Augustana celebrates faculty promotions and tenure

At its annual spring meeting on May 8-9, the Augustana College Board of Trustees unanimously approved the promotion and/or tenure of 12 Augustana faculty members.

“We are exceedingly proud of these faculty members, and of their dedication to their students and to Augustana,” said Dr. Dianna Shandy, Augustana’s provost. “From Toni Morrison to entomology, from the motility of cancer cells to movement of the whole person, their work reflects the bright spectrum of the liberal arts.”

Promotion to Full Professor

• Dr. Jacob Bancks, Department of Music
• Dr. Tierney Brosius, Department of Biology
• Dr. Scott Gehler, Department of Biology
• Dr. Ann Perreau, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Dr. Michael Scarlett, Department of Education

Tenure and promotion to Associate Professor

• Dr. Ashley Burge, Department of English
• Dr. Shaun Edmonds, Department of Kinesiology
• Dr. Megan Lorenz, Departments of Neuroscience and Psychology
• Dr. Mindy Mahon, Department of Business Administration

Promotion to Associate Professor

• Brett A. Biebel, promotion to Associate Professor of English, non-tenure track
• Dr. Jennifer Heacock-Renaud, promotion to Associate Professor of Spanish, non-tenure track

Promotion to Assistant Professor

• Karen Aumuller, promotion to Assistant Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders, non-tenure track

“It’s clear to me that Augustana students undergo such a deep transformation because of the talents and energy of professors who care about their success,” said Andrea Talentino, president of Augustana College.

“While a low student-faculty ratio means more focus on students by default,” she continued, “it’s faculty excellence that forges stronger connections — between students and faculty as they do important work together, and between students and the opportunities for which they are well prepared.”

Augustana’s strategic plan, Bold and Boundless, has three pillars: prioritize engaged learning, maximize student potential, and partner with the community. Each of these pillars supports the work of faculty as they engage students in the classroom and lab, and in the world beyond campus.

“From research with a favorite professor, to helping solve an environmental problem in the community alongside faculty and peers, our students grow beyond what they ever imagined,” said President Talentino. “They couldn’t do that without both the support and the inspiration of their professors.

“It’s what we do best at Augustana, and these 12 are more proof of that.”