Southwest Baptist University hired
Brad Johnson, Ed.D., as vice president for university relations. Johnson, who is senior vice president for institutional advancement at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, will begin working at SBU later this month. He earned his bachelor’s in education and his doctorate from Baylor University, and dual master’s degrees in religious education and marriage and family counseling from Southwestern Theological Seminary.
National website
SavingForCollege.com ranked the
Missouri Saving for Tuition 529 Advisor Plan as the top-performing plan nationwide among all adviser-sold 529 plans. The quarterly ranking is based on one-year performance, and this is the third consecutive quarter that the MOST 529 Advisor Plan – with nearly 15,000 account holders who have invested more than $157 million – has ranked No. 1.
Jeremy Harris, assistant professor of computer science at Evangel University, earned a Ph.D. in computing technology in education from Nova Southeastern University-Fort Lauderdale, Fla. His doctoral studies focuses on Internet distance education among Assemblies of God higher education institutions.
Ruth Barnes, associate professor and coordinator of the Bachelor of Fine Arts dance program at Missouri State University, was elected to a three-year term with the American College Dance Festival Association’s Board of Directors.
Kevin Mickus, Ph.D., MSU professor of geology, was chosen as a fellow of the Geological Society of America, and he will be recognized in November at GSA’s annual meeting in Charlotte, N.C. Fellowships honor geosciences contributions such as publications, applied research, teaching and administration of geological programs.
Robert Pavlowsky, professor of geology, geography and planning at MSU, has received two grants for work related to water quality. An $8,399 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with the James River Basin Partnership, will support Pavlowsky’s James River bank erosion assessment project, which measures bank erosion, models land runoff water quality and monitors the effect of willow staking to protect the river banks and reduce channel instability. Pavlowsky also received a $34,740 EPA grant via the Greene County Soil and Water District for a sample analysis and nonpoint loads project for Asher Creek. That project entails monitoring water quality and testing management practices to reduce agricultural pollution.
Drury University hired several faculty members.
Heidi Backes, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Spanish and joined Drury from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She earned her doctorate in Spanish literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Molly Carter, who earned her undergraduate and Master of Business Administration degrees from Drury, is the university’s assistant women’s basketball coach and an instructor of exercise sport science.
Karen Craigo joined Drury as an instructor of English and English for academic purposes. Previously at Bowling Green State University, Craigo holds a bachelor’s from Morehead State University and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Bowling Green.
Susan Davis, Ph.D., joined Drury from Arkansas State University as assistant professor of education. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s in education at Arkansas State and earned her doctorate in curriculum and instruction at the University of Arkansas.
Holli Henslee joined Drury as senior assistant librarian and technical services coordinator. She holds a bachelor’s from Drury and a master’s in information science and learning technologies from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Jason Hite joined Drury from Springfield Public Schools as an exercise sport science instructor and assistant swimming coach. He has a bachelor’s and a Master of Education from Drury.
Yong Huang joined Drury as a visiting assistant professor of architecture. He earned a bachelor’s in architecture from Beijing Polytechnic University, a Master of Science from Pratt Institute and a Master of Design from Harvard Graduate School of Design. He previously taught at Rhode Island School of Design.
Justin Leinaweaver, Ph.D., joined Drury as an assistant professor of political science. He has a bachelor’s from Florida State University and a master’s from University College-Dublin. He earned his doctorate in political science at Trinity College-Dublin.
Daniel Livesay, Ph.D., joined Drury as assistant professor of history. Livesay recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the College of William and Mary. He holds a bachelor’s from the University of Colorado and earned a doctorate in history from the University of Michigan.
Madhuri Manpadi, Ph.D., joined Drury from Ohio Northern University as an assistant professor of chemistry. She earned a bachelor’s and master’s from Osmania University in India and a Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
