Several new faces are among the Austin College faculty this fall. Two of those faculty are tenure-track additions in the Department of Economics and Business Administration.
Shannon Cornelison-Brown joins the department full-time as assistant professor of accounting after serving as an adjunct member of the department for two years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business at Austin College and an MBA at the University of North Texas. She previously worked as an instructor of accounting at Paris Junior College and as an adjunct professor at Texas A&M University-Commerce. A certified public accountant and chartered global management accountant, she is a member of senior management at Hooten Financial Services.
Mikidadu Mohammed, assistant professor of economics, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, a master’s degree in economics and applied statistics at New Mexico State University, and a Ph.D. at The University of Utah. He has held several research and teaching positions at the University of Utah and New Mexico State. In 2016, he was awarded the Outstanding Doctoral Student: Stephen Reynolds Fellowship at the University of Utah as well as the Rasmussen Summer Research Grant.
New visiting faculty for the 2017-2018 academic year include Marat R. Akopian, visiting assistant professor of political science; Kendra Hamilton, visiting assistant professor of psychology; Felix Harcourt, visiting professor of history; and Huy V. Nguyen, visiting assistant professor of mathematics.
New or returning adjunct faculty include Mary Leah Friedline, adjunct instructor in religious studies; Matt Hanley, adjunct instructor in economics and business management; Christina “Shea” Reagian, adjunct instructor in education; and David Schones, adjunct instructor in religious studies.
Also new to the campus community this fall are Larissa Pitts, ASIANetwork post-doctoral teaching fellow in East Asian studies; Ellen E. Melson, science program coordinator and instructor in chemistry; and in non-tenure-track faculty positions, Tami Dean, assistant professor of education, and Mary Yetta McKelva, visiting assistant professor of Spanish.
Lisha Storey, director of the new Lemuel Scarbrough Center for Writing, holds the rank of assistant professor. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing at Agnes Scott College where she was a summa cum laude graduate granted Phi Beta Kappa membership. She earned master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she served as the assistant director of the Writing Center for several years during her graduate work.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 40 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of approximately 1,275 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.