Twenty-seven new faculty members have joined the University of Illinois at Springfield for the 2008 fall semester. Ten will teach in programs within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; eight will teach in the College of Public Affairs and Administration; two in the College of Education and Human Services; three in the College of Business and Management; and four will teach in the library.
Josiah Alamu is a lecturer in the Public Health Department. His teaching experience includes courses in biostatistics, epidemiology, and the public health aspects of waste management. His research includes work on internal medicine, pediatric intensive care, and maternal and child health care. Alamu is currently completing his Ph.D. in Epidemiology at the University of Iowa, where his dissertation research focuses on the evaluation of antimicrobial use in pediatric intensive care units.
D. Waheedah Bilal, assistant professor of Library Instructional Services, comes to UIS from Westminster College, where she served as user services/reference and instruction librarian and archivist. She also has served as an African American Initiatives intern at the Missouri State Archives and worked at the University of Missouri Ellis Library as a reference and teaching and electronic resources assistant. She planned and developed the first information literacy course offered at Westminster, and has also taught at Stephens College. Before turning to library science, she worked as a copy editor with several publishing houses. She has also volunteered as a multicultural consultant for the Columbia, Missouri, Public School District and the Richardson Independent School District in Dallas, Texas. Bilal holds an M.L.S. as well as a master's degree in African American History from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Mark T. Blagen is assistant professor in the Human Services Department, where he will teach and coordinate graduate courses in the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counseling concentration. He comes to UIS from Adams State College in Colorado, where he served as an associate professor in the Department of Counselor Education. Before that, he was an assistant professor in the School of Psychology and Counseling at Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia, and a student assistance program counselor at Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach, where he was responsible for providing prevention, intervention, and referral services for students exhibiting poor academic achievement and/or behavioral problems. Blagen received his Ph.D. in Counseling from Old Dominion and while there he developed and implemented Last Call, an intervention program for students who were sanctioned for violating the campus alcohol and drug policy. His research interests include defining the spiritual dimensions of addiction recovery and investigating the relationship between purpose of life and the use of alcohol and other drugs.
Mayra Bonet is director of Modern Languages. She has had extensive teaching experience, including at the University of Delaware, and has served as language coordinator at the Lima campus of Ohio State. Besides English, French, and Spanish, she is proficient in Portuguese, Italian, and Catalan. At UIS, she will lead the development of the campus’ first Modern Languages minor, as well as a planned major in Spanish. Bonet earned a B.A. in French and an M.A. in Spanish from the University of Puerto Rico, and holds the Ph.D. in Spanish American Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her teaching and research interests include integrating language technology into the classroom, Latin American literature, film, comparative literature, and gender studies.
Suzanne Borland, assistant professor of Legal Studies, previously served as an assistant attorney general in the Office of the Illinois State Attorney General where she handled civil rights actions as well as a variety of cases in the criminal appeals bureau. She remains a member of the Illinois State Bar and has taught as an adjunct professor at UIS since 2004, helping lay the groundwork for the campus' Pre-Law Center. At UIS her teaching will focus on legal writing and analysis, law and society, institutions and processes, and legal research and citation. She holds the J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law.
Ping Deng, assistant professor of Computer Science, previously taught at Utica College in New York. She received the B.S. in Computer Science from Sichuan University in China, and holds the master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Dallas. Deng's research interests focus on data base systems and mining, as well as bioinformatics. She is the co-author of six journal papers and three book chapters.
Mark Edgar is assistant professor of Public Health. His past positions include director of assessment and planning at the Illinois Public Health Institute, senior research associate at St. Louis University School of Public Health, researcher at SIU School of Medicine, director of epidemiology at the Adams County Health Department, and adjunct faculty member at UIS and Quincy University. His research has been published in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice and Public Health Reports. Edgar received his Ph.D. in Public Health from St. Louis University.
Vincent Flammini, visiting clinical instructor in the Social Work Department, will teach and coordinate fieldwork experiences.
Before coming to UIS, Flammini worked with the Sangamon Area Special Education District, the Illinois Coalition for Community Services, and Springfield College in Illinois. During the past two years, he has held a joint appointment with the UIS Counseling Center and served half-time as an academic adviser in the Social Work program.
In addition, he has worked with UIS' Center on State Policy and Leadership to provide training for the ICAA Family and Community Development Specialist certification program. Flammini received an M.S.W. from the U of I at Urbana-Champaign and his A.B. in Government and International Relations from the University of Notre Dame.
His research interests include career development and the existential outlook of social service workers.
Ross Garmil is visiting clinical instructor in the Experiential and Service Learning Programs, where he will have special responsibilities in the Credit for Prior Learning Program. His previous experiences include service as a dean's administrative assistant at Boston University, where his duties included graduate recruitment; administrator with a non-profit agency; and adult education grant evaluator for the Boston Redevelopment Authority. Garmil received a B.A. in English and American Literature from Brandeis, and a master's degree in Education from Boston University.
Shane Harris, visiting assistant professor of Visual Arts, previously taught at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and at Parkland Community College. At UIS, his teaching will focus in the areas of ceramics and sculpture. His work has been exhibited at such venues as The Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts and The Art Museum of Northern Illinois University. Harris earned the B.F.A. in Ceramics and Sculpture from the U of I in Urbana-Champaign, and the M.F.A. in Ceramics from Indiana University, Bloomington.
Sae Kwang Hwang is assistant professor of Computer Science. Previously he was a postdoctoral fellow on a National Science Foundation grant, and also taught at the University of Texas, Arlington. He holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea; an M.S. in Computer Science from Texas A & M; and a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from UT-Arlington. His research focuses on the computerized analysis of segmented video frames. He is the author of four juried articles and book chapters.
Brian Jackson is visiting clinical instructor in Writing in the Center for Teaching and Learning. He has wide experience teaching English composition and once served as a teaching assistant for beat poet Allen Ginsberg. His recent scholarship explores the inter-relationships of visual art and modernist poetry, and literature, including surrealism. Jackson has a B.A. in Medieval and Renaissance Studies from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, an M.A. in English from UIS, and a Ph.D. from St. Louis University.
William Kline is assistant professor of Liberal and Integrative Studies. He previously wasdirector of the International Center for Applied Ethics at Central Michigan University and headed the Center for Business Ethics at Molloy College, Long Island. His areas of interest include ethical theory, and applied ethics in the business, medical, and environmental arenas. His work has been published in such professional journals as the Journal of Value Inquiry and International Studies in Philosophy. Kline earned the B.A. in Economics from Grove City College and the M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from Bowling Green State University.
Elizabeth Kosmetatou, assistant professor of History, was previously co-editor of the journal Classics and most recently taught at Tulane University. She has also taught at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. At UIS, her teaching will focus on ancient history. Widely published, she is the author of more than 40 articles and is co-editor of the book Labored in Papyrus Leaves, published by Harvard University Press. Her current scholarship focuses on Posidippus, a Greek poet who lived in Alexandria and whose "lost" work was recently rediscovered in the papyrus wrappings of an Egyptian mummy. Kosmetatou received her bachelor's degree in Archeology and Art History from the University of Athens, Greece, and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati.
Kim Loutzenhiser, assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration, was previously an assistant professor at Barry University in Miami, Florida, where she taught a wide variety of courses in public administration including planning, leadership, public/private partnerships, and ethics. She received the Ph.D. in Public Policy Analysis from St. Louis University and served there as a postdoctoral fellow in Criminal Justice.
Karl McDermott is UIS' first Ameren Endowed Professor in Business and Government. Previously, he was a vice president at National Economic Research Associates where he specialized in public utility regulation and directed and participated in projects related to energy and telecommunication. He also served as a commissioner with the Illinois Commerce Commission during the time when the state's restructuring law was being negotiated. He has lectured extensively on regulatory reform and restructuring in this country, as well as in Eastern Europe and South America. He has been a research scientist at the Argonne National Laboratory and is widely published in professional journals. At UIS, McDermott's duties will include teaching, conducting research, and facilitating lectures and seminars for corporate, political, and civic leaders. He earned the Ph.D. in Economics at the U of I in Urbana-Champaign.
Layne Morsch is assistant professor of Chemistry. He began his teaching career at Barat College/DePaul University, where he taught in an interdisciplinary science curriculum, advised chemistry majors, mentored undergraduate research projects, and conducted workshops for middle school teachers. At UIS, he will teach organic chemistry. Morsch's research interest focuses on digestive enzyme kinetics. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Mankato State University in Minnesota, and his Ph.D. from the U of I at Chicago.
Juanita Ortiz comes to UIS as a lecturer in the Criminal Justice Department. Her teaching and research interests focus on the topics of prisoner reentry; women and crime; residential segregation; and stratification by race, class, and gender. At UIS, she will concentrate in the broad areas of social justice and public policy. She is currently completing her Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Oklahoma.
Jeffrey Paine will be a visiting lecturer in Environmental Studies and Political Studies. He previously taught both online and on-ground courses for the MPA program at UIS and has worked for the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety and as a reporter for a chain of newspapers in central Illinois. He earned a master's degree in Environmental Studies at UIS and is presently completing his doctorate in the campus' Public Administration program, where his research focuses on policy development and program implementation at the state and local levels.
Alysia Peich, assistant professor of Library Instructional Services, most recently served as a reference librarian and information literacy liaison at Delaware Community College. Her previous positions also include manager of the Information Services Department of a branch of the public library in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and reference and electronic services librarian at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She has also taught in the Business and Computer Information Systems Department and the Communications, Arts, and Humanities Department of Delaware County Community College. Peich has a B.A. in Sociology from Vassar College, an M.A. in Library and Information Science from the University of Iowa, and an M.A. in English from West Chester University.
Carl Peterson, visiting assistant professor of Accountancy, previously served as a senior consultant specializing in energy and public utility regulation and also worked for the Illinois Commerce Commission where he reviewed utility rate filings, sponsored cost of service and rate design testimony, and advised the Commission on specific energy issues and on energy policy. He has served as a consultant in several eastern European countries and is the author and co-author of numerous reports and papers addressing issues in the electric, natural gas, and telecommunications industries. Peterson earned the Ph.D. in Economics at the U of I at Chicago.
Donna Rogers, visiting instructor of Management, is president of Rogers HR Consulting, which provides human resource management and development consulting services to a variety of organizations, with a special emphasis in small- to medium-size organizations without HR professionals on-site. She is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, as well as a professional trainer. She earned an M.Ed. in Human Resources Development at the U of I at Urbana-Champaign, and a B.S. in Public Relations at Illinois State University.
Christine Ross, director of Collections Services and assistant professor of Library Instructional Services, is a licensed attorney who worked for six years as lead case law editor at Lexis-Nexis. She also served as senior research librarian for a law firm in Chicago and as a medical librarian for electronic services at the OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria. She has been a guest lecturer on legal research for the Dominican University School of Library and Information Science, and her research specialties include competitive intelligence and intellectual property. Ross earned the B.A. in Political Science from Knox College, an M.S. in Library Science and Information Technology from the U of I at Urbana-Champaign, and a J.D. from SIU-Carbondale.
Dennis Ruez, assistant professor of Environmental Studies, recently served as a visiting assistant professor at Auburn University. He has experience in hydrogeology, environmental geology, global climate change, and paleontology, as well as extensive experience working with K-12 teachers and students to provide resources for innovative science education. He earned the Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from the University of Texas, Austin, where his dissertation examined the effects of climate change on mammals in North America during the last ice age.
Tim Salm is clinical assistant professor and library technology coordinator. He previously worked in both higher education, including at Rock Valley Community College, and in the private sector, including positions with Microsoft, Ministry Health Care of Wisconsin, and Web Associates of California. Salm's research interests include the development and refinement of web-based systems for the delivery of library resources and services to assist patrons both on campus and at a distance. Salm earned the B.S. from Illinois State University and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the U of I at Urbana-Champaign. He is presently working toward a master's degree in Instructional Technology and Design at Northern Illinois University.
Stephen Schnebly, assistant professor of Criminal Justice, comes to UIS from the faculty of Arizona State University. His teaching focuses on a range of areas within criminal justice, including law and social control, criminology theory, and research methods. His research centers on community-oriented policing, crime reporting behavior, and gang behavior. Schnebly earned the Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Frances Shen is an assistant professor of Psychology whose teaching at UIS will focus on counseling psychology. She received an award for excellence in graduate student research from the Division of Counseling Psychology of the American Psychological Association, and served as a pre-doctoral psychology intern at Iowa State. Her scholarship focuses on multicultural issues in counseling, with a special interest in the Asian-American community. Shen earned a bachelor's degree from Illinois Wesleyan University and her master's and Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.
In addition, Tianhua Wang (pictured at left) and He Xiaogang are the new visiting scholars in the China Faculty Exchange Program. Wang is an associate professor of English in the School of Western Studies at Heilongjiang University in Harbin, China, and earned the Ph.D. at that institution. Xiaogang is an associate professor of Management and associate dean of academics at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics and earned the Ph.D. in Business Administration from Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China.
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