Southern Arkansas University welcomes 21 new faculty members this year who are entering 12 different academic departments on campus and come from 13 diverse states.

Included in the new faculty is Jennifer Kelton-Huff, program director for SAU’s newest program – Bachelor of Science in Public Health. She comes to SAU from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

According to a press release, The SAU Public Health program starts this fall and is designed to incorporate many disciplines which work together to ensure a community’s health needs are addressed from all angles. In addition to core public health courses, the degree plan includes courses in nursing, biology, psychology, sociology, health sciences, and recreation. The program also incorporates an upper-level public health internship, which emphasizes the importance of community collaboration and SAU’s commitment to meaningful career preparation, skill development, and effective citizenship.

The SAU Department of Nursing also introduced a new department chair over the summer, Dr. Karen Landry, who was formerly department chair and director of nursing at Texas A&M University in Texarkana, Texas.

Brittany Bara brings her diverse theatre teaching experience – acting; directing; voice and movement; and musical theatre – from the University of Pittsburgh to her new role as SAU’s director of Theatre and assistant professor of Musical Theatre.

“We are delighted that such a talented group of new faculty have decided to further their careers at SAU,” said Dr. David Lanoue, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We are proud to be the campus of choice for outstanding scholars and teachers from throughout the United States and around the world.”

Southern Arkansas University is the second largest employer in Columbia County with a total of 430 employees – 176 faculty members and 254 staff members.

The full list of SAU’s new faculty follows:

  • Brittany Bara

Director of Theatre/Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre

Formerly of the University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

 

  • Elizabeth Borkowski

Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice

Former Instructor at the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

 

  • Dr. Jeremy Chamberlain

Assistant Professor of Biology

Former Visiting Professor, Department of Biology, University of Arkansas

Little Rock, Arkansas

 

  • Kurt Coppersmith

Assistant Professor of Art/Design

Former Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

 

  • Dr. Heather Crapo

Instructor of Chemistry

Formerly of Binghamton University

Binghamton, New York

 

  • Dr. Mamadou Djiguimde

Assistant Professor of English and Foreign Languages

Former Writing Instructor, Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

 

  • Dr. Phillip Dukes

Associate Professor of Physics

Formerly of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Brownsville, Texas

 

  • Lloyd “Wally” Eastland

Production Manager/Resident Designer (began spring of 2018)

Formerly Principal Designer, LPR Design Studios, Melbourne and Victoria Australia; and Guest Artist Lighting Designer, Ashland University, Ohio and Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio

 

  • Dr. Elgaddafi Elamami

Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science

Formerly a Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics at SAU; Adjunct, Campbell University

Buies Creek, North Carolina

 

  • Dr. James Hyde

Assistant Professor of Biology

Formerly a Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

 

  • Jennifer Kelton-Huff

Assistant Professor of Public Health

Formerly of Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

 

  • Dr. Karen Landry

Department Chair/Professor of Nursing

Former Department Chair and Director of Nursing, Texas A&M University

Texarkana, Texas

 

  • Dr. Daniel McDermott

Assistant Professor of Biology

Former Affiliate Faculty, General Microbiology, Metro State University

Denver, Colorado

 

  • Roslyn Nipper

Assistant Professor of Nursing

Former Assistant Professor of Nursing, South Arkansas Community College

El Dorado, Arkansas

 

  • Dr. Dennis Ortiz

Assistant Professor of Accounting

Formerly of University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Edinburg, Texas

 

  • Angela Peeks

Instructor of Biology

Former Adjunct Instructor at SAU and Biology Teacher, Magnolia High School

Magnolia, Arkansas

 

  • Rashad Pittman

Instructor of Health, Kinesiology, and Recreation

Formerly of Northeastern State

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

 

  • Dr. Paul Schrader

Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science

Former Teaching Associate, Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, Ohio

 

  • Brandi Spelbring

Instructor of English

Former Associate Professor of English, Dodge City Community College

Dodge City, Kansas

 

  • Darryl Webb

Instructor of Mathematics

Former Math Tutor, SAU

Magnolia, Arkansas

 

  • Tracy Woolfley

Instructor of Nursing

Formerly of Health Science and Technical Education, SAU Tech

Camden, Arkansas

 

More From Eagle 106.3