Regents Approve Faculty Promotions and Tenure

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., June 22, 2010 – The Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents today granted post-professorial merit to 11 faculty members and promoted nine faculty members to the rank of professor, eight to the rank of associate professor with tenure, and three to the rank of associate professor. In addition, one faculty member was granted tenure, and 13 others received non-tenure track merit.

The action came during a closed session meeting of the board. All merit, promotion and tenure designations are effective with the 2010-2011 academic year.

Those approved for post-professorial merit in their designated department are as follows:

• Tamara Baldwin, Department of Mass Media
• Margaret Heeney Dalton, Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling
• Marc Fulgham, Department of Music
• Tamela Hanebrink, Department of Mathematics
• Gail Overbey, Department of Psychology
• Thomas Pujol, Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation
• Rickard Sebby, Department of Psychology
• Kenneth Stilson, Department of Theatre and Dance
• Marc Strauss, Department of Theatre and Dance
• Susan Swartwout, Department of English
• Mohan Tikoo, Department of Mathematics

Post professorial merit is a voluntary additional step in the current merit process approved by the Board of Regents in October 2002. Under the bill, faculty become eligible to apply for post-professorial merit five years after attaining the rank of full professor, and may repeat the process during the fifth year after any previous successful application. Successful applicants meet the same criteria as that required for promotion to professor and follow the same process of peer and administrative review.

In related action, the Board granted promotions to 20 faculty members during the same closed session meeting.

Faculty members promoted to the rank of professor in the designated department are:

• Lisa Bertrand, Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling
• Kenneth Callis, Department of Psychology
• Wai Yuen Chan, Department of Mathematics
• Frederick Jones, Department of Mass Media
• Tahsin Khalid, Department of Elementary, Early, and Special Education
• Anthony Varnon, Department of Accounting and Management Information Systems
• Rhonda Weller-Stilson, Department of Theatre and Dance
• Deqi Zen, Department of English
• Xuesong Zhang, Department of Computer Science

Promoted to the rank of associate professor with tenure in the designated department are:

• Amy Freshwater, Department of Elementary, Early, and Special Education
• Thomas Holman, Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation
• Shane Mizicko, Department of Music
• Jian Peng, Department of Physics and Engineering Physics
• Alberta Sautter, Department of Middle and Secondary Education
• Jeremy Walling, Department of Political Science, Philosophy and Religion
• Diane Wood, Department of Biology
• Chrisopher Wubbena, Department of Art

Promoted to the rank of associate professor in the designated department are:

• Paul Deiermann, Department of Mathematics
• Karl Suhr, Kent Library
• Patricia Willingham, Kent Library

Approved for tenure in the designated department is:

• Benjamin Heu, Department of Art

Approved for non-tenure track merit in the designated department are:

• Misty McCormick Chisum, Department of English
• Jennifer Gadberry, Department of Psychology
• Laurie Hamblin, Department of History
• Jennifer Icaza-Gast, Department of Communication Studies
• Laurie Wern Overmann, Department of Mathematics
• Joyce Renaud, Department of Communication Disorders
• Larry Speight, Department of English
• Angela Stiegemeyer, Department of Human Environmental Studies
• Mary Harriet Talbut, Department of Middle and Secondary Education
• Scott Thorne, Department of Management and Marketing
• Judith Thurston, Department of Elementary, Early, and Special Education
• Roseanna Whitlow, Department of Communication Studies
• Patricia Yancey, Department of Human Environmental Studies