Nursing
Development
May 10, 2018
Dr. Joane Moceri presents a graduate of the University of Portland School of Nursing with a nursing pin at the annual ceremony during Commencement weekend.
In honor of Dr. Joane Moceri’s retirement as the dean of the University of Portland School of Nursing, an endowed scholarship for nursing students has been established in her name. The Dr. Joane Moceri Nursing Scholarship, initiated by Dr. Moceri’s family, will help support first generation college students and underrepresented students of color.
It is important to Dr. Moceri, who has been the dean of the School of Nursing since 2015, to support nursing students with leadership potential in practice or in academia, who demonstrate critical thinking, who value justice, and who demonstrate beginning abilities as change agents.
“I chose these to mirror some things about myself and some things about the scholarly work I have done for the past 18 years,” said Dr. Moceri about the criteria for the scholarship. “I was the first to graduate from college in my family and the only member with an advanced degree. I have worked for justice and equity in the nursing profession as part of my scholarly work.
“As dean, I have held a vision to increase diversity and to grow leaders among both students and faculty. I am hoping the scholarship helps the recipients to know that someone a bit like them could do it, and so can they. It is never too late to achieve a dream. I also hope it inspires some to aspire to leadership in academia or practice, and to realize that they are lifelong learners.”
The endowed scholarship came as a surprise to Dr. Moceri. Her husband Steve and their three children originally began thinking of a scholarship last year as the most meaningful gift they could give her upon her eventual retirement. A diagnosis of kidney cancer earlier this year accelerated her retirement plans and the scholarship was presented to her on the University’s Founders Day celebration on April 10. All of the Moceri children, as well as friends and co-workers from Oregon, Washington, and Washington DC contributed to the endowment.
As she prepares to depart from the University at the end of the summer, Dr. Moceri reflected on this unique time in the field of nursing. “Many more people want to be nurses than there is capacity to educate them. And the need for nurses is astronomical,” she noted. “It is also increasingly clear that diversity in nursing has a positive effect on patient outcomes, and that health care is moving toward a population focus.
“In five years, our new curriculum, which is population-focused and includes much more simulation will have its first graduates. This innovative faculty will continue to be leading the way in new pedagogies and teaching methods for nursing.”
During her tenure as dean, Dr. Moceri has overseen the development of a simulated health center, created new and innovative teaching programs, and fostered a deeply interconnected culture of mutual support and celebration between faculty, staff, and students.
Dr. Moceri was appointed dean of the University of Portland’s School of Nursing by University President Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., in July 2015. She joined UP as an associate professor in 2012, and began service as the associate dean for the undergraduate nursing program in May of 2013. Along with nursing, Dr. Moceri has experience in business management and taught undergraduate courses on nursing theory, communication, and nursing leadership; as well as graduate courses on resource management, communication, and population health.
Dr. Moceri is the first from her family to graduate from college. She holds three degrees from the University of Washington. Her early nursing career included childbirth education and ICU nursing, but as a lifelong learner with deep curiosity, she also was a businesswoman, founded a nursing program, and conducted several research studies on increasing access to nursing education for underrepresented populations and in nurses’ experiences and enactments of workplace bias.
Last year, she was named the 2017 Outstanding Alumna of the University of Washington Tacoma’s Nursing & Healthcare Leadership Program in June. Dr. Moceri is a former UW Tacoma faculty member and received her master of nursing degree from the school. She was the founding director of the Pierce College nursing program and was praised for her work to increase enrollment of under-represented populations during her tenure. Also listed among her achievements were her support of MultiCare Health System’s nurse camp, and her work as project coordinator for the Puyallup summer lunch program. She also served on one of the boards of Group Health.
Dr. Moceri and her husband Steve live in Portland, OR, and are looking forward to traveling and spending more time with their grandchildren.
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