August 14, 2009
Eighteen join College of Liberal Arts faculty
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The College of Liberal Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale welcomes 18 new faculty members this fall into 13 of its departments.
DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
Tammy Ganza, lecturer. Ganza’s scholarly emphasis on anthropological investigation of diet and health sees her focused on prehistoric peoples both far away -- in pre-dynastic Egypt -- and close to home -- in the Midwest region of the United States. She also researches forensic cremation analysis both prehistoric and modern. Ganza earned her doctoral degree in 2006 from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.
CENTER FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS
Joanna (Jo) Day, visiting scholar. Day comes to SIUC from National University of Ireland Galway, where she teaches and researches Classical archaeology. Her specialty is the Aegean Bronze age, with emphasis on experimental archaeology, ceramic technology, ethnobotany and iconography. Her stay at SIUC includes organizing the annual Visitng Scholar Conference, and editing a volume of selected papers from that conference. Day's research focuses on multisensory analyses and the archaeology of the senses. She earned her doctoral degree in 2007 from Trinity College, Dublin.
SCHOOL OF ART AND DESIGN
Mark Pease, assistant professor, digital media. Pease was an assistant professor at Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minn., before coming to SIUC. He also taught at the University of North Texas. His most recent solo exhibitions were in Denton, Texas, and Madrid, Spain. He was part of group exhibitions most recently in Houston, Texas and at Bowling Green State University. He earned his master of fine arts degree in 2003 from the University of Pennsylvania.
Corey Tester, lecturer, design. Tester is an SIUC alum, having earned a bachelor of fine arts degree here in 2002 as a magna cum laude graduate. His recent professional experience had him in New York City, where he was creative director and photographer for Bachrach fashions. He also worked as a graphic designer and photographer for Design Ideas in Springfield, Ill.
CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
William Phelps, lecturer. Phelps comes to SIUC after a three-year teaching stint in Poland, where he taught English. His other teaching experience includes St. Augustine College, Daley College, University of Illinois at Chicago and Black Hawk College. He earned a master's degree in applied linguistics and TESOL (Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) from the University of Illinois.
DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Tammy Rinehart Kochel, assistant professor. Kochel earned her doctoral degree as part of the first graduating class from the new doctoral program in criminal justice from George Mason University this spring. She holds a master's degree from SIUC, earned in 1994. She spent the years between degrees in Washington, D.C., working with the Department of Justice. Her projects included a research project to improve police services in Trinidad and Tobago. Her specializations include policing, neighborhood ecology and collective efficacy, theories of crime and criminal justice organization and statistics.
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
Christina Voss, lecturer. Voss is an SIUC alumna, having earned her master of arts in teaching at SIUC in 2007. She earned her doctoral degree in English in 2003 from Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germany. She will teach English education classes.
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES
Terri Thomas, lecturer. Thomas comes to SIUC with a background in environmental management. She worked on several projects with the federal government studying environmental impact of road and highway construction, among other projects. She teaches courses in environmental conservation, environmental management and the physical geography of the Americas.
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
Nana Yaw Sapong, lecturer. Sapong's focus is African, world and European history. He earned a bachelor's degree in history and English from the University of Ghana before he came to the United States. He earned his master's degree at Central Michigan University and his doctoral degree from SIUC in 2009.
Samuel Wheeler, lecturer. Wheeler began his SIUC career as a doctoral student. He earned his degree in 2008 and began teaching in the spring. He specializes in Illinois history and early American history.
DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS
Paul McPherron, assistant professor. McPherron was a lecturer in the Department of English for Foreign Students at Stanford University before coming to SIUC. His particular academic interests include second language acquisition, the teaching of a second language, applied linguistics and the sociological study of language and globalization. He earned his doctoral degree from the University of California-Davis in 2008.
Soo Jung Chang, lecturer. Chang’s academic interests include syntax, second language acquisition and East Asian linguistics. Chang began her graduate studies at Ajou University in Korea, where she earned a master’s degree in English language and literature. Her doctoral degree is from the University of Georgia.
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Aurélien Pétillot, founder and artistic director of the Austin, Texas concert series “Viola by Choice,” comes to the School of Music with a specialization in the viola. He appeared with several Texas-area symphony orchestras, and as a guest soloist with other ensembles. He has a particular interest in promoting chamber music. He earned his doctoral degree from the University of Texas- Austin, but began his advanced musical education at the Sorbonne University of Paris in his native France. He twice won the City of Paris Chamber Music Competition and also the City of Paris Viola Competition.
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
Eric Jones, assistant professor. Jones’ academic focus includes the influence of information distribution and mood on group dynamics and decision-making, and on the impact of eyewitness confidence on a jury’s decision-making process. He joins the applied psychology side of the program. He earned his doctoral degree in 2009 from Purdue University.
Philip Burke, assistant professor. Burke is an SIUC alumnus, having earned his doctoral degree here in clinical psychology in 2005. He went on to become director of Burke Behavioral Health LLC, where he counseled individuals and couples. His academic interest is the use of writing to improve engagement in psychotherapy, and the use of natural language among those with chronic illness.
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
Jean-Pierre Reed, assistant professor. Reed, a native of Puerto Rico, earned his doctoral degree at the University of California-Santa Barbara. His scholarly focus is revolution -- the dynamics of revolutionary struggle, including the emotional, religious, ideological and organizational dimensions of revolution, as well as revolution’s impact on and by popular culture. He also researches the relationship between religion and revolution.
DEPARTMENT OF SPEECH COMMUNICATION
Miriam Sobre-Denten, assistant professor. Sobre-Denton focuses on intercultural and interpersonal communication. Her focus includes the kinds of intercultural communication that happen even within one’s own home state or region. She earned her doctoral degree from Arizona State University this summer.
DEPARTMENT OF THEATER
Wendi Zea, assistant professor. Zea specialized in costume design at Kent State University, where she earned her master of fine arts degree in 2006. She served as costume designer and shop supervisor at Nebraska Wesleyan University before coming to SIUC. She also designed costumes for theaters in New York, Vermont and Tennessee.