Meet The School Of Arts And Sciences Professors: “Our Faculty Make It Real!”

Professor Bayne joined the Tiffin University faculty in January 2008 and is currently working on completing her Ph.D. in Victorian Studies at Indiana University, where she completed her M.A.  She is a graduate of Oberlin College with a B.A. in English and a B.Mus. in Doublebass Performance.  While studying at Indiana University, she taught at Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington, Indiana, and worked as a graduate assistant at the IU GradGrants Center.  For several years she worked with the IU Information Technology Services as a webmaster for the main campus website and several departmental websites.

Dr. Crutsinger joined Tiffin University’s English Language and American Culture Program in 2008.  After doing undergraduate and graduate work in Oregon and California, he moved to Ohio and taught undergraduate and graduate courses at Winebrenner Seminary.  In addition to teaching, he also served as the Director of the seminary library and Dean of Academic and Student Affairs.

 

In 1993-94 Dr. Crutsinger taught at Rivers State College of Education in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.  In 2001-02 he taught a total of eight months at Tumaini University - Iringa University College in Iringa, Tanzania.  In 2003-2004 he taught in the English Department at Xiamen University in Xiamen, China.

After returning from China, Dr. Crutsinger taught for three and a half years in the Intensive English Language Program at The University of Findlay.  Prior to coming to Tiffin University, he also served as Pastor of the First Christian Church in Fostoria, OH. 

Before coming to Tiffin, Professor Fearnside was an adjunct instructor at several colleges in New England, including College of the Holy Cross, Rhode Island College and Greenfield Community College, teaching classes in photography, video and art history.  In her own work, she creates projects using photography and video to explore issues of body image, sexuality, gentrification, and the creation of history. Her photographic work has been exhibited in galleries in New England and in national juried shows. Her videos have been screened at film festivals in Boston, Oregon, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco and most recently on Rhode Island PBS. Her most recent projects include photographic work on scars and houses under construction, and a video about archaeology. 

 

Professor Fox completed her Bachelor’s Degree in the area of Education with a specialist degree in mathematics education.  She spent twelve years teaching in the Ohio Public School System in the areas of elementary mathematics, junior high special reading, and middle school science programs.  After joining Tiffin University faculty as a mathematics adjunct lecturer in 1986, she designed the MAT100 and MAT173 courses, developed a mathematics tutoring program, and designed the Mathematics Placement Program.  In 1991, Professor Fox received her Master’s Degree in education.  Her research is in the area of Developmental Mathematics and freshman studies and retention.  She has served on several committees and worked with programs dealing with the freshman students such as LEAP Program, Freshman Studies Coordinator, Academic Alert Program, freshman advisor, and the Student Development Committee.  Professor Fox designed and coordinated the Peer Leader Program.  She has presented at the First Year Conference for the past five years.  Professor Fox has also designed and coordinates the Supplemental Instructor Program.

Dr. Ghosh joined Tiffin University in the fall of 2008 as Associate Professor of Science , after beginning her teaching career in India.   Dr. Ghosh taught courses in physiology and electron microscopy at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.  Later she was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois working in toxicology at the Veterinary School of Medicine and a Postdoctoral Research associate at Tulane University Medical Center, where she worked in the area of prostate cancer and lung cancer.  Dr. Ghosh has presented her research at various scientific meetings and has published over 12 papers in reputed scientific journals.

 

Since 2001, Dr. Ghosh has taught in area colleges and universities in Ohio teaching a variety of courses at Terra Community College in Fremont, The University of Findlay, both Heidelberg College and Tiffin University in Tiffin.  She has also developed and taught a number of seated and online classes.  While teaching at Tiffin University, her courses include Anatomy and Physiology, Environmental Science, and Oceanography at the undergraduate level and The History and Philosophy of Scientific Exploration at the graduate level.

In 2006 and 2008, Dr. Ghosh assisted with the organization and implementation of the highly successful India Study Abroad Program conducted by Tiffin University and The University of Findlay respectively. She has also served as a judge at various science fairs in Illinois and Ohio

Dr. Grennen has taught a wide variety of English courses, including all levels of writing, various literature surveys, and oral communications. With a Ph.D. in Dramatic Literature, Theory, and Criticism, she has taught various courses in dramatic literature, acting, and directing. Her doctoral dissertation, "The Nature/Nurture Dichotomy of Tragic Figures in Western Dramatic Literature," was nominated for UIU's 2005 Sussman Award.

Dr. Grennen has a long list of accomplishments in theatre. She has appeared in two off-Broadway productions, and as a musician she has sat in the orchestra pit for productions of Annie, Jesus Christ Superstar, and The Robber Bridegroom. As a director, her productions include The Dixie Swim Club, Blithe Spirit, Rumors, Bathroom Humor, The Money in Uncle George's Suitcase, A Trip to Czardis, Everybody's Doing It, and To Bobolink, for Her Spirit. Her acting experience at Fordham University at Lincoln Center includes A Midsummer Night's Dream, Jack or The Submission, Fashion, The Three Sisters, The Beggar's Opera, The Children's Hour, Icarus' Mother, A Perfect Analysis Given by a Parrot, Not Enough Rope, Postcards, Electra, Why Hanna's Skirt Won't Stay Down, and Action. Her community involvement includes roles in Shenandoah, Hello Dolly, The Boys Next Door, Tea and Sympathy, Dial 'M' for Murder, Angel Street, I Hate Hamlet, Two by Two, and How the Other Half Loves. 

 

Michael joined the Tiffin University full-time faculty this year as a math professor , after previously being an adjunct professor for Tiffin University for several years as well as an adjunct professor in Math/Science over the past seventeen years for New Mexico Tech., Owens State College, Terra Community College, and Heidelberg College.  Also during this time, Michael worked in industry as a Quality Assurance Manager and Vice President for a large environmental testing laboratory.  He has presented over sixty papers in the areas of statistics, quality control, and lab management at state, national, and international conferences.  Michael has held appointments on various Boards of Directorships including the United States EPA Environmental Laboratory Advisory Board and has recently completed a six year term as Chairman of the Ohio American Water Works Association Research Committee.

Michael resides in the Tiffin area with his wife and two children.

Upon completion of her undergraduate degree in Mathematics education at BGSU, Vicki began teaching at a local high school while earning her Master’s of Education Degree from Heidelberg College. She launched her collegiate career by lecturing as an adjunct instructor at a variety of local colleges and began teaching full-time at Tiffin University in the mathematics department in 2007.  Dr. Ingalls completed her doctoral education from Ashland University in the fall of 2008. She lives in Tiffin with her husband and five daughters.

 

Canchu Lin got his Ph.D. in communication from Purdue University. He joined the Tiffin faculty in 2011. His teaching and research interests include: organizational communication, leadership, information communication technology, team communication, and Chinese culture and communication. His work has been published in communication and management journals such as Management Communication Quarterly, Journal of Leadership and Organization Studies, International Journal of Conflict Management, Journal of Computer Information Systems, Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, and Western Journal of Communication.

Dr. Lu earned his B.A. in 1982 and taught philosophy at Beijing Normal University before moving to Canada in 1986.  Prior to joining Tiffin University in 2000, he held positions of assistant Professor of Philosophy at Concordia University in Canada and Hampshire College in Massachusetts.  Dr. Lu has teaching and research interest in interdisciplinary and cross-culture studies, with the emphasis on philosophy of cognitive science and Chinese philosophy.  He is doing research in both western and Chinese philosophies and undertaking comparative projects.  Dr. Lu has published eleven articles in peer reviewed journals and anthologies, five professional encyclopedia entries, five essays in major newspapers, and nineteen presentations at regional, national, and international conferences.

Dr. Lu is instrumental in developing China Programs at Tiffin University.  These include three partnership programs between Tiffin University and Beijing Normal University - two to allow their students to enroll in TU courses and one that is a resident scholar program to bring BNU faculty members to Tiffin for a year of research.  In addition and most recently, Dr. Lu has collaborated with Chinese recruiting agencies and high schools in developing two programs to recruit new Tiffin University students from China.

Dr. James Rovira comes to Tiffin University from Rollins College in Florida.  He currently teaches English courses in the fields of British Literature, British History, History of the English Language, American Poetry, Creative Writing, Poetry and Writing.  Dr. James Rovira’s most recent publications include “Wings of Fire: Exhibition at Muhlenberg College 19 March to 19 April 2008” for Blake: An Illustrated Quarterly; “Receiving Austen and Scott” for College Literature; “Milton’s Ontology of Books and Areopagitica” for the anthology Milton in France (2008, ed. Christoph Tornu); and a review of The Smorgasbord of Postmodernity: Literature and the Christian Critic, ed. Deborah Bowen, for Christianity and Literature.  His current projects include editing his monograph Kierkegaardian Anxiety and Creation Anxiety in William Blake’s Early Illuminated Books for publication, a review of Blake’s Poetry and Designs for College Literature, and annotations for the Routledge Annotated Bibliography of English Studies.  Dr. Rovira has recently been named managing editor of The Voegelin View, an online journal dedicated to the works of political philosopher Eric Voegelin.  From 2007-09 he presented papers at national conferences for the Modern Language Association, the College English Association, the American Society for Eighteenth Century Studies, the International Conference on Romanticism, the Conference on College Composition and Communication, and the Society for the Interdisciplinary Study of Social Imagery.  

 

Dr. Rovira serves as the Chair of English and Humanities for the School of Arts and Sciences.

He currently resides in the Tiffin, Ohio area with his wife and children.

Dr. Jan Samoriski joined the Tiffin University faculty in 2006 after ten years at the University of Michigan – Dearborn where he taught electronic media and served as Communications Chair and Director of the Communications Program. 

Samoriski earned his undergraduate degree in broadcast journalism from Radford University and worked as a television producer and director at NBC-TV affiliates in Virginia and Massachusetts before returning to graduate school.  He holds a Master of Science Degree in Corporate and Professional Communication (Radford University) and a Ph.D. in Mass Communication with an emphasis in telecommunications law and technology (Bowling Green State University).  

 Samoriski teaches across the communications curriculum in several areas, including speech, organizational, mass communication, electronic media, media production and cyberspace law.  He is author of several articles dealing with Internet issues pertaining to unsolicited commercial e-mail, electronic privacy, encryption, broadcast regulation and Internet indecency and obscenity. Currently, he is working on his second book entitled “Foundations of Internet Law,” a follow-up to “Issues in Cyberspace: Communication, Technology, Law and Society on the Internet Frontier,” published by Allyn and Bacon in 2002. 

In addition to his academic pursuits, Samoriski is a National Registry Paramedic, Level II Firefighter, Master Scuba Diver and General Class Amateur Radio Operator.  He has training and experience in emergency services and response, bioterrorism and hazardous materials and is active in local EMS.  He is working towards an RN as part of his interests in healthcare and emergency, crisis, risk and public health communication.

Dr. Slone joined the TU faculty in 2010 as an Associate Professor of Humanities. He holds a BA in Religious Studies from the College of Wooster (1995), a MA in Comparative Studies in the Humanities from The Ohio State University (1999), and a PhD in Comparative Religion from Western Michigan University (2002). He has taught at Ohio State, Western Michigan, the University of Findlay, and Webster University in St. Louis, and he was the Hardigg Lecturer in the Department of Religion at Dartmouth College in 2006.

 

Dr. Slone is the author of Theological Incorrectness: Why Religious People Believe What They Shouldn’t (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004) and the editor of Religion and Cognition: A Reader (London: Equinox Press, 2006), in addition to numerous articles on the history and psychology of religion.

Dr. Slone has also been a small business owner and entrepreneur, and worked as a financial advisor for Edward Jones in Columbus, OH.

Dr. Colleen Vallo has been a member of the faculty at Tiffin University since 2006. She teaches courses in communication and journalism at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Vallo is also adviser of the campus newspaper. Before joining our faculty, Dr. Vallo taught at the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University. She previously worked in journalism reporting for weekly and daily newspapers, serving as a state-house correspondent in Columbus and working in public relations for public schools. Her teaching specialties include mass communication law, critical analysis of the media, and intercultural communication.