Twenty-two members of the Arkansas Tech University faculty were promoted and 14 ATU faculty members were granted tenure by the ATU Board of Trustees during its meeting on Thursday, March 16.
Policies and procedures regarding faculty evaluation, promotion and tenure were approved by the Arkansas Tech Board of Trustees on May 17, 2018, following a faculty-led, three-year process of review and modification.
The promotion and tenure actions taken by trustees on March 16 will become effective at the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year.
Promotion to Professor:
Dr. Jeff Aulgur, Department of Emergency Management, Professional Studies and Student Affairs Administration
Dr. Barbara Clements, Department of Music
Dr. Nicolas del Grazia, Department of Music
Dr. Lisa Harless, Department of Nursing
Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, Department of Teaching and Educational Leadership
Dr. Efosa Idemudia, School of Business
Dr. Jerry Wood, Department of Engineering and Computing Sciences
Promotion to Associate Professor:
William Reeder, Department of Communication and Media Studies
Megan Toland, Department of Communication and Media Studies
Promotion to Associate Professor and Tenure:
Dr. Lisa Dubose, Department of Nursing
Dr. Christopher Harris, Department of Music
Dr. Seyed Hosseini, Department of Engineering and Computing Sciences
Dr. Mehmet Kelestemur, Department of Engineering and Computing Sciences
Dr. Gregory Michna, Department of History and Political Science
Dr. Jay Post, Department of Agriculture and Tourism
Dr. Bryan Rank, Department of Agriculture and Tourism
Dr. Rodney Roosevelt, Department of Behavioral Sciences
Dr. Robert Stevens, Department of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science
Dr. Wan Wei, School of Business
Dr. Matthew Wilson, Department of Agriculture and Tourism
Tenure:
Dr. Michael Bradley, Department of Agriculture and Tourism
Dr. Theresa Cullen, Department of Teaching and Educational Leadership
Dr. Sarah Gordon, Department of Teaching and Educational Leadership
Senior Instructor:
Kasey Ballard, Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Gabriele Haulmark, Department of English and World Languages
In other business on Thursday, the ATU Board of Trustees approved:
*extending the amortization period from a 10-year re-payment to no more than a 15-year re-payment for an internal loan supporting the ongoing renovation of Jones Residence Hall;
*a grandfather clause establishing that eligible individuals in ATU classified positions that migrate to non-classified status involuntarily due to reclassification by the State of Arkansas will maintain access to the retirement sick leave payout provision benefit;
*a new ATU background check policy that supersedes and replaces the prior pre-employment screening procedure adopted in August 2021;
*a new ATU internal control policy that serves as an amendment to ATU financial policies adopted in August 2020;
*on-campus meal plans and rates for the 2023-24 fiscal year, which represent an 8 percent increase over 2022-23 for the three block plans for residential students, the two plans for commuter students and the faculty/staff plan;
*residence hall rates for the 2023-24 fiscal year, which represent a 4.31 percent increase as compared to 2022-23;
*awarding a contract in the amount of $1,248,000 to Ketcher and Company Inc. to perform a planned replacement of the Tucker Coliseum roof;
*a request to allow for internal transfer, promotion and re-assignment of employees from March 17, 2023 until June 30, 2024, to help maximize budgetary savings from natural attrition and turnover;
*a financial reserves policy for ATU;
*an undergraduate to graduate accelerated program that permits the first 12 hours of an approved degree plan for a graduate student semester credit hour rate to be equivalent to undergraduate rates, effective for the 2023-24 academic year;
*a request by ATU’s Upward Bound programs to participate in the Arkansas Department of Human Services summer food service program;
*letters of notification to the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board requesting deletion of ATU’s Bachelor of Arts degree in public history, Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry education for teacher licensure, Bachelor of Science degree in physics education for teacher licensure and Bachelor of Science degree in life science education for teacher licensure;
*a transfer of $250,000 from residence life funds to perform summer renovation projects at Nutt Residence Hall and University Commons apartments;
*a transfer of $89,576 in unappropriated Arkansas Tech Career Center funds in order to purchase materials necessary to initiate a heating, ventilation and air conditioning academic program during the fall 2023 semester;
*and requests to re-establish provisional positions through the ATU Division of Academic Affairs and ATU-Ozark Campus for 2023-24.
In personnel matters, the ATU Board of Trustees approved hiring the following full-time employees:
*Kendrick Van Ackeren, football defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, effective Jan. 13, 2023; Aaron Archie, football linebackers coach and academic coordinator, effective Feb. 1, 2023; Dr. Siddharth Bhambhwani, assistant professor of accounting, for the 2023-24 academic year; Gina Lockwood, director of government relations, effective Feb. 19, 2023; Dom Mirocke, football offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, effective Jan. 12, 2023; Dr. Amy Porter, assistant professor of music, for the 2023-24 academic year; Tatum Simms, assistant professor of agriculture, effective Jan. 19, 2023; Sierra Smith, student success coordinator at ATU-Ozark, effective Jan. 12, 2023; and Kim Tate, institutional assistant for the vice president for student affairs, effective Jan. 3, 2023;
Trustees accepted resignations from the following ATU employees:
*Jami Fisher, associate vice president for finance and administration, effective March 3, 2023; Alida Gutierrez, admissions officer, effective Feb. 17, 2023; Dr. Robin Lasey, professor of chemistry, director of the ATU Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and director of Arkansas Governor’s School, effective March 24, 2023; John Nicholson, area coordinator for residence life, effective March 3, 2023; Justin Qualls, case manager and crisis support counselor, effective March 8, 2023; Dr. Daniel Warwick, assistant professor of psychology, effective May 6, 2023; and Jordan Wright, admissions officer, effective Feb. 24, 2023.
The ATU Board of Trustees granted a request for retirement made by Dr. Mary B. Gunter, chief of staff in the ATU Office of the President and distinguished professor of educational leadership, effective June 30, 2023. Gunter has served on the faculty and in a variety of administrative roles at ATU since 1998.
