Stephen F. Austin State University

Dr. Mary Nelle Brunson was promoted to associate vice president for academic affairs at Stephen F. Austin State University by the Board of Regents Tuesday. She has been serving as interim assistant provost and assistant chair of elementary education since October.

Also at the meeting Tuesday, Dr. John Moore, professor of chemistry, was awarded a Regents Professorship for the 2008-2009 academic year. Regents professors receive a medal and a $2,000 grant to support their research efforts.

New faculty appointments approved by the board include: Emiliano Giudici, assistant professor of economics and finance; Heather K. Olson Beal, assistant professor of secondary education and educational leadership; and John S. Cotner, assistant professor of music theory.

In the College of Liberal and Applied Arts, new faculty appointments include: Courtney P. Carney and Jason Tebbe, assistant professors of history; Rhiannon Fante and Lora L. Jacobi, assistant professors psychology; Patricia Foster, visiting instructor of psychology; Mark Emil Sanders, department chair and professor of English and philosophy; Daryl L. Farmer and Ronald A. Tumelson II, assistant professors of English and philosophy; and Jennifer K. Luse, Lee Payne and Cindy Pressley, assistant professors of government.

Changes of status in the College of Liberal and Applied Arts include Archie McDonald, from professor of history to community liaison. Michael Tkacik, associate professor of political science, also was named director of the School of Honors.

New faculty appointments in the College of Sciences and Mathematics include: Sarah C. Canterberry and Jason Michael Fritzler, assistant professors of biology; Arlen Jeffery, assistant professor of organic chemistry; Thomas W. Judson, associate professor of mathematics and statistics; and Jane Holsapple Long and Nicholas E. Long, assistant professors of mathematics and statistics; Joseph Musser, assistant professor of physics; Odutayo Odunuga, assistant professor of biochemistry; and Kevin W. Stafford, assistant professor of geology.

Many faculty members were granted promotions in academic rank by the Board of Regents. They include the following:

To assistant professor: Dorothy Gotshall, elementary education; and Linda Bond, communication.

To associate professor: Robert Crocker and Philip Stetz, management, marketing and international business; Wendy Killam and Scott Whitney, human services; Carl Pfaffenberg, human sciences; Brian Utley, music; Theresa Coble, forestry; Joyce Johnston, modern language; Clint Richardson, mathematics and statistics; and Alexandra Van Kley, biotechnology.

To professor: Wynter Chauvin, elementary education; Charles Abel, government; Steve Taafe, history; Gregory Miller, mathematics and statistics; and Dan Bruton, physics.

To professor emeritus: David Shows, kinesiology; Clarence Bahs, theatre, David Creech, agriculture; Robert Mathis, history; Thomas Atchison, mathematics and statistics; and Ernest Ledger, geology.

To librarian IV: Carol Scamman.

The Board of Regents also awarded tenure to the following faculty: Robert Crocker and Philip Stetz, management, marketing and international business; Linda Bobo, Jeffrey Gergley and Jay Lee, kinesiology; Wendy Killam and Scott Whitney, human services; Dorothy Gottshall, elementary education; John Leonard, secondary education; Carl Pfaffenberg, human sciences; Theresa Coble, forestry; Linda Bond, communication; Joyce Johnston, modern language; Clint Richardson, mathematics and statistics; and Alexandra Van Kley, biology.

The board approved the following staff appointments in information technology services: Allena A. Kendall and George P. McMillan, programmer analysts I; Donna K. Mettier, programmer analyst II; and William M. Croft, administrator of instructional systems. Changes of status in information technology services included Arthur C. Humphrey, from specialist technical support II to systems programmer I; and Mark R. Ludorf, from professor of psychology to Axcess project director.

Staff appointments in athletics include: George H. Van Linder, head soccer coach; and Kellian Kaiser Partridge, assistant soccer coach.

Controller staff appointments include: Dalyce Jean Franks, accountant III; and Cathy M. Mekeel, accountant II. In addition, Mary Susan Ferris’ status was changed from accountant I to accountant III.

Other staff appointments include Sarah F. Cutler, marketing communications specialist in the Office of Public Affairs; and Manuel G. Guerrero, assistant Historically Underutilized Business coordinator/system specialist in the Department of Purchasing and Inventory.

Changes of status were as follows: Jennifer L. Davis, from outreach coordinator of career services to assistant director of career services; Debra A. Brown, from adjunct faculty in the College of Education to clinical Instructor of Human Services; Adam J. Miller, from casual employee to research associate in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture; Angela K. Distefano, from graduate teaching assistant to biology lab coordinator in the College of Sciences and Mathematics; and Irish N. Beason, from financial aid records supervisor to financial aid officer.

Faculty leaves with pay were approved for Peter Simbi, social work; David Lewis, art; Randi Cox and Robert Allen, history; Robert Culpepper, management, marketing and international business; and Tim Cherry, agriculture.

The Board of Regents also accepted the following retirements: Roy D. Alston, associate professor of mathematics and statistics; George A. Carpenter, assistant professor of education; Clarke W. Proctor, professor of mathematics and statistics; Allen M. Richman, regents professor of history, associate dean of the College of Liberal and Applied Arts and director of the School of Honors; M. Aileen Smith, professor of accounting; and Roy S. Beasley, dean of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture.