Rebecca A. Pyles, Ph.D., Dean

As the child of an Air Force officer, Rebecca Pyles lived and attended school in England and six states in the USA. Following her father’s retirement, her parents settled in Missouri and she completed her Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Dr. Pyles enrolled in graduate school at The University of Kansas, where she completed M.S., M.Ph., and Ph.D. degrees, concentrating in the areas of systematics and ecology in the biological sciences. After receiving her Ph.D. in 1988, she taught at the University of Kansas and the University of Tulsa.

In 1991, Dr. Pyles joined the faculty of Biological Sciences at East Tennessee State University as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1997. Her research in amphibian biology has attracted numerous undergraduate and graduate students, some of whom now serve as faculty at other universities.

From 1998 to 2002, Dr. Pyles served as the first full-time Director of University Honors Programs at ETSU. In 2002, she accepted the position as Interim Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, and in 2004, became the university’s first Director of Undergraduate Research. Dr. Pyles continues to teach undergraduate courses in the University Honors Scholars program and graduate courses in the Department of Biological Sciences. She is married to James R. Stewart, Senior Research Scientist in Biological Sciences at ETSU, and lives in Jonesborough, Tennessee.

"Becoming Dean of ETSU’s new Honors College is a challenge I look forward to with great excitement and enthusiasm. I can’t think of a more exciting opportunity than to serve a college dedicated to helping students from all areas of the university to set high academic goals and become more deeply involved in their studies. The Honors College will join with our many prestigious academic colleges and departments to promote student success in the outstanding degree programs we have available at ETSU. I look forward to working with our exceptional faculty, staff, and students to develop and support opportunities for students to achieve and excel."

Honors College

Box 70589
Johnson City, TN 37614
Phone: (423) 439-6077
Fax (423) 439-6080
email: pylesr@etsu.edu

University and Midway Scholars Honors Programs

Michael Cody was born in Sumter, South Carolina, and grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina, not far from East Tennessee State University. He majored in music at Mars Hill College but left without completing his degree, choosing instead to move to Nashville, where he wrote songs and played in a band through most of the 1980s. In 1991, he enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where in 1993 he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature and Language with a concentration in Creative Writing. He went on to receive his Master of Arts in English from Western Carolina University in 1995 and his Ph.D. in English from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, in 2000. He taught for a year at Murray State University in Kentucky before joining the ETSU faculty in August 2001.

A tenured associate professor in the Department of English, Dr. Cody teaches early American literature at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition to courses in this specialty area, he has taught Native American literature and Southern literature, as well as courses on song in popular culture, American gothic literature and criminal minds in literature and film. Along with his teaching, Dr. Cody served the Department of English for four years as director of its honors-in-discipline program and for two years as assistant chair for undergraduate studies.

Dr. Cody has presented papers at all levels of professional meetings, international to local, and his literary articles have appeared in several professional journals. In 2004 he published his first book, Charles Brockden Brown and the Literary Magazine: Cultural Journalism in the Early American Republic. In addition to scholarly work, he is an award-winning short story writer, and he is at work on a novel. In spite of a hectic schedule, he still occasionally grabs his guitar and sings a song or two.

He lives in Jonesborough, Tennessee, with his wife, Leesa, and son Raleigh. He has an older son, Lane, and daughter-in-law, Morgan, and granddaughters, Mackenzie and Eden, all of whom live near Columbia, South Carolina.

University & Midway Honors Scholars Programs
Honors House
Box 70294
914 W. Maple Street
Johnson City, TN 37614
Phone: (423) 439-6456
Fax (423) 439-6191
email: codym@etsu.edu

University and Midway Scholars Honors Programs

Judy Harrell has been with ETSU since 1986.  She and her husband enjoy Nascar racing and traveling to the Amish country.  They have two sons, Jeff and Scotty, and two  grandchildren, Makenna and Nolan.

University Honors Programs
Honors House
Box 70294
914 W. Maple Street
Johnson City, TN 37614
Phone: (423) 439-6456
Fax (423) 439-6191
email: harrellj@etsu.edu

University and Midway Scholars Honors Programs

Brenda Rice has been with ETSU since 2000. She and her husband, Johnny, enjoy traveling and spending time with their two grandsons, Dakota and Grayson. They have two children, Jennifer and Ryan.

University Honors Programs
Honors House
Box 70294
914 W. Maple Street
Johnson City, TN 37614
Phone: (423) 439-4096
Fax (423) 439-6191
email: ricebw@etsu.edu

Honors-in-Discipline Programs

Marcia Songer holds a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Southern Illinois University and a Master of Arts degree from East Tennessee State University.  After teaching high school English and French in four states and overseas, she began a tenure-track position at ETSU in 1983.  Currently she holds the rank of associate professor and teaches African literature, European literature, Russian literature, and English as a Second Language in the Department of English. 

She served that department as assistant chair for undergraduate studies for six years and as director of the English Honors Program for four.  She has served as director of University Honors Programs since 2001.

Professor Songer is a regular presenter at the national conference of the Popular Culture Association and in August gave a paper at the meeting of the International PCA in Swansea, Wales.  Her publications include Garrison Keillor:  a Critical Companion.

In addition to chairing numerous university committees and editing newsletters for both the college and the English Department, she has served Johnson City on several cultural and educational boards and guilds.  She was elected to a four-year term on the Johnson City Commission and served as the city’s vice-mayor for two years.

Professor Songer is married to Dr. Lewis Songer, now retired from the ETSU Department of Music.  The Songers have four children:  Laura, a urological nurse practitioner in Chicago; Nathan, an FBI agent in Louisiana; Elizabeth, an architect in Alberta, Canada; and Rachel, an actress in California.

University Honors Programs
Honors House
Box 70294
914 W. Maple Street
Johnson City, TN 37614
Phone: (423) 439-8385
Fax (423) 439-6191
email: songerm@etsu.edu

Honors-in-Discipline Programs and Fine and Performing Arts Scholars Program

Eva S. Lynch, Secretary

Eva S. Lynch was born in Governor’s Island, NY (a former Army base off the island of Manhattan, NY) and has lived in New York, Maine, Dominican Republic, and New Jersey. Her and her husband, Frank, moved down to Johnson City from Hackensack, NJ, in October 2007 (Eva’s husband was born and raised in Kingsport and is now retired).

Eva is of Hispanic descent -- her parents were born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but are U.S. citizens (father served in the U.S. Army and is a retired Presbyterian minister as well as former head chaplain at Mid-State Correctional Facility in Fort Dix, NJ; mother is a member of the Synod of the Northeast for The Presbytery, as well as, an enabler for the Hispanic Churches in the Presbytery). Eva also has two sisters, Lydia and Deveda, and two nieces, Laila and Jasmine.

The Lynches have a son, Petty Officer Third Class Adam Diaz, who is serving in the U.S. Navy and a daughter, Celeste, who is a senior at Montclair State University, New Jersey majoring in secondary education.

Eva has served as a member of the Deacon board and was a regular choir member as well as a Sunday school teacher (2nd-4th grade) at her home church in New Jersey. In her spare time, she enjoys bowling (averages 162), singing, baking treats for family, friends and office mates, arts and crafts, and reading.

Honors-in-Discipline Programs and Fine and Performing Arts Scholars Programs
Honors House
Box 70294
914 W. Maple Street
Johnson City, TN 37614
Phone: (423) 439-6455
Fax (423) 439-6191
email: lynche@etsu.edu

Fine and Performing Arts Scholars Program

Patrick Cronin, Director

Patrick Cronin is former holder of The Basler Chair and the first holder of the Permanent Artist in Residence position at East Tennessee State University.  As a professional actor, member of Screen Actors Guild, Actors Equity Association, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Mr. Cronin has appeared in over 150 professional plays and 200 film and TV shows. 

He appeared as a regular cast member in 11 series, including Seinfeld, Home Improvement, Hill Street Blues, Alice, Knot's Landing, Family Matters and in the films, Splash, Rampage and Rocky V.  

Mr. Cronin received his bachelor of arts degree from La Salle University and his master's in directing from Temple University, where he taught for five years. He is the father of ETSU graduates James and Charlie Cronin and is married to Dr. Amber Kinser, ETSU's Director of Women's Studies.

"I am proud to be the first director of the Arts Scholars Program under the aegis of the new ETSU Honors College.  Expanding the definition of Honors, ETSU has created a division of the Honors College that uniquely honors the arts and the contributions that art and artists make to the city, the region and the world. ETSU has created a place in which gifted women and men can come together to create their art in a college that recognizes the place that the arts have always held in human culture.  The Arts Scholars Program affords singularly gifted women and men the opportunity to be part of a creative community, while at the same time placing their artistic achievements in an Honors College context."

Fine & Performing Arts Scholars Program
P.O. Box 70667
Johnson City, TN 37614
Phone: (423) 439-6513
Fax (423) 439-6080
email: croninp@etsu.edu

International Programs and Services

Maria Costa, Director

Maria Costa was born in São Paulo, Brazil and came to the United States in the mid 1980s as an international student. She attended ETSU, where she received both her Bachelor’s and Master's degrees. In 1992, she joined the office of international programs as the International Student and Study Abroad Advisor and in 2001 became Associate Director.   She lives in Erwin with her husband John and son Daniel.   

"As someone deeply transformed by the experience of studying abroad, I am committed to the support and development of all areas related to international education at ETSU.  As we join the newly created Honors College, I look forward to working with colleagues who believe that international education opportunities must reach all qualified ETSU students, and that it is a pivotal component of educating students in a diverse world.  Joining the college will not only give our office a home for the first time in 20 years, it also will give us allies in the pursuit of our vision of internationalizing the campus and the curriculum."

International Programs and Services

Originally from Ohio, Meghan Lane has traveled to over a dozen different countries in Central America, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia (including two years teaching English in China) and recently came to Johnson City from Texas. Meghan has a BA in archaeology and graduated in December 2003 with an MA in Intercultural Studies from Wheaton College in Illinois (hence, many of the world travels).

Meghan enjoys learning about other cultures and looks forward to meeting and helping international students at ETSU and making connections with people from all over the world. (Try to teach her a new phrase in your native language!)

International Programs and Services
P.O. Box 70668
Johnson City, TN 37614-0720
Phone: (423) 439-7737
Fax (423) 439-7131
email:  lanem@etsu.edu

International Programs and Services

Janice Whitaker Howell is from Johnson City and has been employed by ETSU since 1992. She is the Executive Aide for International Programs and Services and is the support for the Director and Study Abroad Advisor. She attributes her many years in the same department to the wonderful work environment, the very knowledgeable and experienced team in International Programs, and getting to meet and work with so many interesting international students from all over the world. “I have a job I love and am very fortunate to be part of International Programs, the Honors College, and ETSU.” Her favorite idiom is “Everyone smiles in the same language!”  She has two wonderful children and two awesome grandchildren.

International Programs and Services
P.O. Box 70668
Johnson City, TN 37614-0720
Phone: (423) 439-7737
Fax (423) 439-7131
email: howellj@etsu.edu

Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities

Frosty Levy, Ph.D., Director

After graduating with a Ph.D. in genetics and botany, accepted position as faculty member in ETSU’s Department of Biological Sciences.  For many years his research emphasized the genetic basis of sterility in plant hybrids.  Frosty teaches courses at ETSU in population genetics, genetics, conservation and plant taxonomy.  With Dr. Tim McDowell, he co-founded the ETSU Arboretum.  Approximately five years ago, Frosty began a research collaboration with infectious diseases specialists at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center and James H. Quillen College of Medicine where they have been studying the genetics and epidemiology of antibiotic resistance. 

Frosty enjoys hiking anywhere, fishing the small mountain streams, and growing trees and vegetables.

Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities
P.O. Box 70703
Johnson City, TN 37614
Phone: (423) 439-6926
Fax (423) 439-6080
email: levyf@etsu.edu

Dean's Office

Dean's Office

Linda Wyatt joined the staff of East Tennessee State University in 1989 after leaving her position as Assistant Budget Officer at Florida Community College at Jacksonville, Florida. She began her career at ETSU in the College of Education working in the Department of Supervision and Administration, now known as the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.  She has worked in the Department of Mathematics and the School of Graduate Studies.

Linda received her M.A. in Liberal Studies from ETSU and her B.B.A. with a concentration in Management from ETSU's College of Business and Technology.  She is currently pursuing her doctorate in the College of Education with a concentration in Private and Post-Secondary Leadership. 

Linda and her husband Jerry have three children, Michelle, Eric, and Daniel. 

Honors College

Box 70589
Johnson City, TN 37614
Phone: (423) 439-6075
Fax (423) 439-6080
email: wyattlg@etsu.edu

Dean's Office

Donna Williams began her employment with ETSU in 1995.  Donna is an avid sports fan and enjoys traveling.  She has one son, Seth, and two grandchildren, Max and Wyatt.

Honors College

Box 70589
Johnson City, TN 37614
Phone: (423) 439-6076
Fax (423) 439-6080
email: williadj@etsu.edu

Dean's Office

Brittany Padgett recently joined the Honors College as the Graduate Assistant. Brittany graduated from The University of Virginia’s College at Wise with a B.A. in Communication. She is currently pursuing a M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology.
Brittany is from Castlewood, VA. She enjoys going to the lake, spending time with friends and family and UT football.

Honors College
Box 70589
Johnson City, TN 37614
Phone: (423) 439-6073
Fax (423) 439-6080
email:  zbnp10@goldmail.etsu.edu