FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, August 28, 2008
NEW PROFESSORS JOIN BETHANY FACULTY
LINDSBORG, Kan.—Bethany College welcomes two new full-time, tenure-track professors, Fidel Iglesias and Melissa Shyan-Norwalt; a new professor with a one-year appointment, Mark Bowdidge; and 12 new part-time instructors.
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| Fidel Iglesias |
Fidel Iglesias is associate professor of criminal justice.
Prior to coming to Bethany, Iglesias had operated his own law office in Florida since 2004, specializing in immigration law. Iglesias himself immigrated to the United States from Cuba when he was young. He is fluent in both English and Spanish.
Iglesias earned his J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law in Ohio. He holds a Ph.D. in Latin American history and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Florida, Gainesville, in addition to a Master of Arts in international studies from Florida International University, Miami.
Iglesias has served as an adjunct professor, teaching law and criminal justice classes at Indian River Community College, Northwood University and Santa Fe Community College, Gainesville. He has been an assistant professor of history at Eastern Kentucky University. In 1995, he was a visiting scholar in history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
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| Melissa Shyan-Norwalt |
Melissa Shyan-Norwalt is professor of psychology.
Shyan-Norwalt is president of Companion Animal Problem Solvers, Inc., specializing in pet behavior and animal welfare. She is professionally certified in applied animal behavior by the Animal Behavior Society.
Shyan-Norwalt’s teaching experience includes work at Butler University and Southwest Texas State University. She most recently was a visiting professor at Indiana University East.
A peer reviewer for several professional journals, Shyan-Norwalt has published numerous articles, including in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science and the Journal of Experimental Psychology. Her research topics have ranged from cats and dogs to humans and elephants. She has conducted research at the Pittsburg Zoo and Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory in Hawaii, and has worked as a scientist at Nestle Purina Petcare and the Iams Company/Proctor and Gamble.
Shyan-Norwalt was a visiting scientist in the research department of Zoo Atlanta, and held a postdoctoral fellowship in the sensory sciences department of the University of Texas Health Sciences Center. She holds a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa; an M.S. in experimental psychology from the Illinois Institute of Technology; and an A.B. in psychology and philosophy from Hood College.
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| Mark Bowdidge |
Mark Bowdidge is associate professor of music. He will teach vocal and choral music for one year, serving as a sabbatical replacement, and conduct the Bethany College Choir and the college’s annual Messiah Festival of Music and Art.
Bowdidge previously was assistant professor of music at Brewton-Parker College, Mount Vernon, Georgia. He has served as an organist, choir director and vocalist at numerous churches.
From 1998 to 2001, he was musical director and conductor of the Fort Worth Civic Chorus in Texas. He also has served as assistant director of the Oratorio Chorus at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.
Bowdidge holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music, both with concentrations in conducting, from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He earned his B.S. in music education and organ performance at William Jewell College.
The 12 new part-time instructors, and the departments in which they will teach, are: Marylyn Bell, music; Nancy Curry, music; Lynda French, art; Susan Higbee, music; Connie Hines, history; Ashley Holbrook, music; Jeremy Morris, psychology; Hannah Neufeld, music; Stephanie Patterson, music; Rachel Stultz, music; Rebecca VanDerWege, chemistry; and Don Williams, social work.
Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to nurture and challenge individuals in their search for truth and meaning as they lead lives of faith, learning and service. Bethany College is on the Web at www.bethanylb.edu.
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