The IU community will miss these six long-serving faculty members who recently passed away.
Elizabeth Wagoner, Ed.D., R.N.
Professor Emerita of Nursing
Born on Long Island, New York on December 22, 1934, Elizabeth Wagoner received a B.S.N. from Ohio State University and a master’s degree in nursing education from Columbia University.
Wagner graduated with her Ed.D. from Rutgers University in 1979. She developed the R.N. to B.S.N. nursing program at Immaculata University, where she taught until her retirement in 1997. She was active in many nursing and health-related organizations throughout her career.
She was a published author of several nonfiction books, including a memoir, and was an avid traveler, visiting over 20 countries with her family and friends.
In 1964, she answered President Kennedy’s call to “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country” and joined the New Jersey Air National Guard as a captain.
Janice Cranmer, Ed.D., R.N.
Professor Emerita of Nursing
Janice Cranmer was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1939 and earned a Bachelor of Science in education from Temple University. Cranmer earned a Master of Science in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania and returned to Temple to receive her Ed.D. After gaining teaching experience at several local universities, she joined the nursing department at Immaculata in 1998 and served as the department chair.
A lifelong animal lover, Cranmer especially loved cats, which she owned since 1969. She also enjoyed knitting and creating ceramics.
“Beloved Janice in her academic work transformed nursing curriculum into a Christ-centered holistic model of care. It was innovative and unique to nursing at the time. She mentored me and we shared a common view of ‘Nurse as Healer’ and embraced the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) model of care in our work together.”
—Gail A. Lehner wrote on Cranmer’s online obituary
Carl Pratt, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
Originally from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, Carl Pratt attended Muhlenberg University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in biology. He then earned his Ph.D. in biology and ecology from Syracuse University. He started his teaching career as an assistant professor of biology at several colleges, mainly in New York state. In 1998, Pratt moved to Pennsylvania to accept a teaching position at Immaculata University. During his time here, he was involved with STEM and served as chair of the biology department.
He was an avid reader and enjoyed traveling with his family.
His former student Kate Crossman ’14 said, “One of my favorite classes was Vertebrate Structure & Function with Dr. Carl Pratt. … And he always had time to have a conversation with me about my career plans.”
Gail A. Lehner, M.S.N., APRN, BC
Assistant Professor
A lifelong resident of Brookhaven, Pennsylvania, Gail Lehner was born on Oct. 15, 1949. She graduated from Hahnemann Hospital School of Nursing, then earned a B.S.N. from Villanova University and an M.S.N. from Neumann University in 1999. She spent the first part of her career as a staff nurse for various hospitals and organizations before joining the nursing faculty at Immaculata in 2001. She was a certified holistic nurse; clinical nurse specialist for adult psychiatric mental health, board certified; Reiki Master and a registered professional nurse. Lehner was a member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Pennsylvania and the American Holistic Nurses Association. In 2011, she accepted the Excellence in Holistic Nursing Education Award presented to Immaculata. In her spare time, she loved gardening and traveling.
“She was instrumental in developing B.S.N. and M.S.N. courses and teaching curriculum integrating holistic nursing into nursing practice. She mentored me when I started my nursing career here at IU, and I was blessed to be her colleague and friend.” –Jane Tang, Ph.D., RN, NE-BC, professor and chair of Immaculata’s Division of Nursing
Brian Petersen, Ph.D.
Program Director of Management and Leadership
Born in Orange, California on Dec. 17, 1980, Brian Petersen’s family moved to Pennsylvania when he was a young boy. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Immaculata University. He then attended Alvernia University where he received his Ph.D. Petersen joined the Immaculata community in 2005, working in the financial aid office. He became a faculty member in the business, fashion and leadership department in 2013 and was the program director for the management and leadership program. As a musician, Petersen was terrific performing on piano and trumpet.
Simon Madrinan ’22 M.S. said Petersen was a great mentor who encouraged him to pursue happiness to be successful. Madrinan said Petersen started every class by asking, “How do you feel?” He invited students to reflect on their feelings, grow in self-awareness and connect with each other.
Sister Claudine M. Hagerty, IHM
Sister Claudine died during the 76th year of her religious life. Born in Philadelphia on July 25, 1926, she attended St. Timothy Parish with her family. She graduated from Immaculata University and earned a degree from St. Bonaventure University. She taught in high schools throughout the region and also taught at Villa Maria Academy in Santiago, Chile. From 1980 to 1993 she served as the director of admissions at Immaculata. In 2006, she returned to Immaculata as the assistant director of the writing center where she remained until August 2021.
