Dean, School of Arts, Education and Humanities
Where did you obtain your degrees?
- BA in English and Secondary Education from Bellarmine University
- MAT Master of Arts in Teaching from Spalding University
- MA in English from the University of Kentucky
- PhD in English from the University of Kentucky
What did you get your degree in, and what inspired that choice?
I knew from a fairly early age that I wanted to be a teacher. I also loved language and stories, so double-majoring in English and Education was an easy choice. I was a little unfocused about what I wanted to do when I got my first master’s, a Master of Arts in Teaching, but by the time I quit high school teaching and went to grad school full-time at the University of Kentucky, I was looking for a deeper expertise in a more focused area of literary study. I wanted to be a Victorianist.
I am a founding co-editor and chief of the journal Nineteenth-Century Gender Studies, founded in 2005. I have articles published on Charles Dickens’s work and on teaching Victorian literature.
Tell us about your first job after you graduated from college.
I taught a combined 7th and 8th-grade class at St. Mathias School in Louisville, KY. Talk about being thrown right into the frying pan! I learned quickly to keep them occupied because if you left too much downtime, that’s when things like fights started! I taught middle school for five years, and overall, I found them funny at that age.
How did your career path lead you to teaching at Tiffin University?
Once I made the move to higher ed and got my PhD, I taught at a small Catholic college in Milwaukee, WI. I learned that I liked faculty development and administrative work while there. When I was looking for a new opportunity, I heard about Tiffin University because someone I had worked with in Milwaukee worked there.
How do you prepare students for challenges they’ll face in their careers/after graduation?
Being straightforward with students in my interactions with them as they face challenges now. I let them know how they will face this same problem in a workplace, and then they will have to figure out the best path. For the pre-service teachers, I help prepare them by sharing my experiences in K-12 and telling stories
Tiffin University is unique in its willingness to embrace ideas and move quickly on new ideas. However, the people are what stand out to me the most. Everyone cares about the students, and they take care of each other as well.
What makes Tiffin University stand out to you as a faculty member?
Tiffin University is unique in its willingness to embrace ideas and move quickly on new ideas. However, the people are what stand out to me the most. Everyone cares about the students, and they take care of each other as well.
How do you incorporate TU’s motto – “Without risk, there is no gain” – into your own life or classroom?
As a teacher, every time you try a new pedagogy or approach the lesson in a new way, it is a risk. As an administrator, I take risks with others’ creative ideas. Helping a faculty member feel they are doing fulfilling work in their wheelhouse is important to me.
What’s a fun fact most people don’t know about you – or an interesting hobby?
I raise and show Golden Retrievers. These dogs make my life full, energized, and packed with unconditional love.
What’s your favorite book, film, or quote – and why does it resonate with you?
Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations resonates with me as a first-generation college student. Pip learns that he can make it big in the world, but he can’t turn his back on where he comes from because that will always be part of him too.