Transitions: Tuskegee U. Appoints Its First Female President, Aspen Fellows Are Named

Chief executives

Appointments

Kevin Brockbank, acting president of Spokane Community College since July 2017, will become president.

Scott Bullard, senior vice president and academic dean at Judson College, in Alabama, has been named interim president. The previous president, David E. Potts, who led Judson from 1990 to 2018, died on March 28.

Norman Hall, vice president for international and alumni affairs and major-gift officer at Greenville University, will become president of Simpson University, in California, on June 1. He will succeed Robin Dummer, who plans to retire.

Lily D. McNair, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Wagner College, will become president of Tuskegee University on July 1. She will replace Charlotte P. Morris, interim president since July 2017, and be the first woman to hold the permanent position.

Hugh Porter, vice president for college relations at Reed College, will become acting president on July 1. He will replace John R. Kroger, who plans to step down in June.

Departures

Beverly J. Davenport, chancellor of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville since 2017, will be removed from her position on July 1. Davenport was the first woman to hold this position.

Chief academic officers

Appointments

Terry Ballman, dean of the College of Arts and Letters at California State University at San Bernardino, will become provost and vice president for academic affairs at Western Kentucky University on August 1.

Stefan Becker, vice provost for academic programs and professor of earth, environmental, and geospatial sciences at City University of New York Herbert H. Lehman College, will become provost and vice president for academic affairs at Ramapo College on July 1.

Chaden Djalali, a professor of physics and astronomy and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa, will become executive vice president and provost of Ohio University on August 1.

Tod A. Laursen, president of Khalifa University, in United Arab Emirates, will become senior vice chancellor and provost of the State University of New York system on September 1.

Elke Leeds, assistant vice president for technology-enhanced learning and executive director of the Distance Learning Center at Kennesaw State University, has been named academic vice president of the College of Information Technology at Western Governors University.

Janet K. Levit, vice president for strategic initiatives at the University of Tulsa, became provost and executive vice president for academic affairs on May 7. Levit is the first woman to hold this position.

Other top administrators

Appointments

Brian Carlisle, vice president for student affairs at Pitzer College, has been named vice president for student engagement and dean of students at LaGrange College.

David L. Kennedy, senior associate vice president for development at Stanford University, has been named vice president for alumni affairs and development at Duke University.

Willie E. May, director of major research and training initiatives for the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland at College Park, has been named vice president for research and economic development at Morgan State University.

Khatmeh Osseiran-Hanna, interim vice president for university advancement at Indiana University of Pennsylvania since 2017, has been appointed to the position permanently.

Dwayne Pinkney, senior associate vice chancellor and chief financial officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will become senior vice president for operations and administration at Virginia Tech on August 1.

Carol A. Sumner, senior associate dean of students at Arizona State University, will become vice president of the Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Texas Tech University on June 18.

Rob Young, a senior manager at the accounting firm JPMS Cox PLLC and former vice president for business and finance at Hendrix College, will become vice president for finance and administration at Wittenberg University on May 29.

Mellissia Zanjani, vice president for institutional advancement at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, will become vice president for institutional advancement at Lincoln University, in Pennsylvania, on May 14.

Resignations

Lisa Lapin, vice president for university communications at Stanford University, will step down in July to become vice president for communications at the J. Paul Getty Trust. Brad Hayward, associate vice president for university communications, will serve as interim vice president.

Retirements

Tom Eschen, vice president for the Office of Institutional Advancement at Maryville University, plans to retire on June 1.

Deans

Appointments

Julie M. Anderson, dean of the School of Nursing at the College of Saint Scholastica, will become dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Winona State University on July 1.

Larry Arrington, assistant dean of educational support services at the Community College of Philadelphia, has been named dean of advising and academic success at Delaware Valley University.

Timothy J. Brown, a professor of communication and special assistant to the provost at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, will become dean of the Knight School of Communication at Queens University of Charlotte on July 1.

William Gaudelli, a professor of social studies and chair of the department of arts and humanities at Columbia University’s Teachers College, will become dean of the College of Education at Lehigh University on July 31.

Hilary Godwin Hilary Godwin, a professor and associate dean of academic programs at the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California at Los Angeles, will become dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Washington on July 15.

Kathryn Graddy, senior associate dean of the International Business School at Brandeis University, will become dean on July 1.

Dana Heller, chair of the English department and former interim dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Old Dominion University, will become dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Eastern Michigan University July 16.

Bridget Terry Long, a professor of education and economics and former academic dean of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, will become the school’s dean on July 1.

Moira Maguire, dean of liberal arts at Schenectady County Community College, has been named dean of social sciences at Holyoke Community College.

Donald Maier, dean of the Loeb-Sullivan School of International Business and Logistics at Maine Maritime Academy, has been named dean of the School of Maritime Transportation, Logistics, and Management at California State University Maritime Academy.

Francelina (Lina) Neto, director of semester conversion at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, has been named dean of the School of Engineering at California State University Maritime Academy.

Ann Gibbons Phalen, senior associate dean of undergraduate programs and associate professor at the Jefferson College of Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University, will become dean of the Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing and Health Professions at Gwynedd Mercy University. She will succeed Andrea Hollingsworth, who will retire on August 10.

Matthew Rousu, interim dean of the Sigmund Weis School of Business at Susquehanna University, has been appointed to the position permanently.

Colonel Barry L. Shoop, a professor and head of the department of electrical engineering and computer science at the United State Military Academy, will become dean of the Albert Nerken School of Engineering at Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in January.

Piyushimita (Vonu) Thakuriah, chair of transport, a professor of urban studies, and an affiliated professor of engineering at the University of Glasgow,will become dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University at New Brunswick on October 1.

Ray Van Neste, a professor of biblical studies at Union University, will become dean of its School of Theology and Missions on June 1.

Department chairs

Appointments

Joel Christian Gill, an author and illustrator of Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History (Fulcrum Publishing, 2014), will become chair of the comic-arts program at the New Hampshire Institute of Art.

Other administrators

Appointments

Kimberly L. Beaty, deputy police commissioner of operations and homeland security for the Buffalo Police Department, has been named director of public safety at Canisius College. She will be the first woman and first African-American in this position.

Kim Blankenship, professor of sociology at American University, will become associate dean of research at the College of Arts and Sciences on June 15.

Kim Campbell, a career services associate at Texas State Technical College-North Texas, will become campus director and campus academic manager.

Marissa E. Cormier, director of research and operations at the higher-education search firm AGB Search, has become chief of staff and secretary of the Board of Trustees and college at McDaniel College.

Ken Dawson-Scully, an associate professor of biological sciences and associate director of the Brain Institute at Florida Atlantic University, has been named associate vice president for strategic initiatives and head of institutional partnerships for Florida Atlantic University and Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience.

Kathy Dean, director of university communications at the University of Mobile, has been named assistant vice president for university communications.

Lori Donnell, chief operating officer of Friend Family Health Center, Inc., in Chicago, has been name senior associate vice president for health affairs and executive director of University Physicians of Brooklyn at State University of New York Downstate Medical Center.

Rhonda Fowler, interim university librarian at Eastern Michigan University, has been appointed to the position permanently.

Kelly Kowzan, associate director of Upward Bound at Central College, has been named director of pre-college programs.

Scott Lisea, head of school for Providence Christian School, in California, will become campus pastor and assistant to the president for church and community relations at Westmont College on July 1.

Ameerah McBride, Title IX coordinator and director of equal opportunity and access at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, will become chief diversity officer and Title IX coordinator at Texas State University on May 23.

Jami Powell, a faculty lecturer of American studies at Tufts University, has been named the first associate curator of Native American art at the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College.

Jon-Stephen Stansel Jon-Stephen Stansel, social media coordinator at the Texas Department of Transportation, has been named digital-media specialist at the University of Arkansas.

Kristen Tener, assistant dean of students at California State University Maritime Academy, has been named associate dean for student engagement.

Faculty

Appointments

A. Jonathan Auguste, a doctorate recipient in molecular genetics at the University of the West Indies at St. Augustine, has been named assistant professor of entomology at the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Aaron D. Gross, a postdoctoral associate at the University of Florida’s Emerging Pathogens Institute, has been named assistant professor of entomology at the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Carl R. Trueman, a visiting fellow of religion and public life in the James Madison Program at Princeton University and professor of church history at Westminster Theological Seminary, has been named professor in the of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College.

The Rev. Lis Valle, a Ph.D. candidate in homiletics and liturgics at Vanderbilt University, has been named assistant professor of homiletics and worship at McCormick Theological Seminary.

Bo Zhang, a doctorate recipient in cell and molecular biology at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, has been named assistant professor of crop and soil environmental studies at the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Retirements

Linda Brady, a professor of political science and former chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, plans to retire.

Joseph Lechner, a professor of chemistry, and department chair of chemistry and physical science at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, has announced his retirement after 39 years at the institution.

Tenure awards

The following professors were awarded tenure at their institutions. If a faculty rank is not included, the faculty member is being promoted to the rank of associate professor. The changes take effect on varying dates.

Bethany College

Gretchen Norland, education

Cedar Crest College

Christine Lombardo-Zaun, business

Regis College

Hugh Clark, social work

Karen Crowley, nursing

Catherine Fuller, health and fitness studies and assistant dean of the School of Health Sciences

Siena College

Matthew Bellis, physics and astronomy

Sarah Berke, biology

Stephen Deyrup, chemistry and biochemistry

Michele McColgan, physics and astronomy

John Moustakas, physics and astronomy

Jesse Moya, education

Ashley Provencher, economics

Changes in rank

Professors’ new ranks follow.

California Lutheran University

Penny Cefola, associate professor of English, to emerita

Herb Gooch, professor of political science, to emeritus

Paul Hanson, professor of history, to emeritus

Mindy Puopolo, associate professor of graduate psychology, to emerita

Dennis Revie, professor of biology, to emeritus

Linda Ritterbush, professor of geology, to emerita

Nathan Tierney, professor of philosophy, to emeritus

Cedar Crest College

Sandra Axt, instructor of nursing, to senior instructor

Thomas Brettell, associate professor of forensic science, to professor

Mae Ann Pasquale, assistant professor of nursing, to associate professor

Wendy Robb, associate professor of nursing, to professor

Martine Scannavino, associate professor of nutrition, to professor

Rebecca Seaman, instructor of nursing, to senior instructor

Virginia Tech

Penny Burge, professor of educational research and evaluation, to emerita

Terry Cobb, associate professor of management, to emeritus

Elizabeth Creamer, professor of educational research and evaluation, to emerita

Erik Ervin, professor of crop and soil environmental sciences, to emeritus

Aspen Presidential Fellows

The Aspen Institute named 40 fellows to the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence for 2018.

Catharine Almquist, vice president for academic affairs at Trident Technical College

John Bonner, vice president for corporate and workforce training at Everett Community College

Amy Bosley, vice president for organizational development and human resources at Valencia College

Porter Brannon, vice president for student services at Mitchell Community College

Susan Burleson, vice president for student success and communications at Davidson County Community College

Stephen Cain, chief of staff and chief strategy officer at Montgomery College

Tim Casper, vice president for institutional learning and effectiveness at Madison Area Technical College

Ryan Cornner, vice chancellor for educational programs and institutional effectiveness at the Los Angeles Community College District

Sue Cui, senior program manager at Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation

Dolores Duran-Cerda, provost and executive vice chancellor at Pima Community College

Rebecca Estrada, executive director of the Higher Education Center and Academic Partnerships at Santa Fe Community College

Virginia Fraire, vice president for student services at Austin Community College

Sean Hancock, vice president for instruction and student services with Palo Verde College

Mary Harris, vice president for institutional planning, development, and evaluation at Austin Community College

Eric Heiser, dean of the School of Applied Technology and Technical Specialties and director of the Career and Technical Education program at Salt Lake Community College

Shanna Jackson, president of Nashville State Community College

Beatriz Joseph, vice president of college services at Palo Alto College

Ryan Kelsey, chief advisor to the president and chief executive at the community-college-focused nonprofit Achieving the Dream

Brian Knetl, associate provost at Harper College

Christine Mangino, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Hostos Community College-City University of New York

Yash Morimoto, associate vice president for planning and institutional effectiveness at Santa Fe Community College

Charles Morris, vice president for academic affairs at El Centro College

Patrick Murphy, superintendent of Arlington Public Schools, in Virginia

Dana Nichols, vice president for academic affairs at Chattanooga State Community College

Catherine O’Brien, associate vice chancellor of college readiness at Houston Community College

Monique Perry, assistant vice president for enrollment services at York Technical College

Landon Pirius, vice president for organizational effectiveness, student affairs, and strategic initiatives at the Colorado Community College System

Avis Proctor, president of the North Campus at Broward College

Kathryn Regjo, vice president and campus dean at Colorado Mountain College Vail Valley Campus

Teresa Leyba Ruiz, interim president of Glendale Community College, in Arizona

Michelle Saboo, dean of student services at Leech Lake Tribal College

Marissa Schlesinger, associate dean of academic affairs at Stella and Charles Guttman Community College

Michelé Smith, vice president for workforce solutions and associate provost for curriculum at Harper College

Janet Spriggs, chief operating officer at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

Lisa Stich, executive dean of the Estherville Campus at Iowa Lakes Community College

James Todd, vice president for student services of Modesto Junior College

Julie White, senior vice president for student engagement and learning support at Onondaga Community College

Lisa Cooper Wilkins, assistant superintendent and vice president for student services at San Joaquin Delta College

Jermaine Williams, vice president for student affairs at North Shore Community College

Rebecca Williamson, interim vice president for instruction at Green River College

Awards

Marketing awards

The National Council for Marketing and Public Relations gave awards to five community-college professionals for their accomplishments in college marketing and public relations.

Lane A. Glenn, president of Northern Essex Community College, received the 2018 Pacesetter of the Year Award.

Dorothy (Dotty) Karkheck, director of marketing at Jackson College, received the 2018 Petrizzo Career Service Award.

Christine Payton, director of communications at South Louisiana Community College, received the 2018 Communicator of the Year Award.

Mark Petersen, president of the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations from 2002 to 2003 and former director of public relations and marketing at Dixie State University, received the 2018 Petrizzo Career Service Award posthumously.

Sarah Yunits, communications specialist at Massasoit Community College, received the 2018 Rising Star Award.

Other awards

Edward Ayers, a professor of the humanities and president emeritus at the University of Richmond, received the 2018 Avery O. Craven Award, presented by the Organization of American Historians for an outstanding book on the Civil War or Reconstruction, for his book The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America (W. W. Norton & Company, 2017).

Martín Espada, a professor of English at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, received the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize from the Poetry Foundation. He is the first Latino poet to receive the award.

Brent Ruben, a professor of communication and director of the Rutgers Leadership Academy and the University Predoctoral Leadership Development Institute at Rutgers University at New Brunswick, received the Baldrige Foundation Leadership Excellence Award in the education sector.

Deaths

J. Gordon Hylton, a professor of law at the University of Virginia and a property expert, died on May 2 of complications related to cancer treatment. He was 65. As a student at the university’s law school in the 1970s, he founded the North Grounds Softball League.

Rabbi Aaron D. Panken, president of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute since 2014, died in a plane crash on May 5. He was 53.

Sanford Pinsker, a professor of English at Franklin & Marshall College for 37 years, died in Fort Lauderdale on April 29. He was 76. He wrote more than a dozen books - including studies of Philip Roth, Cynthia Ozick, Joseph Heller, and J.D. Salinger - and more than 800 articles, essays, and book reviews. He contributed to The Chronicle of Higher Education, among many other publications.

Marshall W. Smith, chief executive of John Tyler Community College from 1990 to 2013, died on April 24. He was 72. During his time as president, the college expanded to two campuses and almost doubled enrollment.

Charles W. Steger Jr., president of Virginia Tech from 2000 until 2014, died on May 6. He was 70. During his time as president, he established a partnership with Carilion Clinic, which led to the creation of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute, among other research insitutes. His efforts to increase research spending raised Virginia Tech’s profile as a research university, and he oversaw the construction of 40 major buildings on campus. He also guided Virginia Tech through the aftermath of the campus shooting on April 16, 2007, that took 33 lives, including that of the gunman.

Homer K. Taylor, president emeritus of Texas State Technical College, died on April 27. He was 83. From 1970 until his retirement in 2005, Taylor held many positions at the college. He was an assistant campus manager, manager of instruction, dean of instruction, manager of development, and president. He also served as vice chancellor of the Texas State Technical College system.

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