New Faculty and Staff to Join St. Norbert College

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From St. Norbert College, August 26, 2014
by Erich Wegenke, erich.wegenke@snc.edu, 920-403-3089

St. Norbert College is welcoming more than two dozen new faculty and staff members for the 2014-15 school year. The newcomers include:

Lisa Hollihan-Allen will join the college as an adjunct instructor of education. She received her B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and her M.S. from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

David Bachyrycz will be a teaching fellow in philosophy. An honors scholar at the University of Connecticut, Bachyrycz graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in philosophy, then went on to earn his Ph.D. at Georgetown University. For two years prior to joining St. Norbert College, he served as a post-doctoral teaching fellow at Fordham University.

Paul Ballard will serve St. Norbert College in two capacities: as the founding associate dean of student success and retention and as a teacher in the leadership minor. He earned his B.A. from Hope College with a major in learning disabilities and social studies, his M.A. from Michigan State University in educational administration, and his Ph.D. from Western Michigan University in higher education leadership. Ballard has held many positions in the field of education, ranging from K-12 special education teacher and consultant to executive director of student affairs.

Steven Burgess will serve as a teaching fellow in philosophy. He received his B.S. in mathematics and philosophy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his Ph.D. from the University of South Florida.

Ivy Cargile joins the college as an assistant professor of political science. She received her B.A. in criminal justice from California State University-Fullerton, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in politics and policy from Claremont Graduate University.

Raquel Cowell will serve as an assistant professor of psychology. She earned her B.S. in psychology from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, graduating summa cum laude. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in developmental psychology at the University of Minnesota, and completed a one-year postdoctoral program at the University of Chicago.

Ann Duschene joins the college as an adjunct instructor of education. She earned her B.S. from UW-Whitewater and her M.S. from St. Norbert College.
Kathleen Gallagher Elkins comes to St. Norbert as assistant professor of religious studies. She earned her B.A. from Greensboro College, her M.A. in Christian education from Union Presbyterian Seminary and her Ph.D. in New Testament and early Christianity from Drew University, N.J.

Antonio Fredericks is a visiting assistant professor of computer science. His credentials include a B.A. in electrical engineering from Pratt Institute in New York, an M.S. in computer science from the University of Massachusetts and an M.S. in computing from Marquette University. He has also earned an M.S. in project management, an M.S. in telecommunications management and an M.B.A., all from Keller Graduate School of Management.

Laura Fredrickson is the new director of the college's Gap Experience. She earned her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Her M.A. was completed through the College of Education, and her Ph.D. through the College of Natural Resources. Fredrickson's most recent teaching position was assistant professor of environmental studies at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y.

Eric Hagedorn will serve the college as an assistant professor of philosophy. He earned his B.S. from Iowa State University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame, all in philosophy. He first joined St. Norbert College as a teaching fellow from 2012 to 2014.

Anna Hermann joined the St. Norbert College community as a teaching fellow in January 2013 and will now take the position of assistant professor of communication and media studies. She received her B.A. in communication and media studies from St. Norbert College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in communication studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Ben Huegel joins the college as an instructor of accounting. He received his B.A. in accounting and his M.A. in international business from St. Mary's University of Minnesota. He is currently working on a D.B.A. in management from St. Ambrose University.

Erin Hunsader will be on the St. Norbert College campus for the fall 2014 semester only, serving as a visiting assistant professor of theatre and communication arts while Stephen Rupsch is on sabbatical. For the past two years, Hunsader has worked for Theatreworks USA and directed student productions and original works in New York, N.Y. She earned her B.A. in theatre at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Ryan King comes to St. Norbert as an assistant professor of biology. He received his B.S. in genetics and his Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Sara Knight joins the college as an adjunct instructor of English. She received her B.A. in English and her M.A. in English/Communication from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Charisse Levchak is St. Norbert's new assistant professor of sociology. She received her B.A. in sociology from Hunter College of the City University of New York, and her M.A. in social work, M.A. in sociology and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Iowa.

Mary Ellen Olson will serve the college as director of career services. Prior to taking up this position in May 2014, Olson was executive director of career services at Abilene Christian University. She has also led strategic initiatives for several Fortune 500 companies in the areas of leadership development, curriculum development and experiential learning.

Jessica Rafeld is the college's new director of financial aid. She first joined St. Norbert in 2010, and formerly served as associate director of financial aid. Prior to her work at St. Norbert, Rafeld worked in the financial aid departments of Lawrence University, ITT Technical Institute and UW-Stevens Point. In addition, she currently serves as an executive member of the Wisconsin Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and as a financial aid representative to the Midwest Regional Council of the College Board.

Holly Roarty joins St. Norbert as an adjunct instructor of education. She received her B.A. in biology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, her M.S. in life science from the University of Maryland and her M.S. in education from Concordia University.

Tom Scheiding will serve as a visiting assistant professor of economics. He received his B.A. in economics and philosophy from Knox College and his M.A. and Ph.D., both in economics, from the University of Notre Dame.
Joe Totman will serve the college as its new senior director of residential education and housing. He earned his B.S. in zoology from Eastern Illinois University, his M.S. in educational administration from the University of North Dakota, and an Ed.D. in educational leadership from Edgewood College.
Abigail Trollinger joins the college's history department as an assistant professor. She received her B.A. in history and religion from Goshen College, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in history from Northwestern University.

Parisa Anne Watson: Watson will serve as an adjunct instructor of geography. She received her B.A. in history from North Central College in Naperville, Ill., and her M.A. in education from Columbus University.

Scott Winkler will serve as an adjunct instructor of English. He received his B.A. from St. Norbert College, and his M.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he is currently pursuing a Ph.D.

Ozum Yesiltas is a visiting assistant professor of international relations. She received her B.A. and M.S. from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey and her Ph.D. from Florida International University.