
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
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
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