Celebrating Promotion and Tenure

Melissa Nipper September 12, 2024

ETSU faculty members receive two coins when they receive promotion and/or tenure: One to keep and one to give to a student who has made an impact on their career.

In May 2024, the ETSU Board of Trustees approved promotions and the granting of tenure to 54 faculty members. On September 10, ETSU celebrated  their professional milestone with a special coin ceremony at the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts. Each faculty member received two coins that pay tribute to their achievements. The faculty members keep one coin in recognition of their accomplishment; the other is to give to a student who has been an important part of their career at this moment in their professional life. I am so grateful for our amazing faculty and their dedication to our students. Congratulations to the following faculty members:

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Tenured

Christine Anzur, Communication Studies & Storytelling
Richard Carter, Biological Sciences
Felipe Fiuza, Literature & Language
Meredith Ginley, Psychology
David Jones, Literature & Language
Brett Long, Music
Kelly Moore, Psychology
Robert Pattie, Physics & Astronomy
Sage Perrott, Art & Design

Promoted to Master Lecturer

Mallika Dhar, Physics & Astronomy

Promoted to Senior Lecturer

William Tollefson, Geosciences

Promoted to Associate Professor

Christine Anzur, Communication Studies & Storytelling
Richard Carter, Biological Sciences
Felipe Fiuza, Literature & Language
Meredith Ginley, Psychology
David Jones, Literature & Language
Brett Long, Music
Kelly Moore, Psychology
Robert Pattie, Physics & Astronomy
Sage Perrott, Art & Design

Promoted to Professor

Kelly Foster, Sociology & Anthropology
Katrina Heil, Literature & Language
Andrew Herrmann, Communication Studies & Storytelling
John Rankin, History
Alan Stevens, Music
Jill Stinson, Psychology
Phyllis Thompson, Literature & Language

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

Tenured

Biju Bajracharya, Computing

Ghaith Husari, Computing
Greg Marlow, Digital Media
Chase Mitchell, Media & Communication
Saritdikhun Somasa, Digital Media
Anca Traian, Economics & Finance

Promoted to Associate Professor

Biju Bajracharya, Computing
Ghaith Husari, Computing
Greg Marlow, Digital Media
Chase Mitchell, Media & Communication
Anca Traian, Economics & Finance

Promoted to Professor

Amy Greene, Sport & Recreation Management
Jill Hayter, Economics & Finance
Brian Johnston, Sport & Recreation Management

CLEMMER COLLEGE OF EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Promoted to Professor

Renee Lyons, Curriculum & Instruction
Renee Rice Moran, Curriculum & Instruction

COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES

Tenured

Marcy Hite, Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
Mickey White, Counseling & Human Services

Promoted to Senior Lecturer

Deidra Rogers, Counseling & Human Services

Promoted to Associate Professor

Courtney Andrews, Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
Jennifer Boa, Social Work
Marcy Hite, Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
Laurie Schroder, Rehabilitative Sciences
Mickey White, Counseling & Human Services

Promoted to Professor

Satoshi Mizuguchi, Exercise Science
Brittany Wilkins, Social Work

QUILLEN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

Promoted to Associate Professor

Christopher Bridges, Family Medicine
Jodi Gage, Pediatrics
Christopher Garner, Family Medicine
Sarah Hewitt, Family Medicine
Andrea Hopkins, Family Medicine
Varun Kumar, Pediatrics
Bethany Reynolds, Obstetrics & Gynecology

Promoted to Professor

Peter Bockhorst, Family Medicine
Christy Lawson, Surgery
Shunbin Ning, Internal Medicine
Deidre Pierce, Internal Medicine
Rupal Shah, Internal Medicine

COLLEGE OF NURSING

Tenured

Alex Sargsyan, Nursing Graduate Programs

Promoted to Associate Professor

Alex Sargsyan, Nursing Graduate Programs

GATTON COLLEGE OF PHARMACY

Tenured

Siva Digavalli, Pharmaceutical Sciences
David Stewart, Pharmacy Practice

Promoted to Professor

Richard Hess, Pharmacy Practice

COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Tenured

Rod Handy, Environmental & Occupational Health & Safety Sciences
Bethesda O’Connell, Community & Behavioral Health

Promoted to Master Lecturer

Michael McKamey, Biostatistics & Epidemiology

Promoted to Senior Lecturer

Aimee Rowe, Community & Behavioral Health

Promoted to Associate Professor

Bethesda O’Connell, Community & Behavioral Health

Promoted to Professor

Rod Handy, Environmental & Occupational Health & Safety Sciences
Megan Quinn, Biostatistics & Epidemiology


East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular mission: to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. Through its world-class health sciences programs and interprofessional approach to health care education, ETSU is a highly respected leader in rural health research and practices. The university also boasts nationally ranked programs in the arts, technology, computing, and media studies. ETSU serves approximately 14,000 students each year and is ranked among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt.

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