15 new, tenure-track faculty join APSU
A total of 15 new tenure-track faculty members have become part of the Austin Peay State University community.College of Arts and Letters
New faculty members are Mark DeYoung and Dr. Douglas Rose.
A total of 15 new tenure-track faculty members have become part of the Austin Peay State University community.
College of Arts and Letters
New faculty members are Mark DeYoung and Dr. Douglas Rose.
Mark DeYoung comes to APSU with more than 20 years of graphic design experience in the professional and higher education arenas. He presently owns his own company, L 10 Communication, founded in 2009 in Grand Rapids, Mich. This year, he was a visiting lecturer at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo and has lectured at several universities in The Netherlands, Belgium and Michigan. From 1999-2005, he was a design instructor at Alfa College in Groningen, The Netherlands. While there, he wrote three course textbooks in Dutch and developed all accompanying course materials. The textbooks are still in use at the campus. Fluent in Dutch and Flemish, DeYoung has a Master of Fine Arts in painting and printmaking from Michigan State University in East Lansing and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Dr. Douglas Rose is APSU's new professor and chair of the department of music. Prior to APSU and since 1996, he was director of choral activities and professor and chair of music at Albion College in Michigan, where he conducted a choral program involving a 70-voice concert choir, 30-voice women's chorus and a 24-voice chamber choir. He also organized and led choir tours in Britain, Hungary, Czech Republic, Maritime Provinces, Ontario, Canada, and in the U.S. In addition to his teaching duties, Rose was artistic director and conductor of a professional choir, the Albion Pro Choral, and was a member of the choral faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lakes, Mich. Rose has a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Music Education, both from Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland; a Master of Arts in religion and a Master of Music, both from Yale University in New Haven, Conn.; and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the State University of New York in Stony Brook.
College of Behavioral and Health Sciences
New faculty members are Karen Anderson, Barbara Beswick, Barbara Braden, Dr. Shunda L. Brown, Mary Fran Davis, Dr. Katherin M. Flower, Tommy L. Thompson Jr. and Kathryn Zimmerman.
With nearly eight years of experience as a certified registered nurse anesthetist and seven years as a registered nurse, Karen Anderson is a new assistant professor in the APSU School of Nursing. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from APSU and a Master of Science in Nursing from the Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia. Anderson is active in the Paris Rotary Club and is a 2006 graduate of the Henry County Leadership program. She also has served as a board member of the Henry County Healthcare Foundation.
An alumna of APSU and previous adjunct faculty member, Barbara Beswick returns to campus as an instructor in the department of social work. She most recently was team leader in the Tennessee Department of Children's Services, having worked in the agency in various capacities for a total of nine years. She also has been a crisis specialist at the Centerstone Community Mental Health in Clarksville and a resource manager at Mid Cumberland Community Services Agency, Clarksville. A master certified social worker, Beswick has a Master of Social Work from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and a Bachelor of Social Work from APSU.
Barbara Ann Braden comes to APSU as an assistant professor of nursing. She began her nursing career after graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Two years later, she obtained a Master of Science in Nursing from SUNY-Buffalo and also has a second Master of Science in Nursing from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Braden also is a 1991 graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, where she majored in military science. In addition, she studied biostatistics at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Proficient in Spanish, she holds national board certification in the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and is a member of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States. She recently retired after 30 years of active duty from the military.
Dr. Shunda L. Brown comes to APSU as an assistant professor in the department of psychology. Since 2004, Brown was an assistant professor in the counselor education program at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. With research interests in cultural diversity in counseling and social justice in counseling, she has published two book chapters, has several publications and research articles in progress or under review and has presented at a number of conferences and workshops at state, regional and national levels. Brown has a B.A. in psychology from Tougaloo (Miss.) College, M.S. in guidance and counseling from Jackson (Miss.) State University and a Ph.D. in counselor education from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. She is a member of the American Counseling Association and the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision.
Mary Fran Davis is an instructor in the department of social work. A licensed social worker in both Kentucky and Tennessee, she most recently was in private practice in Hopkinsville, Ky., and taught on an adjunct basis at APSU. From 1994-2000, she was a clinical social worker and child and adolescent therapist at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital at Fort Campbell, Ky. In addition to her social work license, she is certified as a domestic violence offender treatment provider and is a clinically certified forensic counselor. Davis received a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Louisville in Kentucky and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La.
Dr. Katherin M. Flower joins APSU as an assistant professor in the department of sociology. Her program of research and teaching focuses on issues related to family and inequality, and her most recent work examined foster care and adoption policies. An author of two publications, she currently has two works under review for publication. She has presented at several conferences since 1995 and received a number of awards and grants. She received a Ph.D. in sociology in 2005 from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, an M.A. in sociology in 1998 from Rutgers University and a B.A. in sociology and education in 1995 from Le Moyne College.
Tommy L. Thompson Jr. comes to APSU as an assistant professor of nursing. Prior to working at St. Thomas, he was a staff nurse in the cardiac step-down unit at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville. From October 2006-May 2007, Thompson was an emergency room nurse at Gateway Medical Center in Clarksville, and in 2006, a nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville. He has a Master of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from APSU, where he is president of the nu Phi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau nursing honor society. Thompson is a veteran of the U.S. Army, receiving several accolades during his 20 years of service.
Kathryn Zimmerman is a new assistant professor in the APSU School of Nursing, having taught as an adjunct faculty member. For more than 11 years, she was a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She earned both her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing, with a focus on holistic nursing, from Tennessee State University in Nashville, where she received the Outstanding Holistic Nursing Award. She also has a postgraduate master's in nursing from TSU and is a family nurse practitioner with a private holistic nursing practice in Nashville. While at TSU, she conducted stress and time management workshops for the incoming nursing students. She is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, the American Holistic Nurses Association and Sigma Theta Tau nursing honor society.
College of Science and Mathematics
New faculty members are Dr. Rebecca Blanton Johansen, D. Michelle Rogers, Ellen Smyth and Jennifer Thompson.
Dr. Rebecca Blanton Johansen is an assistant professor in the department of biology. Prior to arriving at APSU, she was a postdoctoral associate at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, where her research focused on evolution, systematics and phylogeography of the North American catfish genus Noturus. From 2005-06, she was a research associate at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. She has a number of publications and papers in preparation and has presented at a number of conferences. Johansen is a member of the American Society of Ichthyologist and Herpetologist (ASIH), the Southern Division of ASIH, the Southeastern Fishes Council and the North American Benthological Society. She received both a B.S. in biology and an M.S. in biology from Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond and a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from Tulane University.
Most recently the environmental science project manager in the APSU Center of Excellence for Field Biology, D. Michelle Rogers has joined the department of biology as an instructor. During her tenure at the Center for Field Biology, she was instrumental in helping the Center to acquire almost $500,000 in grant money for Project WET, a statewide water education program. She also taught three biology courses and served as the biology representative on the Teacher Education Council in the APSU College of Education. Before coming to APSU, Rogers taught at Maryville High School from 1999-2000 and at Kenwood High School in Clarksville from 2000-05. She has a Master of Science in secondary education from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and has completed other graduate work in biology at APSU, UT-Knoxville and Murray (Ky.) State University. Her bachelor's degree in government is from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green.
An APSU employee since 2005, Ellen Smyth is an instructor in the department of mathematics. Prior to joining APSU four years ago, she was a mathematics teacher at Kenwood High School in Clarksville and had been a mathematician at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Va. Most recently at APSU, she was retention specialist in the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness. From 2007-09, she was the learning management systems specialist in the Center for Extended and Distance Education, during which she presented several conference and training sessions on effective distance education delivery methods. From 2005-07, she taught mathematics at APSU. Smyth is a member of the United States Distance Learning Association and the Association for Institutional Research. She earned a Master of Science in mathematics and a Bachelor of Science in civil and environmental engineering, both from Tennessee Technological University.
Since 2008, Jennifer Thompson has been a temporary instructor in the APSU Radiologic Technology Program, and now she is an assistant professor in the department of allied health. She also taught in the program from 2007-08. The next year, she was the chief radiologic technologist at the North Clarksville Medical Center. She has received extensive training in various radiologic technology fields at Gateway Medical Center in Clarksville, Trigg County (Ky.) Hospital and Premiere Medical Center in Clarksville, among others. She earned a Master of Science in Management, graduating with honor, and a Bachelor of Science in radiologic technology, both from APSU. Thompson also has two associate degrees from New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs.
School of Technology and Public Management
New faculty member is Michael Becraft.
Most recently the assistant vice president of academic affairs at APSU, Michael Becraft will join the Austin Peay Center @ Fort Campbell as an assistant professor of professional studies. He came to APSU in 2006 as special assistant to the provost, later reclassified to his recent position. Prior to APSU, he had been assistant to the provost since 2004 at St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary City. Becraft also has provided training in business process management at several schools, including Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University and Children's National Medical Center, and he was acting manager of social science research at The American University in 1999. He has made professional presentations at several state and national conferences and has an extensive record of service at both APSU and St. Mary's College of Maryland. He is slated to complete his doctorate in organizational processes and general management from the University of Maryland University College this year. He earned a Master of Arts in financial economic for public policy from The American University, Washington, D.C. His Bachelor of Arts in economics is from St. Mary's College of Maryland.
New one-year, temporary faculty members are Wallace Crain, instructor in the department of accounting, finance and economics; Korre D. Foster, assistant professor and director of choral activities; Jeffrey Pennig, online instructor in the department of history and philosophy; Christine Carol Ray, instructor in the department of communication; Jane R. Semler, assistant professor in he department of allied health sciences; Mary E. Winters, instructor in the department of languages and literature; and Niesha Wolfe, instructor in the department of management, marketing and general business. -- Melony Shemberger