FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Shirley Luna – April 20, 2006

Regents approve promotions, job changes for SFA employees

Two SFA faculty members have earned the highest honor bestowed by the university’s Board of Regents. Dr. Allen Richman, professor of history and director of SFA’s School of Honors, and Dr. David Creech, professor of agriculture, have been named Regents Professors.

Faculty members nominate their colleagues for the honor, and previous Regents Professors and deans of the seven colleges that comprise SFA review the nominations and make recommendations for the honor. Those recommendations are submitted for approval to the provost and the Board of Regents.

Regents Professors receive a $2,000 grant to support their efforts and a medal.

Retiring SFA faculty members with a record of distinguished service to the university are named professor emeritus. Regents awarded the title to John Daniel and Mary McCleary, art; James Garrett, chemistry; Robert Mann, music; Sammie Smith, accounting; and Donya Stephens, secondary education.

Tenure was awarded to 15 faculty members, including Robert Allen, history; Christopher Ayer, music; Angela Bacarisse, theatre; Julia Ballenger, secondary education; Mark Barringer, history; Kathleen Belanger and Michael Doughty, social work; Deborah Dunn, computer science; Keaton Grubbs, general business; Greta Haidinyak, nursing; Carol Harrison, human services; Samuel Jones, economics and finance; Ronald Petti, music; and James Stamey and Sarah Stovall, mathematics and statistics.

Tenure, which ensures academic freedom and protects faculty from retribution, entitles faculty members to continue in their position unless dismissed for good cause. Tenure is typically awarded to full-time faculty members who have earned the highest academic degree awarded in their field of study. The following faculty members were promoted to professor: Carol Abel, elementary education; Kimberly Childs and Deborah Pace, mathematics and statistics; Robert Culpepper, management, marketing and international business; Richard Herzog, political science, geography and public administration; Alexander Karatayev, James Van Kley and Robert Wiggers, biology; and Treba Marsh, accounting.

Faculty members promoted to associate professor include Robert Allen and Mark Barringer, history; Angela Bacarisse, theatre; Julia Ballenger, secondary education Deborah Dunn, computer science; Patty Ellison and Greta Haidinyak, nursing; Dennis Gravatt, biology; Keaton Grubbs, general business; Samuel Jones, economics and finance; Christopher Ayer, Stephen Lias and Ronald Petti, music; and James Stamey and Sarah Stovall, mathematics and statistics.

Ann Ellis was promoted to librarian III, and Wade Carter was promoted to librarian IV.

New faculty appointments approved by regents included: Christina Guenther-Scott, assistant professor of music; Jill Hernandez and Matthew Batt, assistant professors of English and philosophy; Dianne Dentice, assistant professor of sociology; Sarah Franklin and Scott Sosebee, assistant professors of history; William Forbes, assistant professor of geography; Matthew Kwiatkowski, assistant professor of biology; Nancy Mathis, lecturer of biology; and Jeremy Becnel, Patricia Carlin and Brian Beavers, assistant professors of mathematics and statistics.

The retirements of Don Hay, biology department chair; David Jeffrey, associate vice president of graduate studies; Robert Mann, music professor, Sammie Smith, accounting professor; and Ray Worsham, director of intramurals, were approved.

Regents approved the appointment of Ann Doyle Anderson as chair of the Department of Modern Languages. Jerry Williams, associate professor of sociology, was appointed chair of the Department of Sociology. Former chair Ray Darville was appointed professor of sociology and was granted a faculty development leave for the fall semester. Other faculty development leaves were approved for Dr. Betty Johnson, general business, and for the spring 2007 semester, for Dr. Clarke Wayne Proctor, mathematics and statistics, and Dr. Wynter Chauvin, elementary education.

George Ann Leonard, former certification officer/PBIC manager, was appointed director of assessment and accountability and Jeffrey H. Davis was approved as director of development for alumni affairs.