SAU Welcomes 21 New Faculty Members

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

BrittanyBara@saumag.edu

https://web.saumag.edu/theatre/

Formerly of the University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Elizabeth Borkowski

Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice

ElizabethBorkowski@saumag.edu

https://web.saumag.edu/academics/program/criminal-justice/

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

Tallahassee, Florida

Dr. Jeremy Chamberlain

Assistant Professor of Biology

JeremyChamberlain@saumag.edu

https://web.saumag.edu/science/biology/

Former Visiting Professor, Department of Biology, University of Arkansas

Little Rock, Arkansas

Kurt Coppersmith

Assistant Professor of Art/Design

KurtCoppersmith@saumag.edu

https://web.saumag.edu/science/biology/

Former Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

Dr. Heather Crapo

Instructor of Chemistry

HeatherCrapo@saumag.edu

https://web.saumag.edu/science/biochemistry-chemistry/

Formerly of Binghamton University

Binghamton, New York

Dr. Mamadou Djiguimde

Assistant Professor of English and Foreign Languages

MamadoueDjiguimde@saumag.edu

https://web.saumag.edu/lpa/depts/efl/

Former Writing Instructor, Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Dr. Phillip Dukes

Associate Professor of Physics

PhillipDukes@saumag.edu

https://web.saumag.edu/engineering

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)

LloydEastland@saumag.edu

https://web.saumag.edu/theatre

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