Pacific Lutheran University

At New Faculty Orientation last week, PLU welcomed 33 new faculty members, including 17 in tenure-track positions.

Like last year, when more than 40 new faculty members joined the university, students in nearly all divisions will see new faces in the classroom this year. Two departments with particularly large numbers of new faculty are art and religion.

In the art department, students will see significant changes in the faculty, said J.P. Avila, an assistant professor of art who received tenure-track status this year. Retirements in the art department at the end of last year left only two remaining faculty members, he said.

“There are lots of changes happening,” he said. “And there are new opportunities for students.”

Likewise, the religion department has been undergoing a generational shift for the past decade, said Doug Oakman, dean of humanities and a professor of religion. The department has seen many new faces in recent years, and this year will add a few more.

“Our faculty are carefully picked to be accessible to students and bring high quality academics to the university,” Oakman said. He added that PLU has one of the best faculties in the Northwest, with many known both nationally and internationally.

New faculty members attended orientation events last Thursday and Friday, which included a welcome reception, campus tour and information sessions about benefits and the university.

As of August 16, new faculty members include the following:

New Full-Time, Tenure-Track Faculty

John Paul Avila, assistant professor, art
Amy Beegle, assistant professor, music (music education)
Maria Luisa Chavez, assistant professor, political science
Spencer Ebbinga, assistant professor, art
Antonios Finitsis,assistant professor, religion (Old Testament/Hebrew Bible)
Bogomil Gerganov, assistant professor, physics
Susan Harmon, associate professor, marketing
C. Christopher Lee, associate professor, management information systems
Zachary Lyman, assistant professor, music (trumpet theory)
Peter Ng'ang'a, assistant professor, economics
Kevin O'Brien, assistant professor, religion (Christian ethics)
Daniel Renfrow,assistant professor, sociology
Julie Smith, assistant professor, biology
Michael Stasinos, assistant professor, art
Allison Stringer, assistant professor, School of Physical Education
Alicia Suarez, assistant professor, sociology
David Ward,assistant professor, marriage and family therapy

New or Reappointed Full-Time Visiting Faculty

Brad Andrews, visiting assistant professor, anthropology
Michael Behrens, visiting assistant professor, biology
Craig Cornwall, visiting assistant professor, art
Matthew Crom, visiting instructor, philosophy
Emily Davidson, lecturer, languages and literatures (Spanish)
Diana DiStefano, visiting assistant professor, history
Maria Ferrer-Lightner, visiting assistant professor, languages and literatures (Spanish)
Annal Frenz, visiting instructor, religion
Melissa Franke, visiting assistant professor, communication
Margaret Gehring, visiting assistant professor, School of Physical Education
Christina Graham, visiting assistant professor, psychology
Judy Hassen, clinical assistant professor, School of Education
Neal Johnson, visiting assistant professor, economics
Wenqing Kang, visiting assistant professor, history
Pauline Kaurin, visiting assistant professor, philosophy
Stephanie Kerr, visiting assistant professor, School of Physical Education
Louis Komjathy, visiting assistant professor, religion
Donald Lacky, visiting assistant professor, math
Arthur Land, visiting assistant professor, art
Annekathrin Lange, visiting assistant professor, languages and literatures (German)
Henry Loughman, visiting assistant professor, theatre
Andrea Mason, visiting assistant professor, English
David McNabb, visiting assistant professor, School of Business
Mary Moran, visiting assistant professor, social work
Brian Naasz, visiting assistant professor, chemistry
Paul Nelson, visiting assistant professor, School of Education
Rachel Nussbaum, visiting assistant professor, history
Daniel Peterson, visiting assistant professor, religion
Judith Pine, visiting assistant professor, anthropology
Carol Ptak,professor/Distinguished Executive in Residence, School of Business
Kathleen Rooney, visiting assistant professor, English
Elizabeth Skendzic, visiting assistant professor, biology
Scott Taylor, visiting assistant professor, languages and literatures (French)
Tom Wells, visiting assistant professor, School of Physical Education
Christopher Wheeler, visiting assistant professor, communication
Frederick Wolf, clinical assistant professor/Executive in Residence, School of Business

Learn more about each of them by visiting www.news.plu.edu/newfaculty.