On Thursday, May 19, the Wagner College Board of Trustees approved this year’s roster for faculty tenure and promotion. Congratulations to:
- Heather Cook (Biology) — tenure
- Jane DeFazio (Nursing) — tenure
- Todd Alan Price (Theatre & Speech) — tenure
- Lauri Young (Theatre & Speech) — promotion
- Natalie Edwards (Modern Languages) — tenure and promotion
- Rhoda Frumkin (Education) — tenure and promotion
- Steve Jenkins (Psychology) — tenure and promotion
- Patricia Moynagh (Government & Politics) — tenure and promotion
- Daniel Stuckart (Education) — tenure and promotion
Heather Cook (Biology): Heather Cook was granted tenure. An assistant professor of biology, Dr. Cook earned her bachelor of science degree from the College of New Jersey and her Ph.D. from Tufts University’s Sackler School of Biomedical Research. Among the courses she teaches is an interdisciplinary freshman learning community entitled, “Science: the Good, the Bad and the Controversial.” Her research interests are cell, molecular and developmental biology, with a special focus on oocyte development and body axis determination in the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster).
Jane DeFazio (Nursing): Jane DeFazio was granted tenure. An assistant professor in the nursing school, DeFazio’s specialties are medical-surgical nursing, critical care, psychiatric nursing, oncology and geriatrics, and learning styles. She serves as faculty adviser for Wagner’s Epsilon Mu chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the nursing honor society. Currently a Ph.D. candidate at Seton Hall, she earned her MSN at Wagner College and her BSN at the College of Staten Island.
Todd Alan Price (Theatre & Speech): Todd Price was granted tenure. An associate professor in the Arts Administration faculty of the Theatre Department, Price also directs Wagner College’s Stanley Drama Awards program. He earned his B.A. from the Eagleton Institute at Rutgers University, and his juris doctor degree from Tulane University School of Law. A member of the bar in New York and Florida, Price practiced entertainment law in New York City, with emphasis in theater, music, film, television, and book publishing. He also has extensive theatrical production experience, including his role as associate producer at the Coconut Grove Playhouse, in Miami, and as the founding artistic and executive director of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, a not-for-profit, professional regional theater in southern Florida.
Lauri Young (Theatre & Speech): Lauri Young was promoted to associate professor. She has been musical director of the Wagner College Theatre for 11 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in music from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, her master of music from the University of Louisville, and her doctor of musical arts from the University of Cincinnati College–Conservatory of Music. Prior to joining Wagner College, she served on the faculty of the Governor’s School for the Arts, the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, the Third Street Music School Settlement, the Turtle Bay Music School and the Lee Strasberg Acting Institute. As musical director, she has a multitude of New York City credits (including Lincoln Center Director’s Forum, Weill Recital Hall, Ontolological Theatre Company, Sundog Theatre Company, Snug Harbor Cultural Center and the Staten Island Symphony, plus original shows at Lorenzo’s, Danny’s, Judy’s, Don’t Tell Mama and the Duplex) and regional theater credits (including the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, College Light Opera Company and Papermill Theatre). In her spare time, Dr. Young competes in triathlons and writes short stories.
Natalie Edwards (Modern Languages): Natalie Edwards was granted tenure and promoted to the rank of associate professor. Edwards is the Coordinator of French Studies in the Department of Modern Languages. She earned her B.A. and PGCE from the University of Bath, and her Ph.D. from Northwestern University. Her research focuses on 20th Century French and Francophone women’s writing, particularly autobiography. Her most recent book, “Shifting Subjects: Plural Subjectivity in Contemporary Francophone Women's Autobiography” (University of Delaware Press, 2011), was a 2010 Northeast Modern Languages Book Prize Finalist. She was the co-editor (with fellow Wagner College professor Christopher Hogarth) of two previous books on French-language life writing by women, “Gender and Displacement: ‘Home’ in Contemporary Francophone Women’s Autobiography” and “This Self Which Is Not One: Francophone Women's Life Writing.” In 2009, she earned Wagner College’s Outstanding Scholarship Award. Edwards is the second vice president of the North East Modern Languages Association, one of the six regional associations of the Modern Language Association; in 2013, she will become NeMLA’s president. She is also a regional representative on the board of Women in French and hosted the 2010 WIF conference.
Rhoda Frumkin (Education): Rhoda Frumkin was granted tenure and promoted to the rank of associate professor. A member of the Wagner College faculty since 2005, she earned her Ph.D. from Rutgers University. Her certifications include School Administrator, Special Education, K-6 teaching, and Elementary Principal. Frumkin’s special area of expertise is literacy/reading and special education, and her areas of research include literacy acquisition for diverse learners and professional development for teachers. She has pursued advanced study in curriculum development.
Steve Jenkins (Psychology): Steve Jenkins was granted tenure and promoted to the rank of associate professor. Jenkins earned his bachelor of arts degree in psychology from San Diego State University and his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Louisiana Tech University. He did his pre-doctoral internship in psychological & counseling services at the University of California–San Diego, and a post-doctoral fellowship at the Albert Ellis Institute for Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy. Among the courses he teaches are health psychology, principles of counseling psychology, psychopathology, sleep & dreams, and principles of psychological testing. His research interests include sleep habits, patterns and difficulties, health psychology, cognitive-behavioral therapy/rational emotive behavior therapy, multiculturalism/diversity, identity development, and interpersonal process.
Patricia Moynagh (Government & Politics): Patricia Moynagh was granted tenure and promoted to the rank of associate professor. Moynagh earned her bachelor’s degree from Boston University and her Ph.D. from New York University. She specializes in political theory, with a focus on modern European political and social thought and feminist theory. She was the co-editor of, and a contributor to, “Simone de Beavoir's Political Thinking” (University of Illinois Press, 2006). She has also written articles on citizenship responsibility and Hannah Arendt in scholarly journals. She is currently writing a book on freedom and the challenges of coexistence. Moynagh has served as the coordinator for both Project Pericles and Campus Compact for Wagner College, a connection that helped many of her Wagner peers adapt course syllabi to include civic engagement activities directly linked to disciplinary learning outcomes. In 2009 she won both the Faculty Award for Outstanding Service and the Civic Engagement Faculty Award.
Daniel Stuckart (Education): Daniel Stuckart was granted tenure and promoted to the rank of associate professor, with a focus on secondary education. Stuckart earned his B.A. in international relations from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1991, and three successive degrees from the University of South Florida: B.A. in history (1996), M.A. in social science education (1998) and Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction for secondary education. His primary research interest has been the nexus of technology and learning in the social studies. Last year, he was the co-author of “Revisiting Dewey: Best Practices for Educating the Whole Child Today,” published by Rowman & Littlefield.