Associate Professor of Accounting Gail Moore, Lander University's Distinguished Professor of the Year, is a proponent of learning by doing.
"Usually when I start I'll work some problems on the board. Then I'll say, 'OK, you do it.'"
Almost invariably, there are some who can't.
"Thankfully, our classrooms at Lander are small enough that I can walk around and say, 'OK, this is right; you need to work on this; here's where, you remember, we go like this . . .'"
Moore relishes such moments.
"I really like being in the classroom. It's exciting when you're working with someone and they finally get it," she said.
Moore knows what life is like in the outside world. A native of Alice, Texas, she came to the University of South Carolina on a golf scholarship, earning a bachelor's degree in accounting in 1992.
For five years after earning a Juris Doctor degree from USC in 1995, she worked as an attorney in Columbia, representing clients in matters involving legal accounting, tax, corporate, estate and securities issues.
From 2000 until she became a full-time faculty member at Lander in 2007, she worked as a tax attorney and certified public accountant in Greenwood, preparing and reviewing financial statements and tax returns, advising clients on the tax implications of business transactions and providing estate planning services.
At Lander, Moore specializes in financial accounting and income tax, as well as commercial and business law. On occasion, she also teaches Introduction to Business.
"I like that class because you get to do a lot of projects and hands-on work. It's sort of an overview of everything we do in our department," she said.
Moore's comprehensive knowledge of her department was a big part of the reason she was recently named co-chair of Lander's School of Management.
"That's a new role for me. I'm excited about it," she said.
One of her goals is to assist in getting the department reaccredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), when it comes up for review in 2018.
"That'll be something we'll be focusing on for the next two years," she said.
Another goal is increasing the number of internships open to Lander business students.
"I think it's really important that the kids get out there and have some experience," she said.
Moore is working to finish a paper called "Death and Taxes" that she intends to present at the SEINFORMS Conference in Myrtle Beach this fall. She describes it as "a highlight on some of the hidden taxes we pay."
Moore has been active in the publishing world since coming to work for Lander. The most recent example is "Fraud, Collusion and the Financial Statements - A Refresher for Practicing Professionals," which she co-authored with former Lander Associate Professor of Accounting Dr. Steven Mark. The article, which discusses the ways that fraud is sometimes hidden from auditors, appeared in The Journal of Global Business Management in April.
Moore is also kept busy by the varying needs of her five children, who range in age from 16 to three. The four oldest all attend Palmetto Christian Academy, but they go in different directions after school. Two washing machines are utilized in the attempt to stay ahead of the household laundry needs. "It's all good," she says.
Moore knew that she had been nominated by her students for Lander's top academic award but had no expectation that her name would be called when awards were conferred at Lander's spring convocation.
"I was really surprised. I was really honored," she said.