Island University Faculty and Librarians Receive Promotion and/or Tenure
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – At the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents meeting held on May 7, 2024, thirty-eight Island University faculty and librarians were approved for promotion and/or tenure.
Receiving tenure is both a privilege and an honor, as it is one of the most important decisions in the development of an outstanding faculty member. This achievement signifies that the campus community believes the individual will continue to make significant, long-term contributions in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service. Promotion to the rank of associate professor is a recognition of the maturity and experience of a faculty member’s professional success as they increase their leadership within the academic profession. Promotion to the rank of professor is the highest achievement a faculty member can earn. Professors are the leaders of our academic community. They set the bar for excellence and actively work to help others meet that bar.
The following faculty members/librarians are receiving promotion and/or tenure:
College of Business
Faculty receiving promotion and tenure:
- Dr. Ahmed Kamara, Associate Professor of Economics
- Dr. Rusty Karst, Associate Professor of Management
- Dr. Matthew Starliper, Associate Professor of Accounting
- Dr. Jennifer Taylor, Associate Professor of Marketing
College of Education and Human Development
Faculty receiving promotion:
- Dr. Kathleen Fleming, Associate Clinical Professor of Reading Education
- Dr. Bethanie Pletcher, Professor of Reading Education
Faculty receiving promotion and tenure:
- Dr. Debra Plowman, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education
College of Engineering
Faculty receiving promotion:
- Dr. Yuxia Huang, Professor of Geographic Information System
- Dr. Rajeev Kumar, Associate Professional Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Faculty receiving promotion and tenure:
- Dr. Jose Baca Garcia, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering
College of Liberal Arts
Faculty receiving promotion:
- Dr. Lauren Denver-Potter, Associate Professional Professor of Psychology
- Dr. Robert Dillard, Professor of Political Science
- Dr. Shannon Fitzsimmons-Doolan, Professor of English
- Dr. Sarah Scott, Professor of Public Administration and Criminal Justice
- Dr. Stefan Sencerz, Professor of Philosophy
- Dr. Jennifer Sorensen, Professor of English
- Dr. Anthony Zoccolillo, Senior Professional Professor of Psychology
Faculty receiving promotion and tenure:
- Dr. Daniel Bartholomay, Associate Professor of Sociology
- Dr. Sinae Lee, Associate Professor of English
- Dr. Susanna Rijkhoff, Associate Professor of Political Science
- Dr. Deborah Sibila, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
- Dr. Jarred Wiehe, Associate Professor of English
College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Faculty receiving promotion and tenure:
- Dr. Heather DeGrande, Associate Professor of Nursing
College of Science
Faculty receiving promotion:
- Dr. Stella Doyungan, Senior Professional Professor of Biology
- Dr. David Portnoy, Professor of Marine Biology
- Dr. Bheemaiah Veena Shankara Narayana Rao, Associate Professional Professor of Mathematics
- Dr. Toshiaki Shinoda, Professor of Atmospheric Science
- Dr. Ping Jung Tintera, Senior Professional Professor of Mathematics
- Dr. Benjamin Walther, Professor of Marine Biology
Faculty receiving promotion and tenure:
- Dr. Sharon Derrick, Associate Professor of Forensic Science
- Dr. Mallikarjunaiah Muddamallappa, Associate Professor of Mathematics
- Dr. Frauke Seemann, Associate Professor of Marine Biomedical Science
Mary and Jeff Bell Library
Faculty receiving promotion:
- Ms. Patricia Hernandez, Associate Faculty Librarian
School of Arts, Media, & Communication
Faculty receiving promotion:
- Dr. Susan de Ghize, Professor of Music
- Mr. Kevin Loeffler, Professor of Theatre
Faculty receiving promotion and tenure:
- Ms. Alexandria Canchola, Associate Professor of Art
- Mr. Gabriel Duran, Associate Professor of Media Production
- Dr. Kellie Smith, Associate Professor of Communication
