NEW FACULTY, ACADEMIC SUPPORT STAFF, and ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF BIOGRAPHIES – FALL 2008

These biographies are of the faculty, academic support staff and administrators who joined St. Lawrence between August 2007 and August 2008.

Academic Advising
Erin Colvin joins the team as the Assistant Director of HEOP, located in Whitman Hall. Erin comes to us after serving as EOP Counselor at SUNY Morrisville, and prior to that worked with HEOP and Student Support Services at Cazenovia College. Erin holds a degree in Communications from SUNY Oswego. Many faculty and staff members got to know Erin this summer through her coordination of the faculty/staff lunch series with the HEOP students on campus for the pre-first-year program.

Matt McCluskey '99 is the new Coordinator of Academic Support in Academic Advising Programs. He earned an M.A. in Political Science from Duke and has taught and tutored extensively in preparatory schools in New York and Maryland. Most recently, Matt was a Reading Center tutor and history teacher at the The Learning Lab, Brentwood, Tennessee. In addition to his responsibilities in Academic Advising, Matt will be teaching in the First-Year Program.

Sahiry Rodriguez '07 is the new Project Coordinator of the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. Since graduating from St. Lawrence, she has earned her M.Ed. in Counseling and Human Development from St. Lawrence. While completing her Master's degree, Ms. Rodriguez worked as a graduate assistant in Educationas well as a part-time assistant in the Center for Diversity and Social Justice. She brings experience to the McNair program having been a McNair Scholar as an undergraduate.

Administrative Operations
Doug Welch:  Doug returned in June as our Coordinator of Community Development and Energy Programs, on a one-year position funded by the Fresh Sound Foundation.  Doug is helping us to advance the North Country Symposium and to explore our campus energy programs including possible renewable energy applications.  A graduate of Wooster and SUNY Albany School of Information Science and Policy, Doug worked in the Owen D. Young Library and Vance Archives from 1985 - 1990.  He then worked in the libraries at SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Canton.  Doug holds numerous community service positions including chair of the St. Lawrence County Planning Board, and board positions with the Potsdam Food Co-op, Gardenshare, and Community Energy Services.

Admissions
Tim Akers ’06, Assistant Director of Admissions:  Originally from Buffalo, Tim used the experience he gained as a student working in the admissions office to pursue admissions work full-time at Southern New Hampshire University.  Returning to St. Lawrence last year, he began his master’s in education while working part-time in admissions and the athletic department.  As an undergrad, Tim was captain of the swim team and a student delegate to the Alumni Council, as well as serving in various capacities in the admissions office.

Ann Barrett, Executive Secretary:  Ann brings a wealth of experience to her position in the admissions and financial aid office.  She has worked in various office settings including for an engineering firm and a cardiology practice.  A native of the North Country, Ann is an avid Saints hockey fan.

Chad Tessier ’93, M.Ed ’04,  Senior Assistant Director of Admissions:  Chad has worked in education for the past ten years, first in undergraduate admissions at Clarkson University and then in various positions at The Clarkson School—most recently as Director of Admissions. Chad is a native of the North Country and he joined the St. Lawrence admissions staff in July.

Biology
Matthew Neatrour comes to St. Lawrence as a Visiting Assistant Professor in Biology.  He earned his Ph. D. from Virginia Tech in 2005.  Since receiving his Ph.D., Dr. Neatrour has been a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Colgate University.  Dr. Neatrour’s research focuses on how human-caused and natural disturbances affect the structure and function of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.  Dr. Neatrour will be teaching Forest Ecology, General Biology, and specialty courses in plant ecology.

Alexander Schreiber comes to St. Lawrence as an Assistant Professor in Biology.  He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Rhode Island in 1998.  Since receiving his Ph.D., Dr. Schreiber has been a Postdoctoral Research Associate and Staff Associate at the Carnegie Institution of Washington.  In addition, during 2007 and 2008, he taught courses at Gettysburg College as an adjunct professor and at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland as a Visiting Professor of Physiology.  Dr. Schreiber’s research focuses on the molecular, cellular, and developmental biology of vertebrate metamorphosis.  Dr. Schreiber will be teaching Endocrinology, Comparative Physiology, General Biology, and specialty courses in developmental biology.

Chemistry
Kathryn Kloepper is a visiting assistant professor in the department of chemistry.  Her Ph.D. was earned at the University of Illinois where she recently defended a thesis based on solid state NMR studies of synuclein, a protein implicated in a variety of neurodegenerative pathologies.  She will be teaching courses in general chemistry and physical chemistry.

English
Theo Hummer comes to St. Lawrence from Cornell, where she received her MFA in poetry
and where she is also completing work on a Ph.D. with a dissertation titled, "Spell from the Colored Section: Performance and Segregation in Contemporary American Poetry."  Theo is a poet, currently revising a collection,"Dead Naked Wandering: A Dream Ethnography."

Stan Macdonald ’65 joined St. Lawrence last spring, serving as a Guest Lecturer in English; an advisor to Hill News; and the coordinator of the Contemporary Issues Forum series here on campus.  Stan has a Master’s Degree from Northwestern University and is a retired editor for the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Richard Rubin, this year's Viebranz Visiting Professor of Creative Writing, is a journalistic essayist who has published three essays in The New York Times Magazine, one essay in The New Yorker, and fourteen essays in The Atlantic Monthly. He is also the author of Confederacy of Silence: A New Tale of the Old South, and is completing work on a work dealing with the WWI generation, The Last of the Doughboys.

Environmental Studies
Erik Backlund joins the Environmental Studies Department in a tenure track position in contemporary recreation resource management.  He earned a B.A. in Recreation & Leisure Studies from Ithaca College, minoring in Environmental Studies. His Master's degree in Recreation comes from Clemson University. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has just defended his dissertation on demographic changes in visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park. Erik will be teaching courses on recreation resources and management, ecotourism, and the introductory course in environmental studies.

Geology
Colby Smith comes to St. Lawrence University from the University of Cincinnati where he received a Ph.D. in Geology in 2008 after completing his dissertation about the glacial history of the Bolivian Andes. Prior to attending the University of Cincinnati he attended the University of Maine in his home state.  There, he earned an M.S. in Quaternary and Climate Studies in 2003, and a B.S. in Geological Sciences in 2001.

Global Studies
Selfa Chew is joining the Global Studies Department as a Visiting Instructor.  She holds a MFA in Creative Writing and a MA in Borderlands History from the University of Texas at El Paso. She is an editor for Border Senses and coordinates the Mexican Contemporary Literature Conference. Her work (poetic, graphic, narrative, and editorial) has been published in Peru, Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Holland, and the United States. Her latest book, published in 2007, is Mudas las garzas. She is currently a doctoral student in the Department of History at the University of Texas at El Paso. Her research is focused on the Mexican-Japanese relocation program during WWII.  This fall she will be teaching introductory courses on race, culture and identity as well as a special topics course titled "Warriors of the West: Buffalo Soldiers, Native Americans and the impact of colonization." 

Government
Assistant Professor Chris Buck is a political theorist from the University of Chicago. He will be teaching our introductory courses in political theory and upper-division courses in environmental theory.

Assistant Professor Ronnie Olesker received her Ph D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.  She is an Israeli citizen whose expertise is in Mideast Politics, specifically her research explores the nexus between collective political violence, use of terrorism and human rights. She will be teaching courses in IR and comparative politics in the Middle East.

Annabella Espana-Najera is a Jeffrey Campbell Graduate Fellow whose expertise is in Latin American politics. She is a naturalized Guatemalan immigrant to Canada who received her BA from the University of British Columbia and is currently completing her doctorate at Notre Dame.

History
Matt Carotenuto comes to St. Lawrence as Assistant Professor in History.  Dr. Carotenuto earned his Ph.D. from Indiana University in 2006. His research focuses on 20th century East Africa. He joins the Advisory Board of the African Studies program and will be teaching the Introduction to African Studies course as well as upper level courses in African history.

Information Technology
Grant Currie,  Educational Technologies Training Coordinator:  Grant is no stranger on campus. Over the past 10 years, he has done freelance photography for several university departments and organizations; taught courses in photography, digital imaging, and digital art; and taught the laboratory component of the introductory to psychology course for a year. Joining the IT staff in May, Grant has brought vision to the TEC program, in particular, and is finding his position to be a blend of mentoring and technology training for which he is well suited. Grant expects to complete his Master of Education degree at St. Lawrence this year.

Lucas Wright,  Educational Technologist:  Lucas Wright joined the IT staff in July, after working in Marketing & Communications at SUNY Potsdam. Lucas brings an extensive background in IT, including a strong academic support background and broad experience with pedagogical applications of technology. He also brings great enthusiasm for this work at St. Lawrence. A Potsdam, NY, native, and a SUNY Potsdam alumnus, Lucas continues to pursue his Masters degree in addition to publishing for the first time in science education.

Intercollegiate Athletics
Franco Bari '98, former All America soccer player, returns to St. Lawrence as head women’s soccer coach and Coordinator of Student-Athlete Development. Franco was most recently head women’s soccer coach at Greensboro College in North Carolina. He was head women’s soccer coach at Elmira College from 2001-2005 and began his collegiate coaching career as assistant women’s soccer coach and interim head coach at Arizona State University from 1999-2001. Franco also served as CHAMPS/Life-skills Coordinator, Compliance Coordinator and Strength and Conditioning Coordinator at Greensboro and was Director of Community Outreach and Athlete Support Services at Elmira.

Bill Bascom, a Canton native and 2003 graduate of Cortland State College with a degree in Recreational Management, joined the St. Lawrence staff as Manager of Equipment Operations in April. He will oversee all aspects of the athletic equipment program, including inventory and replacement and repair, for our 32-sport athletic program. Billy was a lacrosse player in high school and college and is a member of the Canton High School Hall of Fame. Prior to joining the St. Lawrence staff he worked for Youngs Brothers Stick Stringing, a lacrosse products supplier, Rutland Industries in Vermont and was general manager of the Rutland Regional Field House. He also coached high school ice hockey and lacrosse in Rutland and is currently an assistant lacrosse coach at Heuvelton High School.

The St. Lawrence University women’s soccer team welcomes former Davidson College standout and assistant coach Winnie Corrigan as the squad’s assistant coach for the 2008 season. Corrigan, who graduated from Davidson in 2001, has extensive coaching experience that she will be bringing to Sandy MacAllaster Field, as she coached at her alma mater since 2004.  She helped guide Davidson to the program’s most successful four-year record of 51-26-6, while the team was also ranked regionally numerous times.  In addition to her work at Davidson, Corrigan also served as the Staff Coach and Age Group Coordinator at the North Meck Soccer Club, and also worked with the Olympic Development Program twice since graduating.  Prior to coaching at Davidson, Corrigan was the assistant women’s soccer coach at the University of Albany. As a Wildcat herself, Corrigan was the team’s most valuable player and was a First Team All-Conference in 1999. 

Mary Kate Curran, a 2006 graduate of Penn State University with post-graduate work at Bucknell University, has been named to the new position of Head Women’s Track and Field Coach. Kate, a Big Ten Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete and member of the 2004 Big Ten Championship women’s track and field team at Penn State comes to St. Lawrence from Susquehanna University where she has been assistant coach of cross country and track and field for the last two seasons. A USATF Level 1 Coaching Certificate holder, Kate ran cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field and was cross country captain at Penn State. She has been the Gatorade Sport Camp Hydration Manager at Penn State since 2003. Kate will also teach in the department’s minor.

Jeff Dittman joins the St. Lawrence University football coaching staff for the 2008 season following a successful playing career at Hartwick College. Dittman, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Hartwick in 2007, will coach the defensive line at St. Lawrence. . His outstanding leadership qualities earned him captain's status for both his junior and senior seasons and landed him an invite to the 2006 NCAA Division III Athletic Leadership Conference.  Dittman also served as an NCAA SAAB representative and volunteered at a Soup Kitchen in the winter and as a Religious Retreat worker.

The St. Lawrence University crew program welcomes University of Louisville graduate Kathryn Hagglund to the staff as an assistant coach. Hagglund served as team captain for the Cardinals from 2006 to 2008.  She was on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll throughout her four years and was a Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association National Scholar Athlete in 2007.  Between practices, she was an active member of the local community, as she volunteered for Habitat for Humanity as well as the Fit4Me program.  Hagglund was also a member of the University of Louisville’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee and received her bachelor of sciences degree in health & human performance with a concentration in exercise science.
Hagglund also brings some coaching experience into her first year at St. Lawrence, as she spent her summers working in her hometown of London, Ontario at the London Rowing Club, where she served as an administrator, as the Learn to Row instructor and head coach for the competitive and masters program. 

Aland Joseph, a  2007 graduate of Springfield College with a degree in Rehabilitation and Disability Studies has been promoted to a full-time position as assistant football coach and assistant Coordinator of Student-Athlete Development after serving as a graduate assistant football coach at St. Lawrence for the 2007 season. Aland, a four-year football letterman at Springfield College, is running backs coach for the football program and will continue his pursuit of a master’s degree.

The St. Lawrence University men’s basketball team welcomes Sean Kelly, a 2007 graduate of The Catholic University of America, as assistant coach to the Saints for the 2008-2009 season. Kelly spent the last year serving as the assistant coach for Hartwick College’s men’s basketball team.  He has also worked as a counselor and administrator at Hartwick’s summer camps, as well as at LeMoyne College. At The Catholic University of America, Kelly was the recipient of the Senior Male Athlete Role Model of the Year Award and was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Honor Court.  Kelly, who was a politics major with a concentration in world politics, was named to the Dean’s List and the Capital Athletic Conference All-Academic Team. He helped guide the Cardinals to a 64-23 overall record, as well as two Capital Athletic Conference tournament championships, which earned them two consecutive NCAA tournament berths, in his three years on the squad.

Troy Lassial ’08 returns to his alma mater to serve the St. Lawrence University football team as the Running Backs and Full Backs coach for the 2008 season.  Lassial, who earned his bachelor's Degree in history, finished a very solid career in the Scarlet and Brown at the wide receiver spot in the fall of 2007. The Ogdensburg, NY native finished his career with 38 catches, including a career-high 24 in his senior season. Lassial also finished with 512 yards receiving and four touchdowns.  Besides serving as a big target for quarterbacks, Lassial was also an impressive pitcher on the Saints' baseball squad.

The St. Lawrence women’s basketball team welcomes 2008 Bowdoin College graduate Amanda Leahy as the assistant coach.  A two-sport athlete for the Polar Bears, Leahy served as captain of both the basketball and volleyball teams in her senior campaign.  On the basketball court, Leahy guided her team to three consecutive NESCAC Championships and four NCAA appearances.  For the volleyball team, Leahy provided leadership the two seasons she participated on the team, leading the team to its first 20 win season in 18 years and to its first consecutive winning seasons since 1989.   Leahy double majored in government and legal studies, as well as history at Bowdoin.

Charles Leierer, a 1998 graduate of Hastings College with a master’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of North Dakota in 2005 joins the St. Lawrence staff as a full-time assistant football coach. Charles has most recently been an assistant coach at Luther College in Iowa and also coached at the University of North Dakota. He has experience as an offensive line coach, tight end coach and wide receivers coach in addition to serving as run game coordinator in his last two seasons at Luther. Charles will also teach in the department’s minor.

Stephen "Bo" McDougall ’06 returned to his alma mater to join the Saints' coaching staff as linebackers coach for the 2008 season following a two-year coaching stint at Norwich University.  McDougall, who received his bachelor's degree in history was a four-year starter for Chris Phelps from 2002-2005 and served as a team captain in his senior campaign.  Following commencement, McDougall joined the coaching staff at Norwich, serving the Cadets as the Tight Ends coach. He was responsible for video breakdown, creating scouting reports and recruiting in New England. McDougall also worked as the Assistant Coach to men's lacrosse at Norwich.

Former Saint All America Saeger Philpot '08 returns to the St. Lawrence field hockey program as assistant coach in the 2008 season. Philpot was a four-year standout for the Saints and was a second-team national All America as a senior. She led the Saints in scoring as a senior will 11 goals and eight assists for 30 points and scored five game-winning goals, which ties for third on the all-time single season list. She was a second-team Regional All America as a junior. She was first-team Regional All America and first-team All Liberty League as a senior. She finished her Saint career with 22 goals and 11 assists for 55 points in 61 career games.

The St. Lawrence University swimming and diving program welcomes Alison Riccobono, a 2006 graduate of The Pennsylvania State University, as the diving coach for the 2008-2009 season. Riccobono was named an All-America in 2005 and was a two-time NCAA National Qualifier while diving for Penn State.  In 2004, she was a medalist at the Big Ten Finals and was named “Big Ten Diver of the Week” multiple times throughout her career as a Nittany Lion.  She graduated Penn State with a degree in psychology.
She has been working as a Rehabilitation Associate at the Eisenhower Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan since graduating.

Kaela Schramm, an All America hurdler at Macalester College in Minnesota has joined the Saint men’s and women’s track and field coaching staff as an assistant coach and will help coach the sprints, jumps and hurdles. A 2007 graduate of Macalester and a four-year competitor in track and field, Kaela was captain from 2005-07 and was the Senior Female Student-Athlete of the Year in 2007. She was All America in the 55 meter hurdles as a senior and the MIAC Indoor Female Track Athlete of the Meet in her senior year. She was a three-time Academic All America and was all conference in both the indoor and outdoor jumps hurdles and sprints and was conference champion in the hurdles, triple jump and 55 meter dash. She was a national qualifier in both the hurdles and triple jump.

The St. Lawrence University men’s and women’s tennis programs added Hilary Tyler of Grand Junction, CO to the coaching staff for the 2008-09 season. Tyler is a 2008 graduate of Colorado State University where she majored in Speech Communications with minors in Spanish and Political Science.  During her time at Colorado State, she played on the Division I tennis team for two seasons, studied abroad in Granada, Spain, was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club and was the 2007 Waterpik Excellence in Education Award recipient.



Library
Lou Zeppieri is the GPS/GIS/Science Instrumentation Technician for the Libraries’ GIS Program.  Lou is a 2008 SLU graduate in Environmental Studies.  He will assist faculty and students with GPS instruction, ISEI weather station data and large scale plotting.

Mathematics, Computer Science & Statistics
Claus Koestler joins St. Lawrence as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics.  Claus comes to us from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  He received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Stuttgart in Germany in 2000. Claus does research in Quantum Probability.

John Chapman-Meloche joins St. Lawrence as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics.  John will defend his dissertation in October and receive his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario this year.  John's research is in Dynamical Systems.

Jessica Chapman will join St. Lawrence University in January 2009 as an Assistant Professor of Statistics.  Jessica will finish her Ph.D. from Iowa State University in December 2008 and join us in January.  Her research is in Applied Statistics.  Jessica's fiancé, Ivan Ramler, joins us in January as an adjunct instructor teaching a section of Applied Statistics.  He will also receive his Ph.D. in Statistics from Iowa State University this fall.

Modern Languages & Literatures
Babusa Hamisi is an International Visiting Lecturer of Swahili Language and Culture in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. He is a Tutorial Fellow of Swahili and Language Education at COMM-TECH Department Kenyatta University Nairobi Kenya, where he is also a Swahili PhD student. He has a Bachelor of Education and Master of Arts majoring in Swahili from Kenyatta University. He is also a famous Swahili poet and writer. Professor Hamisi will be teaching Elementary and Intermediate Swahili classes.

Gisele El Khoury will be an instructor in Arabic Language and Culture. Professor El Khoury is originally from Lebanon and came to the United States in 2005 after she earned her Master’s degree in Law.  Professor El Khoury started her teaching career as an Arabic professor at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) where she taught for 2 semesters before moving to Potsdam, where she is currently teaching at SUNY-Potsdam. At St. Lawrence University, Professor El Khoury will be teaching two sections of beginning Arabic.

Briana Lewis will be spending the year at St. Lawrence as a Visiting Assistant Professor of French. She completed her Ph.D. in 2006 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she specialized in nineteenth-century French literature, specifically Les Misérables and other works of Victor Hugo. Since then, she has held visiting faculty positions at Grinnell College (Iowa) and Williams College (Massachusetts), teaching French language and literature at all levels. She has presented papers and completed research on a variety of topics in nineteenth- and twentieth-century French literature. At St. Lawrence, Dr. Lewis will be teaching courses on French Language and culture as well as the nineteenth-century novel.

Zhenjun Zhang, Assistant Professor of Asian Studies and Modern Languages and Literatures earned a B.A. in Chinese Language and Literature at the Zhengzhou University, a M.A. in Classical Chinese Literature at the Beijing University and a Ph.D. in Chinese Language and Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Zhang is the author ofTraditional Fiction and Chinese Culture (1996) and the Taboo of Chinese Women (1996) [with Zhao Jianwei]. Currently he is working on the interaction of Buddhism and Chinese fiction. Dr. Zhang taught in several universities in recent years. He taught elementary, intermediate, advanced, and classical Chinese, Chinese literary tradition, Modern China through film, Buddhism and Taoism through Chinese literature, and China’s ancient world. This semester Dr. Zhang will be offering Elementary and Intermediate Chinese Language and Culture classes through the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and a Special Topics class entitled “Chinese Culture through Film” through the Asian Studies Program.

Performance & Communication Arts
Zachary Dorsey, a Visiting Assistant Professor, comes to us from Austin, Texas where he completed his Ph.D. in Theatre History and Criticism. Dr. Dorsey will be teaching performance and dramatic literature courses.  Zachary is a member of the Society of American Fight Directors and his research examines the connections between violence in queer history and their theatrical counterparts.

Ron Mace, a Visiting Assistant Professor, joins us from Morehead State College in Kentucky and will be teaching introduction to public speaking and media literacy/ethics.  Ron brings a wealth of experience in television and radio to our students at SLU and he also has a background in the theatre.

Philosophy
Jennifer Hansen comes to St. Lawrence as Visiting Associate Professor in Gender Studies, Philosophy, and the First Year Program from Gettysburg College.  Dr. Hansen earned her M.A. in Philosophy from Boston College, and her Ph.D. in Philosophy from SUNY at Stony Brook.  Dr. Hansen's research interests include Philosophy of Psychiatry and Feminist Theory, and she will be teaching courses in Gender Studies, Philosophy, and the First-Year Program.

Physics
Eunice Cheung comes to us from a post doctoral position in Biological Sciences at Stanford where she studied hair cells in the ear.  She has a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University. 

After splitting his time between Physics and IT for nearly two decades, Jeffery Miller is joining the Physics Department as full time Laboratory Coordinator.   Jeff earned his MA degree in astronomy from Wesleyan University.  This fall he will be teaching Astronomy and various introductory physics labs and performing a host of essential support functions.

President’s Office
Katrina Tomalty Johnson:  Assistant to the President:  Katrina joined the President’s office in November, returning after a brief hiatus from work and previously having spent six years as Director of Donor Relations at St. Lawrence.  She brings experience in development and event planning as well as career counseling, disability services, summer conferences, first-year programming and residence life. A graduate of Taylor University in Edmonton, Alberta, Katrina earned a Master of Arts degree in counseling from Sioux Falls Seminary in South Dakota.

Religious Studies
Laura Desmond – Laura is a 1992 summa cum laude graduate of St. Lawrence who is returning to take the position of her former mentor in South Asian Religions, Dr. Thomas B. Coburn, former Department Chair and Vice President of the University and Academic Dean.  She is currently finishing her doctoral dissertation, Disciplining Pleasure: The Erotic Science of the Kamasutra, at the University of Chicago under the tutelage of Dr. Wendy Doniger, herself the 1991 St. Lawrence University MacKay Lecturer.  Laura has delivered several conference papers and published two encyclopedia articles.  She has most recently taught at Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin.

Stuart Young – Stuart is a one-year replacement for Dr. Mark MacWilliams in East Asian Religions.  Stuart recently finished his doctoral dissertation, Conceiving the Indian Buddhist Patriarchs in China, earning his Ph.D. at Princeton University.  He holds Master of Arts degrees in Religion from Princeton and in Asian Religions from the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London.  He has taught English language in both Korea and the Republic of China (Taiwan) and has delivered several conference papers.  He has most recently taught at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  Please note that he is offering a new special topics course this semester in Buddhist Art and Architecture.

Jusuf Salih – Jusuf is a doctoral candidate at the University of Virginia and is a Jeffrey Campbell Graduate Fellow in the Department.  Jusuf comes from Kosovo and holds both Bachelor and Master of Arts Degrees from Marmara University in Istanbul, Turkey.  In addition to English, Jusuf is fluent in Turkish and 4 Balkan languages and is proficient in Arabic, which he has studied in both Cairo and Damascus, and Ottoman Turkish.  He has been a teaching assistant at the University of Virginia and will be teaching one course each semester in Islam.  Outside of the classroom, Jusuf has worked actively with Bosnian refugees in Turkey and with Kosovo refugees in the Washington DC metropolitan area.

Sociology
Andrew Jones comes to us as Assistant Professor of Sociology from the University of Vermont.  He will be teaching environmental sociology courses, including an introductory course, and advising the sociology/environmental studies combined major.  Andrew's PhD is from the University of Arizona with teaching and research interests in environmental sociology, political economy, and race/class/gender/nation.

Leah Rohlfsen comes to us as an Assistant Professor of Sociology from the University of Arizona, where she has just completed her Ph.D.  Leah will be teaching introductory sociology and research methods.  Her research interests are in the sociology of health and the life course, and she will also offer courses in these areas.

Student Life
Holly Asimou:  Holly received a Master of Science, Education, in College Student Personnel from the University of Dayton. While at the University of Dayton, Holly was an Assistant for the Wellness Council and an instructor for a learning support class.  She joins our Residence Life staff as a Residential Coordinator.  

John Cordella ’07:  An intern in our Residence Life office last year, John is one of three Residential Coordinators for that department for 2008-2009.  John is a candidate for a Masters in General Education.  

Timothy Flint:  Tim fills a new position, Assistant Director for Supervision, in the Security and Safety Department.  He served as a Security & Safety Officer at St. Lawrence since November 2007.  Previous to his St. Lawrence appointments, Tim was a Correction Lieutenant with the NYS Department of Corrections.  He is a graduate of North Country Community College and various police and security training courses.
 
Brooke James ’06 Brooke continues at St. Lawrence as Interim Assistant Director of Student Activities following her year as Coordinator of Student Activities. This summer Brooke spent traveling and studying in Greece on a Rotary Club Ambassadorial Scholarship.  

Laura Lankton:  Laura joins our Career Services office as Assistant Director.  She received her Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees from Bemidji State University.  During her study at Bemidji State, Laura served as a Graduate Assistant in the Career Services Office, an intern for Student Development and Enrollment, and an intern in the Counseling Center. 

Tara Tent:  Filling a new part-time position in our Counseling Center, Tara comes to us from the
St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center where she held the position of Psychologist II.  She has experience as a mental health consultant and a family therapist.  Tara holds licensure from both New York State and the State of Massachusetts. 

University Advancement
Michelle Adey, Assistant to the Vice President:  Previously a member of the Alumni Parent Programs clerical staff at St. Lawrence from 1996-97, rejoined the University staff in April 2008. She comes to us after serving Alcoa, Inc. in Massena, NY as an Environmental Chemist and most recently, an Environmental Engineer. Michelle graduated from Hartwick College, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology in 1994.

Meagan Connolly M’08, Assistant Director of Alumni and Parent Programs for Young Alumni Giving
Meg joined the Alumni and Parent Programs staff in June 2008.  Meg will focus on participation efforts within our youngest 15 years of graduates.  She will recruit and manage young alumni giving volunteers, young alumni annual fund appeals, and will travel to engage with our youngest graduates on the road and through events.  Meg is a 2006 cum laude graduate of the University of Maine, B.S. in elementary education.  Meg has been working at St. Lawrence since the Fall of 2006 as a graduate assistant for women's field hockey.  She has also served as advisor to the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, has been a Women's Softball Assistant and was the Meet Director for NYS Division III Track Meets in March of 2007 and 2008.

Sara O’Brian Polniak, Assistant Director of Alumni and Parent Programs : Sara joined the Alumni and Parent Programs staff in January 2008.  In this role, Sara is the staff contact for Reunion Planning Committees (with the exception of the 25th and 50th Reunion classes) and overall Reunion logistics coordinator. She is responsible for on-line giving, and maintenance and development of the Alumni portionof the SLU website. Sara is a 2005 SUNY Potsdam graduate, where she majored in philosophy and history.  She came to us from the Frederic Remington Art Museum where she was their Education Specialist.

New faculty and staff bios from 2006-2007
New faculty and staff bios from 2005-2006