The Transitions of Former and Latest Faculty Members

By Jessica Ramcharran//

Eight long-time faculty members left the Hood community this summer and the college welcomed 10 new faculty members.

The departures came as Hood offered a retirement incentive in face of the challenges of the pandemic.

Departing Faculty Members

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“This incentive was a way to recognize that and especially in light of what faculty might be facing in terms of the pandemic and influences that might be there beyond what’s going on here on our campus with our students and our employees,” Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Deborah Ricker said.

Among those who left included Fred Bohrer, department chair of art history; Kathleen Bands, department chair of education, Mark Sandona, department chair of English; Wayne Wold, department chair of music; Terry Martin, department chair of psychology and thanatology; Kathy Falkenstein and Ricky Hirschhorn, long-time biology professors; and Vincent Kohl, a long-time composition instructor.

“They have left a very positive and bright mark on this community; they leave a chasm behind that won’t be easily filled,” Ricker said.

As these professors take leave, the transition begins with the new faculty.

These new faculty members include Catherine Breneman, professor of social work; Chaz Martinsen, professor of ceramic arts; Cherry Liu, professor of biology; Judith Anglin, professor and nutrition program director; Nicola Meade, professor of counseling; Katherine Robiadek, professor of political science; Simone Kolysh, professor of sociology; Suzanne Hiller, professor of education; William Allen, professor of humanities; and Nicholas Owad, professor of mathematics.

New Faculty

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These new professors intend to bring their perspective upon their programs, as well as the community.

“They bring a wider ray of research interests to campus, to our academic programs and to our students and I can’t wait to see the great things they’re going to do,” Ricker said.

Several new professors are currently adding their own views to some of Hood’s existing programs.

Allen, positioned as the new Sophia M. Libman National Endowment (NEH) professor of Humanities, will continue the Humanities symposium. “It will involve collaboration with other departments, so I am really interested in seeing the development of the events and establishing relationships with faculty,” Allen said.

Robiadek will be working on a political science department’s “Race, Politics, and Public Policy’” series of online events.

As challenges arise, new professors said they are aiming to bring a safe learning environment,  and begin to establish consequential changes.

I want to move people along, you know, try to move the bureaucracy along, I want to enact change as opposed to have endless meetings,” Kolysh said. “I want to have something like intersexuality 101 become a core course so that everyone can be exposed to it, not just sociology students or women’s studies.”

Paige Eager, a director of the new faculty orientation, encouraged the new professors. “Be kind to yourself, cut yourself a break, you know, because like I said these are crazy times, we are all living through,” she told them.