Dr. Max Lifchitz
Fall 2006 Elena Diaz-Verson Amos
Eminent Scholar in Latin American Studies.
Dr. Lifchitz scheduled to teach to two courses titled “Selected Topics in Music: Modernism and Nationalist: Latin American Masters” and “Modern Latin America.”
Dr. Max Lifchitz is active as a composer, performer, producer, arts administrator and educator. A graduate of The Julliard School and Harvard University, he was invited to join the faculty of the University at Albany, State University of New York in 1986. Previously, he held teaching appointments at the Manhattan School of Music and Columbia University.
Dr. Lifchitz is represented as composer, pianist, and conductor on a number of CD and LP albums issued by the Classic Master, CRI, Finnadar, New World, North/South, Opus One, Philips, RCA Victor, and Vienna Modern Masters labels.
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| College of Arts and Letters |
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Charles J. Hemard, III
Assistant Professor, Department
of Art
Charles J. Hemard, III received the MFA from the University of Georgia, and BA from the University of Southern Mississippi. Mr. Hemard has taught at CSU as a Temporary Assistant Professor. |
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Kathleen Hubbard
Assistant Professor, Department of Art
Dr. Hubbard received her PhD from The Union Institute and University, MFA from Washington State University, MA from College Instruction in Art, Eastern Washington University, and BA from Whitworth College. A member of the editorial board for the Journal of Social Change, she will serve as CSU’s art education coordinator.
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Mara A. Scrupe
Professor and Alan F. Rothschild
Chair, Department of Art A noted environmental artist, Professor
Scrupe is a graduate of Macalester College (BA) and Bard
College, Annandale-On-Hudson, New York (MFA). She was art
department chair at Longwood University in Virginia, and
visiting artist and
artist-in-residency appointments have taken her to various
college campuses in the Southeast and museums in Lithuania,
Latvia, Denmark, Sweden and Ireland.
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Pamela Baker
Assistant Professor, Department of History
Dr. Baker received her PhD, MA, and BA from the University
of Illinois at Chicago. She specializes in early American
Republic (pre-1763-1815). |
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Gary S. Sprayberry
Assistant Professor, Department of History
Dr. Sprayberry received his PhD from the University of
Alabama, and MA and BA from Jacksonville State University.
Arriving from Miles College (Ala.), he will teach classes in
African-American history at CSU.
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Jose Barroso
Castro
Assistant Professor, Department of Language and Literature
Dr. Barroso Castro received his PhD and MA from Cornell
University and BA from Universidad de Salamanca.
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Robert E. Cummings
Assistant Professor, Department of Language and Literature
Mr. Cummings received his BA from University of Tennessee,
MA from University of Mississippi, and will be receiving his
PhD this summer from the University of Georgia.
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Joshua R. Eyler
Assistant Professor, Department of Language and Literature
Dr. Eyler received his PhD and MA from the University of
Connecticut and BA from Gettysburg College. He specializes
in medieval studies.
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Stephen Levin
Assistant Professor, Department of Language and Literature
Dr. Levin received his PhD from Emory University and BA from
Wesleyan University.
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Shirantha Beddage
Temporary Assistant Professor, Schwob School of Music
Mr. Beddage received the BM from Humber College, MM from
William Paterson University, and will be receiving the DMA
from Eastman School of Music this summer. An accomplished
saxophonist, pianist, composer, arranger, instructor and
bandleader, he will coordinate jazz studies.
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Craig M. Resta
Assistant Professor, Schwob School of Music
Mr. Resta received the BM from Baylor University and MM from
Indiana University. He will receive his PhD from the
University of Maryland in 2007. He will teach courses in
string methods and music education.
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Sergiu Schwartz
Professor and William B. and Sue Marie Tuner Distinguished
Faculty Chair in Violin, Schwob School of Music
Mr. Schwartz has studied at Curtis Institute, Juilliard
School, Manhattan School, Mannes College, Eastman School of
Music, Cleveland Institute, Cincinnati Conservatory, Rice
University, Boston University, Hartt School, and University
of Miami. He arrives from the Lynn University (Fla.) music
faculty, where he mentored prizewinning students in
prestigious competitions worldwide.
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Constantina
Tsolainou
Professor and Paul S. and Jean R. Amos Faculty Chair and
Director of Choral Activities, Schwob School of Music
Ms. Tsolainou received the MM from Westminster Choir College
and BM from The Ohio State University. She has frequently
appeared in concerts, workshops and master classes
nationwide and has held conducting positions at several
institutions including Southern Methodist University and
Westminster Choir College
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Masako Okura
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science
Dr. Okura received her PhD from the University of
Connecticut, MA from Ohio University, BA from University of
Oregon, and BA from Kyoto University, Japan. Her research
interests include Islam, human rights, democratization and
terrorism.
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Troy M. Vidal
Temporary Assistant Professor, Department of Political
Science
Mr. Vidal is ABD at Auburn University, received his MPA from
University of North Florida, and BA from University of North
Florida.
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Becky Becker
Associate Professor, Department of Theatre
Dr. Becker received her PhD from Bowling Green State
University, MA from the University of North Dakota, and
BS/BA from Minot State University. Her interests include
cross-cultural and intercultural theatre, and ethnic theatre
performance.
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Brandon Booker
Assistant Professor, Department of Theatre
Mr. Booker received his BA from Graceland University and MFA
from the University of Missouri. Mr. Booker has taught at
CSU as a Temporary Assistant Professor.
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Lawrence McDonald
Assistant Professor, Department of Theatre
He received his MFA from Illinois State University and BFA
from East Carolina University. A professional actor for 15
years and a member of Actors’ Equity Association, he’s
taught on the high school level in Vermont, at Adirondack
Community College and SUNY Oneonta, both in New York, and at
Illinois State.
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| D. Abbott Turner College of Business |
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Kirk Heriot
Associate Professor of Management and the Ray and Evelyn
Crowley Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship
Dr. Heriot received his BS and PhD in Industrial Management
from Clemson University and MBA from the University of South
Carolina. He comes to Columbus State from Mercer University.
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Andres Jauregui
Assistant Professor of Economics
Dr. Jauregui received his MS in Economics and PhD in Applied
Economics from Auburn University and BS in International
Economics from the International University of the Americas.
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Jennifer
Pitts
Assistant Professor of Management
Dr. Pitts received her BBA and MBA from Columbus State
University and her PhD from Auburn University. She is the
former director of information technology at Aflac, and was
an adjunct instructor before accepting her current position.
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Robert
Dunn
Instructor of Accounting
Mr. Dunn received his BS in Finance and MBA in Accounting
from Auburn University. He holds both the Certified
Management Accountant and Certified Financial Management
designations. Mr. Dunn held adjunct positions at Auburn
University and Georgia Tech before coming to CSU.
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Joel
Cassman
Visiting Instructor of Economics and International Business
Mr. Cassman holds a BA from Georgetown University (cum
laude) in economics; a MA, MS and ABD in economics and
agricultural economics from the University of California,
Davis; and a MSS (national security studies) from the US Air
War College. Retired from the U.S. Department of State as a
foreign-service officer (1981-2006), he has served on the
faculty (economics and political science departments) of the
U.S. Air Force Academy and at Fort Benning (WHINSEC) as
director of advanced studies. He also taught economics at
San Diego City College and Central Texas College, lectured
at numerous universities in Latin America in the United
States and has published research on topics including U.S.
security, international law enforcement cooperation and
international trade.
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| College of Education |
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David Rock
Dean, College of Education
Dr. David Rock comes to Columbus State University from the
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he served as
Professor of Mathematics and Chair of the Department of
Education. He served previously at the University of
Mississippi as Coordinator of Secondary Instruction. He
holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University, an
M.A. in Mathematics Education from the University of Central
Florida, and also from UCF an Ed.D. in Curriculum and
Instruction. Dr. Rock has received recognition from numerous
entities for outstanding teaching; grant writing; innovative
excellence in teaching, learning, and technology; and
research. He also serves as a member of the Board of
Examiners for the National Council for Accreditation of
Teacher Education and is the co-author of 15 books.
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J. Larry Beaty
Temporary Associate Professor of Educational Leadership
Dr. Larry Beaty returns to the Department of Counseling,
Educational Leadership, and Professional Studies, having
served as a full-time faculty member from 1999-2004. He
obtained a B.S.E. in Mathematics from Troy State University
and an M.Ed. and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Auburn
University. Dr. Beaty brings with him extensive
administrative experience, having served as a public school
superintendent and President of both Opelika State Technical
College and Wallace Community College.
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Michael D. Hall
Temporary Associate Professor of Educational Leadership
Dr. Mike Hall comes to the College of Education from the
Georgia Department of Education, where he has been serving
as the State Deputy Superintendent for Information
Technology. He received a BS in Physical Education from
Georgia College, an M.Ed. and Ed.S. in Administration and
Supervision from the University of Southern Mississippi, and
an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of
Sarasota. Under his leadership as principal of Houston
County High School, it was named the Best of the Best
Technology School in the Nation. Among other honors, Dr.
Hall has received recognition from the Blue Ribbon Schools
Foundation as one of the top 10 high school principals in
the nation.
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Betsy Glisson
Temporary Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education
Ms. Betsy Glisson received her BS in Early Childhood
Education from Georgia Southern University and her MEd and
EdS in Early Childhood Education and Leadership and
Supervision from Troy State University. She has extensive
teaching experience in Georgia public schools and received
National Board Certification in 2004. For the past twelve
years, she has taught in a multiage and looping classroom
setting in Harris County. Ms. Glisson is currently pursuing
a PhD in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State
University.
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Bonita E. Flournoy
Associate Professor of Science Education
Dr. Bonita Flournoy earned her BS in Chemistry from Bishop
College, MA in Science Education from Atlanta University,
and EdD in Science Education from the University of Georgia.
She comes to CSU with over 20 years of higher education
experience holding positions as a teaching faculty in
science education, coordinator and program manager for
teacher education and science related programs, chairperson,
and principal investigator/director of six federally funded
science and mathematics projects. She has published her
research about the professional development of science and
mathematics middle and secondary teachers in various science
and teacher education journals. She is a member of many
professional organizations; such as, NCTM, GSTA, and GAS, of
which she is the chairperson for the Academy’s Science
Education section, and was appointed for a three-year term
as a member of the College Committee for the National
Science Teachers Association.
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Gayle D. Herrington
Temporary Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education
Ms. Gayle Herrington received her formal training at Spelman
College and North Carolina State University where she earned
a BA in Mathematics and MEd in Mathematics Education,
respectively. Ms. Herrington taught high school mathematics
in Virginia and Georgia. She was also an Aerospace Education
Specialist for two years for the NASA Aerospace Education
Services Program and traveled across the country doing staff
development workshops, lecture-demonstration assemblies, and
hands-on lessons in P-12 classrooms. She is currently
pursuing her doctorate in Mathematics Education at Auburn
University.
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Ann Klinkenborg
Temporary Assistant Professor of Physical Education
Ms. Ann Klinkenborg received her BS in Elementary Physical
Education from Vanderbilt University and her MEd in Health
and Human Performance from Auburn University. She has taught
in Auburn City Schools for the past sixteen years as an
elementary physical educator. She also has eight years of
experience as a developmental coach for Auburn Aquatics. She
currently teaches adult swimming lessons and Swim for
Fitness classes at Health Plus Fitness Center. Ms.
Klinkenborg is pursing a doctoral degree in Health and Human
Performance at Auburn University.
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Joseph Mills
Temporary Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education
Mr. Joseph Mills received his BSEd and MEd in Early
Childhood Education from Columbus State University. He
taught eight years in Muscogee and Fulton County schools. In
2001, he was named the Muscogee County Teacher of The Year
and was given the Outstanding Alumnus award by the CSU
College of Education. Mr. Mills will be pursuing a doctoral
degree in Early Childhood Education at Georgia State
University.
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Alicia Tatum
Wellness Coordinator / Assistant Professor of Physical
Education
Dr. Tatum has been appointed Assistant Professor of Physical
Education and will serve as the coordinator of the Wellness
Program. Dr. Tatum received her BA in Psychology and her MA
and PhD in Exercise Science from the University of Alabama.
She has worked as a group fitness instructor, cardiac
rehabilitation intern, and medical assistant. She also
taught courses in exercise science and coordinated the Human
Performance Lab at the University of Alabama. Dr. Tatum is
interested in promoting fitness within the aging and
African-American populations.
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| College of Science |
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Yan Bai
Assistant Professor, TSYS Department of Computer Science
Dr. Bai received her
Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering (Sp. Computer
Engineering) from University of British Columbia, Vancouver,
Canada (November 2003). Dr. Bai is coming to CSU from
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
She has been doing research in the areas of Quality of
Service in multimedia transportation over the Internet as
well as in the areas of Network Security and Information
Assurance. She has applied for grants to NSF and NSERC to
continue her research in these areas.
Dr. Bai will be teaching our computer networking and
security courses and continuing her research.
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Madhusudan Bhandary
Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics
Dr. Bhandary completed his PhD in statistics at the
University of Pittsburgh and bachelors and masters degrees
in statistics at Calcutta University. His research involves
the detection of outliers in signal processing. He has more
than 20 years of full time university experience, most of
which occurred at North Dakota State University. His
responsibilities here will include leading an initiative to
establish a mathematical consulting center.
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Honghing (Daisy)
Dai
Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics
Dr. Dai finished her PhD in statistics at the University of
Kentucky this summer. She also holds masters degrees in
statistics and applied math from U.K. and a bachelor’s
degree in finance from the China Institute of Finance and
Banking. Her dissertation is entitled “Detecting Group
Structure in Mixture Regression Models and Latent Trait
Analysis”.
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Pinar
Gurkas
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Education: PhD Developmental Psychology, Purdue University;
Certificate in Applied Statistics, Purdue University; MA
Social Psychology, Bogazici Univerisity, Turkey; BA
Management, Bogazici University, Turkey
Research: Contextual influences on the development of
individual differences in child temperament, specifically
with respect to early self-regulation and emotional
reactivity.
Awards: Student Scholar Award, John Merck Fund, Summer
Institute on the Biology of Developmental Disabilities,
Princeton University.
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Troy Keller
Assistant Professor, Environmental Science Program
Dr. Troy Allen Keller is the newest addition to our
Environmental Sciences faculty. As an undergraduate, he
attended Ohio Wesleyan University, receiving a B.A. in
Zoology in 1991. His graduate work was done at the
University of Michigan, focusing on aquatic biology and
ecology; he received an MS degree in 1994 and a Ph.D. in
1997. His doctoral dissertation dealt with the impact of
various environmental factors on algal and invertebrate
communities in fresh-water settings. Dr. Keller conducted
post-doctoral studies at Georgia Tech from 1999 to 2001,
mainly working with the olfactory systems of blue crabs. He
taught a number of courses as a graduate instructor at the
University of Michigan and has also taught classes in
general biology at Santa Fe Community College.
More recently, Troy has worked as a water-quality analyst
with the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental
Sciences, Chesapeake Bay Program. In this position, he
estimated watershed-wide indicators of environmental
stressors and their impact on the Bay. Most recently, Troy
has worked as an environmental scientist with the St. Johns
River Water Management District where he developed protocols
for a basin-wide water-quality and plankton sampling
network.
Dr. Keller will be teaching courses in river and lake
ecology, ecological methods, water- and environmental
quality, predator / prey ecology, and (of course)
Introductory Biology and Introductory Ecology. We also
believe that he will work with other faculty members and
students to help enhance CSU’s environmental graduate
program and to add a necessary component to our growing
focus on the Chattahoochee River and its basin.
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M. Shamim Khan
Associate Professor, TSYS Department of Computer Science
Dr. Khan received his Ph.D. in Computation from the University of
Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, Manchester,
United Kingdom. (1984) He is coming to CSU from Murdoch
University, Perth, Western Australia.
He has taught and done research for more than 20 years. He
has taught courses ranging from computer programming in
various languages to Operating Systems to Artificial
Intelligence and Computer Graphics. His recent research
includes topics such as Intelligent Systems for Decision
Support, Knowledge representation and Computer Security.
Dr. Khan will be teaching a graduate course in software
testing and quality assurance and our database and
artificial intelligence courses and continuing his research.
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Stephanie Lewis
Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing
Ms. Lewis earned her BSN from Purdue University and her MSN
from the University of Phoenix where she majored in Nursing
Education. She has 15 years of nursing experience and has served as a
CSU nursing clinical instructor for two years. Last year she developed
and implemented a "student retention" project that is ongoing.
Her clinical expertise as well as knowledge and ability in
teaching and learning will be an asset to the Department of Nursing
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Melinda Pell
Temporary Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics
Ms. Pell completed a master’s degree in mathematics at
Auburn University and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at
CSU. Her master’s thesis involves matrix theory.
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Mary Anne Porzig
Temporary Full-Time Assistant Professor , Health Science
Ms.Porzig holds a Masters Degree in Public Health with an
emphasis in Maternal and Child Health from the University of
Alabama and a Masters Degree in Community Nutrition from
Eastern Kentucky University. Mrs. Porzig has many years of
experience working as a Registered Clinical Dietician,
Nutrition Consultant, and Certified Diabetes Educator.
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Lydia Ray
Assistant Professor, TSYS Department of Computer Science
Dr. Ray earned her
Ph.D. in Computer Science from Louisiana State University,
Baton Rouge, LA (August 2005). She is coming to CSU from
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA.
Dr. Ray has been doing research in the areas of Security in
Wireless Sensor Networks and Computer Security on projects
funded by NSF and DARPA grants. Some of her research topics
include: security key predistribution techniques and
analytical framework for measuring security-performance
tradeoffs of different key predistribution schemes.
Dr. Ray will be primarily teaching our computer security
courses and leading our initiative to be recognized by the
National Security Agency as a Center of Academic Excellence
in Information Assurance Education.
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Joseph Rugutt
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Geology
Dr. Rugutt will be teaching Organic Chemistry as well as
other Chemistry courses starting this Fall. He comes to us
from Claflin University in South Carolina. His undergraduate
degree in Chemistry is from Moi University in Kenya; he
earned the Ph.D. and did post-doctoral work in Analytical
and Organic Chemistry at Louisiana State University in Baton
Rouge. Dr. Rugutt has a history of successful proposal
writing and involving undergraduates in his research.
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Monica Frazier
Assistant Professor of Biology
Dr. Frazier comes to us from Tuskegee University where she
was the Deputy Director, Center for Biomedical Research. Dr.
Frazier received her B.S. from Alabama State University and
her Ph.D. from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She
is a molecular biologist whose teaching experience includes:
Cell Biology; Molecular, Cellular, and General Biology;
Experimental Biology; and Foundations in Cancer. She will be
teaching Cell Biology. Dr. Frazier’s research focuses on
chemopreventative/chemotherapeutic strategies addressing
prostate cancer.
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Jeffrey Stratford
Temporary Assistant Professor of Biology
Dr. Stratford will assist with Research Methods in Biology.
Dr. Stratford received a B.S. in Biology from Rutgers
University, an M.S. in Biology from Southeastern Louisiana
University, and a Ph.D. in Biology from Auburn University
where he is currently employed as a post-doctoral
researcher. Dr. Stratford has conducted field studies on
birds, both in the southeastern United States and central
Brazil.
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Carson Stringfellow
Assistant Professor and Laboratory Safety Officer
Mr. Stringfellow received both a B.S. in Biology and a M.S.
in Environmental Science from Columbus State University. In
addition to teaching Environmental Studies, he will serve as
the College of Science Laboratory Safety Officer. Mr.
Stringfellow has received numerous grants to conduct surveys
of freshwater mussels.
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| Simon Schwob Memorial Library |
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Paula M. Adams
Assistant Professor of Library Science
Paula Adams comes to CSU Libraries from Nova Southeastern
University in Fort Lauderdale, FL, where she served as
Social Sciences Subject Specialist Librarian. She earned a
B.A. in English from Michigan State University and a Master
of Library Science degree from Wayne State University. Paula
will assume the position of Liaison Librarian to the
Departments of Theatre and Communication; she will also
serve as a member of the Library Instruction Team.
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Akeisha L. Heard
Instructor of Library Science
Akeisha Heard joins the CSU library faculty as Systems
Librarian and liaison to the Department of Computer Science
and the Computer Information Systems Management section of
the Department of Financial and Information Systems, D.
Abbott Turner College of Business. Akeisha earned her B.S.
in Computer Science from the College of William and Mary.
She also has a Master of Library and Information Science
degree from Kent State University. Prior to being selected
for her current position, Akeisha worked as a software
engineer at OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., in
Dublin, Ohio.
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Linda C.W. Schotz
Instructor of Library Science
Linda Schotz is a recent graduate of the University of
Alabama’s School of Library and Information Science, with an
MLIS degree. Her undergraduate degree, a B.S. in Wildlife
Science, is from Auburn University. Linda also has a Master
of Education degree in Secondary Education from the
University of Montevallo. She will serve as Science Liaison
Librarian and will be a member of the Library Instruction
Team. Linda also has professional experience as a high
school biology teacher and a program coordinator in a number
of environmental projects based in Alabama.
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| University College |
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Jessie Lorene Upshaw
Temporary Instructor of Learning Support Writing
She is not new to CSU, however, having been an adjunct
instructor since 2002. She retired from Muscogee County
School District in 2005. Lorene holds a B.A. in English from
Morris Brown College and an M.Ed. from Columbus State
University.
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Stephanie Marie Gable
Assistant Professor of Learning Support Mathematics
Ms. Gable has taught as an adjunct faculty member since 2004
for the Department of Basic Studies and the Department of
Mathematics. Stephanie earned bachelors and masters degrees
at Auburn University, and is completing her Ph.D. at Auburn.
Her areas of special interest are graph theory, design
theory and combinatorics.
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Stuart Eddings Rayfield
Director of the Servant Leadership Program.
Ms. Rayfield has extensive experience in student affairs as
a Special Projects Program Advisor and Student Affairs
consultant at Auburn University. She earned a B.A at Rhodes
College, an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from the
University of Alabama, and an Ed.D. from Vanderbilt
University.
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| Academic Affairs |
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Mark L. Ridley
Professor of Military Science
Lieutenant Colonel Mark L. Ridley joins Columbus State
University as the Professor of Military Science. He received
his MS from Kansas State University and BS from North
Georgia College and State University. LTC Ridley most
recently served as Deputy Chief of Staff at Ft. Benning,
Georgia.
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