CONVOCATION 2016
Introducing new faculty & administrative appointees
Susan Koch

Chancellor

Full Professor 2000, Teacher Education

Convocation remarks
James Ermatinger

Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs & Provost

Full Professor 1999,
History

Introducing administrative appointees from the Division of Academic Affairs
Pattie Piotrowski

University Librarian & Dean of Library Instructional Services
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M.B.A, 2007, Illinois Institute of Technology; M.L.I.S, 1998, Dominican University; Library & Information Science
Pattie Piotrowski

Research/professional interests: Student retention, advocacy, leadership, and service. 
Personal interests: Gardening, reading, and hiking.
Hanfu Mi

Interim Dean*, College of Public Affairs & Administration
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Ph.D., 1988, University of South Carolina; Reading Education
Hanfu Mi

Research/professional interests: Language acquisition and literacy development with an emphasis on sociocultural and linguistic factors, accreditation.

Personal interests: A collector of fountain‐pens, coins, and stamps; a traveler; and, above all, an enthusiastic reader.
*Pending Board of Trustees approval
1
Lucia Vazquez

Interim Dean*, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Ph.D. 2001, Cornell University; Plant Biology
Lucia Vazquez

Research/professional interests: Evolution of nuclear genes, development of DNA‐based barcodes for species identification, biodiversity, evolutionary history of plants, antimicrobial properties of plant extracts, assessment of genetic diversity and comparative genomics.

Personal interests: Working out, reading, dancing, hiking, traveling, jewelry making, knitting, and spending time with family.
*Pending Board of Trustees approval
Ronald McNeil
College of
Business &
Management

Dean, College of Business &
Management
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Full Professor 1987, Business Administration

Introducing new faculty appointees
Yazan Alnsour

Lecturer, Management Information System

Ph.D. expected 2016, University of Colorado, Denver; Computer Science & Information Systems
Yazan Alnsour

Research/professional interests: Health information technology and innovation, analytics, and big data.

Personal interests: Biking, hiking, camping, and traveling.
2
Matthew Brown

Assistant Professor*, Business Administration

Ph.D., 2010, Florida State University; Economics
Matthew Brown

Research/professional interests: Financial economics, law & economics, political economy, Austrian economics/market process theory, cultural/social/economic history, LGBT history/queer theory
*Pending Board of Trustees approval
Neetu Singh

Assistant Professor*, Management Information Systems

Ph.D.,2016, Georgia State University; Business administration Neetu Singh

Research/professional interests: Health information technology, design science research, big data/advanced analytics adoption, and actionable business intelligence.

Personal interests: Traveling, reading, dress designing, and cooking.
*Pending Board of Trustees Approval
Paul Caselton

Visiting Associate Professor, Accountancy

J.D., 1985, Stanford Law School; Law
Paul Caselton

Research/professional interests: Law in general, and state and federal tax law in particular.

Personal Interests: Reading fiction and history.
3
Hanfu Mi
College of
Education &
Human Services

Dean, College of Education & Human Services
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Full Professor 2009, Teacher Education

Introducing a new faculty appointee
Chun Zhang Creaser

Assistant Professor,
Human Services

Ph.D., 2015,
University of Minnesota; Education, Curriculum, & Instruction
Chun Zhang Creaser

Research/professional interests: Reciprocal influence process of parent‐child learning and development among diverse cultures and ethnicities.

Personal Interests: Hiking and swimming in summer; snow skiing in winter.
Karen Lee

Clinical Instructor,
Human Services

M.A., 2002, University of Illinois Springfield; Non‐Traditional Approaches to Medical Education
Karen Lee

Research/professional interests: Art therapy, trauma, schizophrenia, assertive community treatment, neurobiology of psychotherapy, non‐traditional approaches to medical education.

Personal Interests: Painting, sailing, animal rescue.
4
Lucia Vazquez
College of
Liberal Arts &
Sciences

Acting Dean, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Associate Professor 2007, Biology

Introducing new faculty appointees
Angela Doehring


Assistant Professor,
Allied Health
Ph.D., 2012, Purdue University; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention/ Gerontology
Angela Doehring


Assistant Professor,
Computer Science

Ph.D., 1995,
Arizona State University; Computer Science
Personal Interests: Spending time with family and being outside.
Mark Huson

Research/professional interests: Physical activity, behavior change, and older adults.
Mark Huson

Research/professional interests: Computer security, parallel and high performance computing, computer architectures, and computer simulation.

Personal Interests: Music, reading, science fiction, material arts, and anything outdoors.
5
Celest Weuve


Associate Professor* (2014), Allied Health; Program Director, Athletic Training
Celest Weuve

Research/professional interests: Workplace environment, bullying, and harassment. 
Personal Interests: Carpentry. Ph.D., 2012, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions; Athletic Training
*Pending Board of Trustees approval
Amandailee Adams

Visiting Instructor, Allied Health

M.S., 2011, University of Illinois Springfield; Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
Amandailee Adams

Research/professional interests: Microbial biofilms, emergence and implications of antibiotic resistant organisms.

Personal Interests: Keeping up with two little ones, family adventures, traveling, boating, exercising, and mentoring children. Debra Parker

Visiting Instructor, English

Ph.D. expected 2016, Illinois State University; English Studies/Rhetoric
Debra Parker

Research/professional interests: Rhetoric, writing, autobiography, linguistics, cultural studies, interdisciplinary pedagogy; dissertation title: the Rhetoric Bravery in Contemporary Women’s Memoir

Personal Interests: Photography, running, biking, baseball, hanging with family. 6
Hanfu Mi
College of
Public Affairs &
Administration

Interim Dean*, College of Public Affairs & Administration

Full Professor, 2009 Teacher Education

Introducing new faculty appointees
*Pending Board of Trustees approval
Brandon Derman

Assistant Professor,
Environmental Studies 
Ph.D., 2015,
University of Washington; Geography
Brandon Derman

Research/professional interests: Geography, socio‐
legal studies, and geographic information systems; politics of climate justice.

Personal Interests: Music, food, being outside, and relaxing with his wife and young daughter.
Eugene McCarthy

Assistant Professor,
Legal Studies

Ph.D., 2016,
University of California Berkley; Rhetoric
Eugene McCarthy

Research/professional interests: Law, culture, and the humanities; legal philosophy and theory; corporate personhood and corporate law; legal history.

Personal Interests: Running, baseball, and outdoor activities (hiking, camping, etc.)
7
Kimberly Wiley
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Lecturer, Public Administration

Ph.D. expected 2016, Florida State University; Public Administration and Policy
Kimberly Wiley

Research/professional interests: Public administration, nonprofit management, and public policy.

Personal Interests: Gardening, and day trips to the beach.
Adam Williams
Adam Williams

Assistant Professor, Public Administration

Research/professional interests: Public procurement, budget and finance, and public management.

PhD., 2014, Florida Atlantic University; Public Administration

Personal Interests: Soccer referee and world traveler.
Pattie Piotrowski
Library
Instructional
Services

University Librarian & Dean of Library Instructional Services

Associate Professor 2016, Library Instructional Services

Introducing new faculty appointees 8
Sally LaJoie

Clinical Assistant Professor, Library Instructional Services
Sally LaJoie



Research/professional interests: Information literacy and usability
Personal Interests: Traveling, running, and reading
M.L.I.S., 2013, University of Missouri‐
Columbia; Library Science Steven Ward

Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor

M.L.I.S., 2015, University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign; Library and Information Science Steven Ward

Research/professional interests: Academic librarianship: reference, instruction, and assessment. Subject specialties: African American studies, environmental and political sciences, criminal justice, and global studies.
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Personal Interests: Writing and cooking.
David Racine
Center for
State Policy &
Leadership

Executive Director, Center for State Policy & Leadership

Introducing a new administrative appointee 9
Juan Donoso
Juan Donoso

Director, Survey Research Office 
Research/professional interests: Political culture, democratic consolidation, and judicial points

Ph.D., 2009, Vanderbilt University; Political Science 
Personal Interests: Politics, sports, books, food, craft beer, and good scotch. Chancellor’s
Division
&
Division of
Academic Affairs
Susan Koch

Chancellor

Introducing new administrative appointments in the Chancellor’s Division and Division of Academic Affairs.
Jim Sarra

Director of Intercollegiate Athletics 
M.S., 1993, Western Illinois University; Sport Management Jim Sarra

Research/professional interests: Organizational leadership; looking at the leadership attributes of vision and courage, two parts of the leadership diamond model, and their relation to success in intercollegiate athletics. 
Personal Interests: Reading leadership material, cooking, barbeque, outdoor activities, and exercise. 10
James Ermatinger

Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs & Provost

Ph.D., 1988, Indiana University Bloomington; Ancient History
James Ermatinger

Research/professional interests: Roman history, late Roman economics, Roman numismatics.

Personal Interests: Traveling.
Clarice Ford
Division of
Student Affairs

Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Introducing a new administrative appointee Charles Osiris

Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs & Dean of Students

Ph.D., 2005, University of California, Santa Barbara; Educational Leadership and Organizational Development 11