Tri-State University invites the community to attend a service commemorating the life of Dr. Lisa Toner, an assistant professor and the former TSU English and Communication Department chair. Dr. Toner died Dec. 4 in New York on her 41st birthday after a battle with cancer. The service in her honor will be Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 12:30 p.m. in Fabiani Theatre.

Dr. Toner’s contributions to TSU students and to her department are numerous. She taught technical writing, international communication, and English courses, and met with prospective TSU students on their courses of study. During her tenure, she revised the department’s curriculum, completed its strategic plan, and updated its Web pages.  She also initiated the development of a pre-law degree program, and began work on the marketing of degree programs and the development of curricula for minors.

Professionally, she attended the national conference on college composition and communication, and delivered a paper at the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), a division of the National Council of Teachers of English. She was a member of the National Council of Teachers of English.

She attended college at the College of Mount St. Vincent in the Bronx, N.Y., receiving her bachelor’s degree in 1989. She earned her doctorate in English at Purdue University. Before joining the TSU faculty, she taught at Wheeling Jesuit University and the Writing Center at the University of Kentucky.

Her parents, Hugh and Carol Toner, survive in Leesport, Pa.

Dr. Toner’s friends, colleagues, and former students are invited to join the TSU community in celebrating her life and contributions.