The Faculty Grows as SAU Welcomes Twenty One for 2018-19

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.

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.

According to the Press Release, 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
• Dr. Elgaddafi Elamami
  Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science
  ElgaddafiElamami@saumag.edu
  https://web.saumag.edu/science/cs/
  Formerly a Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics at SAU; Adjunct, Campbell University
  Buies Creek, North Carolina
• Dr. James Hyde
  Assistant Professor of Biology
  JamesHyde@saumag.edu
  https://web.saumag.edu/science/biology/
  Formerly a Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh
  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Jennifer Kelton-Huff
  Assistant Professor of Public Health
  JenniferKelton@saumag.edu
  https://web.saumag.edu/academics/program/public-health/
  Formerly of Middle Tennessee State University
  Murfreesboro, Tennessee
• Dr. Karen Landry
  Department Chair/Professor of Nursing
  KarenLandry@saumag.edu
  https://web.saumag.edu/nursing/
  Former Department Chair and Director of Nursing, Texas A&M University
  Texarkana, Texas
• Dr. Daniel McDermott
  Assistant Professor of Biology
  DanielMcDermott@saumag.edu
  https://web.saumag.edu/science/biology/
  Former Affiliate Faculty, General Microbiology, Metro State University
  Denver, Colorado
• Roslyn Nipper
  Assistant Professor of Nursing
  RoslynNipper@saumag.edu
  https://web.saumag.edu/nursing/
  Former Assistant Professor of Nursing, South Arkansas Community College
  El Dorado, Arkansas
• Dr. Dennis Ortiz
  Assistant Professor of Accounting
  DennisOrtiz@saumag.edu
  https://web.saumag.edu/academics/program/accounting/
  Formerly of University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
  Edinburg, Texas
• Angela Peeks
  Instructor of Biology
  AngelaPeeks@saumag.edu
  https://web.saumag.edu/science/biology/
  Former Adjunct Instructor at SAU and Biology Teacher, Magnolia High School
  Magnolia, Arkansas
• Rashad Pittman
  Instructor of Health, Kinesiology, and Recreation
  RashadPittman@saumag.edu
  https://web.saumag.edu/hkr/
  Formerly of Northeastern State
  Tahlequah, Oklahoma
• Dr. Paul Schrader
  Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science
  PaulSchrader@saumag.edu
  https://web.saumag.edu/science/cs/
  Former Teaching Associate, Bowling Green State University
  Bowling Green, Ohio
• Brandi Spelbring
  Instructor of English
  BrandiSpelbring@saumag.edu
  https://web.saumag.edu/lpa/depts/efl/
  Former Associate Professor of English, Dodge City Community College
  Dodge City, Kansas
• Darryl Webb
  Instructor of Mathematics
  DarrylWebb@saumag.edu
  https://web.saumag.edu/science/cs/
  Former Math Tutor, SAU
  Magnolia, Arkansas
• Tracy Woolfley
  Instructor of Nursing
  TracyWoolfley@saumag.edu
  https://web.saumag.edu/nursing
  Formerly of Health Science and Technical Education, SAU Tech
  Camden, Arkansas