idaho. Under her leadership, a doctoral of nurse anesthesia program was planned and approved at the state level, the nutrition and dietetics program expanded to the Meridian campus, dental hygiene developed an accelerated option for associate degree prepared dental hygienists, a new department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training was approved to house the AT program as it transitioned to the college, a separate Occupational Therapy Department was created and the expansion of the Master of Occupational Therapy to the Meridian campus was completed. Additionally, the PhD in Rehabilitation and Communication Sciences was renamed to reflect the composition of the college and to provide a platform for faculty to increase the inter-professional appeal of this program. A number of new certificates and a Family Nurse Practitioner clinic were launched during her tenure.

At Radford University Carilion, she was responsible for two campuses and two colleges with degrees in more than 10 health care related disciplines. Similar to ISU, these programs were located on multiple campuses and external locations. The colleges offered certificate and associate degrees through professional doctorates and a terminal degree. While dean at the College of Health Sciences and Professions at the University of North Georgia, the nursing program established a Doctor of Nurse Practitioner degree and a Bachelors in Health Care Services. The college had programs on three campuses that included associate to professional doctoral degrees.

Dr. Conner also served as Chair of a Physical Therapy Department at Winston Salem State University. She worked to transition the Master of Physical Therapy degree to the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree, the first and only DPT degree at a historically black university in North Carolina. She was also part of the team that supported the application to transition the institution from a level III to V institution in support of delivering professional doctorate degree programs. During her tenure, she led the development of an inter-institution, core research facility in human movement and biodynamics. She also received a federal earmark in support of this lab and a new simulation center. She has been funded by NIH, DOE and a number of other agencies including the Idaho Workforce Council and private corporations. Her research areas are in advanced therapeutics for wound healing and microbial control as well as simulation technologies.

Dr. Conner is excited to join the NDSU College of Health and Human Sciences and to serve as the dean. Dr. Conner stated that she is honored to join the NDSU family and to work with a nationally recognized faculty, peers and leadership at the institution, as well as alumni and community partners to craft a new vision of health and human science education.