College of Arts and Sciences
PO Box 1510
Pembroke, NC 28372
Phone: 910.521.6198
Fax: 910.521.6606
Relay: 910.521.6198
Email: cas@uncp.edu
Location: Old Main, Suite 241
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Three faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences received Outstanding Teaching Awards this year.
Dr. Monika Brown (English and Theatre) was honored with the award for the third time since joining the faculty in 1982. An expert in British literature, she has taught numerous courses, including The British Novel, Victorian Literature, Adaptations in Music and Film, and The Teaching of Writing. "Her passion for teaching literature inspires her students to study those great works, and fall in love with them, too," explains Loreen Bessire, who has known Dr. Brown as a professor and, after joining the English faculty, as a colleague. "Simply put, not only do I hold Dr. Brown in high esteem, but I also have considered her to be [a] role model for teaching and professionalism over the last five years.” Outside the classroom, Dr. Brown has conducted research on a number of topics, including Goethe's Faust and composition pedagogy, and has published articles on George Eliot, Joseph Conrad, film adaptations of novels, and the teaching of Madame Bovary and The Turn of the Screw.
Dr. Tony Curtis (Mass Communication) joined the UNCP faculty in 2002 after serving on the faculty at Penn State University and Salisbury University in the University of Maryland system. He teaches courses such as Feature Writing, Photojournalism, and Investigative Journalism, but he also is interested in various forms of new media, including blogs, wikis, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, and Second Life. He is the author of numerous books and articles, as well as the creator of several Web sites, such as Space Today Online. "The moment I met Dr. Tony, my life was changed forever," says Caroline Goins, one of Dr. Curtis's former students. Goins recalls that Dr. Curtis became "a key supporter" of her success and adds, "He shows the same support to all of his students by getting to know them-their interests, goals and learning style to create a personalized learning roadmap for success."
A member of UNCP's faculty since 1997, Dr. Marilu Santos (Biology) has taught courses in microbiology, genetics, microbial physiology, virology, and other subjects. More than an outstanding teacher, Dr. Santos also has been a successful researcher, having published her work in publications such as the Journal of Genetics and the International Journal of Business, Marketing, and Decision Sciences. “Research keeps my mind focused on the limits of one's knowledge," she explains. "It means being plagued and intrigued by the obscurity of the findings. Teaching, on the other hand, makes me realize how far mankind's knowledge already extends and how many questions have already been answered." One of her students, Stephanie Edwards, says, “Under Dr. Santos’ mentorship, I became more adept in problem solving, data collection and analysis, and scientific writing. I attribute a significant amount of my success to Dr. Santos.”
Jo Ann Hart (Art) is this year's recipient of UNCP's Oustanding Teaching Award for Part Time Faculty. Hart, who also was named a Most Valuable Professor by UNCP's student-athletes this year, teaches courses such as Elements of Design, Art Appreciation, and Survey of Art I: Ancient Through Medieval. "She challenged students and insisted on them learning the proper terminology and encouraged them to use proper techniques," says Trudy Coleman, an education major who is minoring in art. "Our assignments were not only interesting but were very challenging and extremely informative. She did an excellent job of tying the assignment to the terms and concepts of art. She pushed all of her students to a level of achievement that they had not been pushed before especially in that course of study. I very much enjoyed her class and felt it to be extremely enriching.”
Holden Hansen (English and Theatre) is this year's recipient of the Adolph L. Dial Endowed Award for Scholarship/Creative Work. Hansen, formerly an assistant and an associate professor at UNCP, was promoted to the rank of professor this year. A veteran acting teacher, he also has directed several student productions, including The Laramie Project and The Crucible. His creative work also comprises numerous acting roles in plays such as Driving Miss Daisy, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Raney, The Boys Next Door, Smoke on the Mountain, Baby, The Seafarer, and Inherit the Wind. He recently performed with Academy Award winner Colin Firth in the feature film Arthur Newman, Golf Pro and is set to perform in the forthcoming film 42, directed by Academy Award winner Brian Helgeland.
Professor David Nikkel (Philosophy and Religion) is UNCP's 2012 recipient of the prestigious Board of Governors' Award for Excellence in Teaching. Awarded to only one professor at each of UNC's 17 campuses each year, the BOG is the university's highest honor for outstanding teaching.
Nikkel, a 20-year veteran who has been at UNCP since 2002, teaches a wide range of courses, including Introduction to Religion, Introduction to Religious Ethics, History of Western Religious Thought, Philosophy of Religion, Advanced Studies in Eastern Religions and Philosophies, Religion and Science, and Religion, Art, and Culture.
"David has it all," Mark Canada, dean of Arts and Sciences, said. "Inside and outside the classroom, he exhibits an impressive grasp of his subject, as well as a warm manner and an engaging presence. He also is a fine scholar and a leader on campus, as well as one of the most thoughtful, conscientious people I know."
An expert in the relationship between religion and science, Nikkel is the author of the book Radical Embodiment, as well as numerous articles about the theologian Paul Tillich, the philosopher William James, and other subjects. His second book, The Varieties of Mystical Experience: William James and Paul Tillich, is forthcoming. Nikkel also serves as chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion, a member of the Faculty Senate, and a member of the university's Quality Enhancement Plan Committee, charged with designing and implementing a plan to promote writing instruction on campus.
An ordained minister, Nikkel pastored three churches in Ohio and taught as an assistant professor at Hastings College in Nebraska before coming to UNCP. He is a graduate of Duke University, where he earned a Ph.D. in Religious Studies, and Yale University, where he majored in mathematics.
William Henry Munn III, a student in UNCP's Master of Public Administration program, is the first recipient of the Cigna Ulysses Ford Memorial Scholarship, awarded by the Cigna Foundation. The scholarship, named for a member of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, is in the amount of $5000. The scholarship, along with two other scholarships, was presented at NFBPA's annual conference in May.
Melissa Schaub (English and Theatre) received the Northeast Modern Language Association Women's and Gender Studies Caucus Essay Award for her essay "Middlebrow Feminism and the Politics of Sentiment: From The Moonstone to Dorothy L. Sayers." The essay was revised from a conference presentation at the NeMLA annual meeting in April 2011 in a special topics panel on sensation fiction. The prize is awarded annually by the Women's and Gender Studies Caucus. For more information, visit the Caucus's Web site.
Art by several UNCP students will be on display at the Student Prints Exhibition, a statewide invitational printmaking exhibition, at 311 Gallery in downtown Raleigh May 4-26, 2012. An opening reception is set for 6 to 9 p.m. May 4. A postcard advertising the exhibit features work by four UNCP students: Kasey Hooker, Lindsay Roberts, Allison Ellis, and Lateesha Caswell.

Essence Reels is the first recipient of the new Cherry Laurel Scholarship, an award created to acknowledge the perseverance of students in the face of adversity. Named after the native Carolina Cherry Laurel tree, which is known for its resilience against damaging winds brought about by hurricanes and other storms, the scholarship recognizes students' determination in overcoming obstacles and succeeding during their first two years at UNCP. Reels was chosen by a selection committee with members from various departments.
Reels received two nominations and was praised for her positive outlook and determination to stay in school. It was clear to the committee that she had shown a remarkable amount of persistence and optimism, overcoming numerous personal obstacles. As a representative of the Cherry Laurel Scholarship, she will have the opportunity to advise UNCP administration on matters related to student success as well as mentor other UNCP students who face a range of setbacks.
Reels will be recognized at the annual Awards Day ceremony sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences at 3:30 p.m. on April 24 in the UC Annex. The public is welcome to attend this ceremony.
For more information about the Cherry Laurel Scholarship, see http://www.uncp.edu/advancement/news/articles/cherrylaurel.htm.
Natalie Smith (English and Theatre) has been accepted to intern with the Zip-Zap Circus in Cape Town, South Africa, for eight weeks this summer. She will teach aerial arts, dance, costume design, and makeup, as well as training in various art forms. Funded by Cirque du Soleil, Zip-Zap circus has performed all over the world. It attracts audiences of various ages and sponsors outreach programs for children with disabilities and those who are HIV-positive.
Fields teaches courses in dance, costuming, and makeup in the Department of English and Theatre. In the fall, she was co-director with Hal Fields of the student production of Chicago.
Holden Hansen (English and Theatre) has landed a role in the feature film 42, which tells the story of Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The film, directed and written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Brian Helgeland, will feature Harrison Ford as Dodgers executive Branch Rickey.
Hansen's previous credits include a part in the feature film Arthur Newman, Golf Pro and numerous plays. He also directs student productions, including the upcoming production of The Crucible, scheduled to run April 17-21 in the Givens Performing Arts Center.
The College of Arts and Sciences, in collaboration with the School of Business and the School of Education, has launched a new initiative designed to promote student success. More than 20 faculty members from across the campus will be serving as Go-to Faculty for any students who need help connecting with their advisors or professors, guidance in navigating the campus maze, or just a friendly face.
The Go-to Faculty will not replace advisors, but serve as an additional resource for students. Any UNCP student should feel free to e-mail, call, or visit one of the Go-to Faculty whenever they need help with anything.
Click here for a complete list of UNCP's Go-to Faculty.
Emily Graves, a 2010 graduate from UNCP, has securd a job at the David H. Murdock Research Institute. While she was at UNCP, she was a RISE fellow, as well as an intern who worked with Dr. Ben Bahr in the William C. Friday Lab.
Graves is among the co-authors of "Equipotent Inhibition of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase and Monoacylglycerol Lipase – Dual Targets of the Endocannabinoid System to Protect Against Seizure Pathology," recently published in the journal Neurotherapeutics.
Several professors in the College of Arts and Sciences have been named "Most Valuable Professors" by UNCP's student-athletes. Responding to a poll conducted by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, athletes voted to select outstanding professors. The Athletic Department will recognize MVPs during halftime of the men's basketball game on Faculty Appreciation Night, February 15.
This year's MVPs from the College of Arts and Sciences are Brandi Norman (Biology), Steven Bourquin (Mathematics and Computer Science), Ryan K. Anderson (History), Jane M. Haladay (American Indian Studies), Jo Ann Hart (Art), Steven Hedgpeth (English and Theatre), Scott Hicks (English and Theatre), Melanie Hoy (Psychology), Thomas Dooling (Chemistry and Physics), Katherine Denton (Foreign Languages), Jeffery Geller (Philosophy and Religion), Amy Gross (Geology and Geography), Stephen Marson (Sociology and Criminal Justice), Rohald Meneses (Sociology and Criminal Justice), Anthony Curtis (Mass Communication), Melinda Rosenberg (Philosophy and Religion), Meredith Storms (Chemistry and Physics), Jeff Frederick (History); Nathan Phillippi (Geology and Geography), Mary Zets (Biology), Camille DeVaney (Music).
UNCP's Department of Art has become one of five North Carolina schools to earn accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). The department is now an associate member of NASAD, which includes approximately 309 educational institutions. The accreditation is the culmination of a lengthy self-study, as well as a site visit by representatives from NASAD.
UNCP's Master of Social Work program, housed in the Department of Social Work, has earned accreditation from the National Council on Social Work Education. More than 50 students are enrolled in the program. Since its inception in 2008, UNCP's MSW program has graduated 40 students.
The North Carolina Board of Nursing released NCLEX-RN 2011 results in mid-January. UNCP’s scores were the highest among all 17 UNC-system universities during 2011. All 19 graduates from UNCP's Department of Nursing taking the exam for the first time passed on their first attempts. UNCP’s first-time pass rates have increased every year since graduating its first pre-licensure BSN class in 2007.
Professor Scott Billingsley (History) has collaborated with B. Dwain Waldrep to edit a collection of essays. Recovering the Margins of American Religious History, a celebration of the life and work of David Edwin Harrell Jr., brings together essays from Harrell's colleagues, peers, and students that explore his impact and legacy in the field of American religious history. His pioneering studies of fundamentalism, pentecostalism, and the American restoration movement, as well as his concerns with class, gender, race, and regional identity, have made him one of the most respected scholars in his field. Combining an extensive knowledge of and long-standing passion for American religious history with a comprehensive understanding of the developing world, Harrell's research and writings over his lifetime have produced compelling portraits of the American religious underclass, an increased integration of religion into the narrative of world history, and innovative new comparative studies in the healing and charismatic movements of the developing world.
Billingsley, who teaches religious history and other history courses, is also the author of It's a New Day: Race and Gender in the Modern Charismatic Movement.
Professor Mordechai Inbari (Philosophy and Religion) has learned that Cambridge University Press will publish Messianic Religious Zionism Confronts Israeli Territorial Compromises, his book about the ways in which the rabbinical elite of the Israeli West Bank settlers responded to Israeli territorial compromises. The withdrawals, Inbari shows, challenged their messianic expectations and it was perceived as a setback in the path towards the coming of the Messiah. The book explains their profound disillusionment with the behavior of the state, reflected in an increase in religious radicalization due to the need to cope with the feelings of religious and messianic failure. The book will be part of a series on Middle Eastern politics.
Inbari's first book, Jewish Fundamentalism and the Temple Mount, was published in 2009.
In December 2011, Professor Sivanadane Mandjiny (Chemistry and Physics) received the Professor of the Semester Award as voted upon by the student members of the Lambda Sigma Society. Lambda Sigma is a national honor society for sophomore students dedicated to fostering leadership, scholarship, fellowship, and service while promoting the interests of the university. Established at UNCP in 2009, the Beta Lambda chapter is affiliated with the Center for Academic Excellence. Each spring, the chapter invites the top 10% of the freshman class to join the society. The executive board includes Brittney Ford (president), Brittany Williams (vice-president), Ashlea Rey (secretary), Ladriania Hudson (treasurer), Mara Lankford (social chair), and Christen McCoy (membership chair). Advisors for Lambda Sigma include Dr. Elinor Foster (Library), Beth Froeba (Center for Academic Excellence), and Professor Meredith Storms (Chemistry and Physics/Arts and Sciences).
Professor Paul Flowers (Chemistry & Physics) recently published an article in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Chemical Education describing a novel senior-level laboratory project involving microspectrometry (measuring interactions between light and matter on a microscopic scale). The article will be available in next month’s print edition of the journal and is presently available via the web at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed200054k. Acknowledged for their contributions to the experimental work presented in the article are two of Professor Flowers’ previous undergraduate research assistants (Cilia Iluku, pictured below, and Josie Torrence) and students in the spring 2009 and 2010 sections of his CHM 4270 “Instrumental Analysis” course.

Layla Locklear, a sophomore majoring in Environmental Science, is the recipient of the distinguished “Woman to Watch” National American Indian Women Award. She was honored with the award during a banquet at the Conference for American Indian Women of Proud Nations (AIWPN). The conference was held on 16 September 2011, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (http://www.uncp.edu/biology/new/layla_locklear_award.html)
Dr. Maria Santisteban was a participant in the 2011 Short Course in Genomics held at the National Institutes of Health campus from July 24-29, 2011. She, along with 31 other faculty, was selected from a field of over 100 applicants to one of the premiere learning experiences in genomics.
The course focuses on the continuing effort to find the genetic basis of various diseases and disorders, as well as current topics on the ethical, legal and social implications of genomics. The six-day intensive course is designed to update biology instructors, as well as other instructors and researchers in related disciplines, on genomic science. The course is especially intended for instructors who train students from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in health related sciences, as well as instructors from institutions that predominantly train students with disabilities and students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including certain rural and inner-city environments. (http://www.uncp.edu/biology/new/marisol_santisteban.html)
Hollie Young-Oxendine, a former biology major and RISE Fellow, co-authored a paper, “Protective effects of positive lysosomal modulation in Alzheimer’s disease transgenic mouse models,” that was published this past June in the open access journal, PLoS ONE. Hollie was one of a team of researchers who worked on the five-year study, first initiated in Dr. Bahr’s former University of Connecticut laboratory, and recently completed in Dr. Bahr’s current lab in the Biotechnology Research and Training Center in Pembroke. Hollie contributed important results, as found in figures 1, 2 and 5 of the paper, and she presented some of the work at the 2010 Gordon Research Conference in Lucca, Italy. (http://www.uncp.edu/biology/new/hollie_young_oxendine.html)
Dr. Jay Hansford C. Vest (American Indian Studies) delivered two lectures at the Midwest Culturally Inclusive Conference at the University of Wisconsin – Platteville on September 16-17. In his first address, “Native Holistic Empathy: Challenging the Dynamics of Race in America,” he drew upon the traditional Native American practice of empathy with the ecology and cosmos in respecting all things as a means to generate a modern philosophical ideal in race relations. In doing so, he reviewed the difference between racial encounters of discovery as practiced by Europeans and spirit encounters of empowerment as practiced by Native Americans as manifest in initial contact between races in America. In his second address, “Beyond Removal: Indian Survicance in the South and the Jim Crow Experience,” he explored factors affecting southern tribes such as the Monacan and Lumbee as impacted by the segregation policies after the Civil War. Other conference speakers were Dr. Cornell West, Gloria Ladson-Billings, and Jane Elliot.
Holden Hansen (English and Theatre) has been cast in the major motion picture Arthur Newman, Golf Pro, where he will act alongside Colin Firth and Emily Blunt. Hansen, who has taught acting and directed student productions at UNCP for more than a decade, is an experienced actor of both stage and screen. His numerous credits include the roles of Horatio and Claudius in theatrical productions of Hamlet, the role of Lysander in the play A Midsummer Night's Dream, the part of Hornbeck in the play Inherit the Wind, and the lead role in the play Light Sensitive, as well as parts in two movies and a television series. He has directed numerous UNCP student productions, including Sylvia and The Laramie Project. This spring, he will direct The Crucible, to be performed April 19-21 in the Givens Performing Arts Center.
Mario Paparozzi (Sociology and Criminal Justice) has been invited to deliver the keynote address at the North Carolina Juvenile Services Association Fall Conference this month in Carolina Beach. Representatives from the headquarters of the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in Raleigh will be in attendance, along with court services personnel and treatment service providers from across the state.
Naidoo V, Nikas SP, Karanian DA, Hwang J, Zhao J, Wood JT, Alapafuja SO, Vadivel SK, Butler D, Makriyannis A, and Bahr BA (2011) A new generation fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor protects against kainate-induced excitotoxicity. J Mol Neuroscience 43:493-502.
Butler D, Hwang J, Estick C, Nishiyama A, Kumar SS, Baveghems C, Young-Oxendine HB, Wisniewski ML, Charalambides A, and Bahr BA (2011) Protective effects of positive lysosomal modulation in Alzheimer's disease transgenic mouse models. PLoS One 6: e20501 (pp 1-16).
Rokes, Carla. "Exploring Critique in Foundations Art." FATE Regional Forum at The Art Institute of Atlanta-Decatur. August 6, 2011.
Rokes, Carla. Insatiable. Sixth Annual Kinsey Institute Juried Art Show. Indiana University School of Fine Arts Gallery. May 20-July 30, 2011.
In August, the College of Arts and Sciences rolled out its new "2+2" program, which can help faculty build campus community and promote student success. The program calls on faculty to pair up and attend campus events, such as plays and gallery openings, with two students.
Participants in the program can increase attendance for events and serve as role models for students, showing them how they can grow outside the classroom. They also can help to promote student success. Here is a relevant passage from the list of recommendations prepared by the university's Student Success Steering Committee:
Studies published in the Journal of College Student Development and the Journal of Engineering Education suggest that "[r]elationships with faculty were stronger predictors of learning than student background characteristics," such as race or ethnicity, and that faculty engagement with students is "significantly and positively related" to the development of "several design and professional skills" (Lundberg and Schreiner, 2004; Bjorkland, et al, 2004).
For a list of campus events, see the campus calendar.
Numerous professors and students have brought distinction to the College of Arts and Sciences. Here are a few highlights: