Board of Trustees Recognizes Current and Retired Faculty Members

By Dave Maley, February 15, 2023
Two granted emerita/emeritus status and 15 promoted to associate professor.

Congratulations to the current and former members of the faculty who have been recognized by the Ithaca College Board of Trustees. At its February meetings, the board awarded promotions and tenure to 15 faculty members and granted emerita/emeritus status to two retired faculty members.

The following were named professors emeriti. This is an honorary title awarded after retirement to those who have made sustained contributions to Ithaca College and/or to their profession in teaching, scholarship, and service.

  • Jerry Mirskin, professor of writing, who retired in 2021 after nearly 30 years of service.
  • Srijana Bajracharya, professor of health promotion and physical education, who retired in 2021 after nearly 20 years of service.

The following faculty members were awarded tenure and promoted from assistant to associate professor. Criteria for promotion to associate professor include:  a sustained record of teaching excellence, evidence of significant scholarly or appropriate professional attainment, and evidence of service to the college and profession.

School of Business
Department of Accounting and Business Law

Kari Smoker, who earned her B.A. from the University of Rochester and M.B.A. from Golden Gate University.

Department of Management
John Vongas, who earned his B.S. from McGill University and B.Com., M.S., and Ph.D. from Concordia University.

Roy H. Park School of Communications
Department of Media Arts, Sciences, and Studies

Lauren Steele, who earned her B.A. from Muhlenberg College and Ph.D. from Syracuse University.

Maria Mejia Yepes, who earned her B.A. from the Universidad El Bosque and M.F.A from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Department of Strategic Communication
Jen Huemmer, who earned her B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and M.A. and Ph.D. from Texas Tech University.

School of Health Sciences and Human Performance
Department of Occupational Therapy

Shannon Scott, who earned her B.S. from the University of British Columbia and M.S. and O.T.D from Quinnipiac University.

Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
David Hajjar, who earned his B.S. from the University of Massachusetts, M.S. from MGH Institute of Health Professions, and Ph.D. from Ohio University.

Carly Jo Hosbach-Cannon, who earned her B.S. from Ohio University, M.S. from Misericordia University, and Ph.D. from Syracuse University.

School of Humanities and Sciences
Department of Art

Patricia Capaldi, who earned her B.F.A. from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and M.F.A. from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

Department of Chemistry
Andrew Torelli, who earned his B.S. from SUNY Geneseo and Ph.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine.

Department of Mathematics
Daniel Visscher, who earned his B.A. from St. Olaf College and Ph.D. from Northwestern University.

Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Mat Fournier, who earned his B.A. and M.A. from the Universite Paris 7 – Denis-Diderot and Ph.D. from the Universite Paris 8 – Vincennes-Saint-Dennis.

Department of Writing
Raul Palma, who earned his B.A. from Columbia College, M.A. from DePaul University, and Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska.

School of Music, Theatre, and Dance
Department of Music Education

Sean Linfors, who earned his B.M. from the University of Richmond and his M.M. and Ph.D. from Florida State University.

Department of Performance Studies
Kyle Armbrust, who earned his B.M. and M.M. from the Juilliard School.