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New Faculty Begin in the College of Arts & Sciences

New Faculty Begin in the College of Arts & Sciences

The newest group of full-time faculty and a dean in the College of Arts & Sciences have launched into the academic year.

Bethel University’s College of Arts & Sciences welcomes 14 new full-time faculty in 10 departments and one new administrator this fall.

Tanner Auch, associate professor of mathematics and computer science
Auch received his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from MidAmerica Nazarene University in Kansas and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He was an assistant professor at Oklahoma Baptist University for four years and previously taught at Vacaville Christian Schools in California. He received awards for his teaching in 2009 and in 2012. In 2013, he was named a Project NExT Fellow by the Mathematical Association of America.

Steve Bennett, associate professor of education
Bennett received his B.S. and M.S. in Crop and Soil Sciences at Michigan State University, his teaching certificate for 9-12 chemistry and biology from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and his Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education from Michigan State University. Bennett brings five years of teaching experience at the college level and seven years of teaching experience in the public schools. His research focuses on the effective teaching and assessment practices for science education.

Mauvalyn Bowen, associate professor of business
Bowen has two decades of experience in higher education, including experience as an adjunct faculty member at Bethel. She also has experience in marketing within higher education. Bowen holds a bachelor of education in Business Studies from the University of Technology, Jamaica, and a master of science in Workforce Education from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. She completed a Ph.D. in Work and Human Resource Education at the University of Minnesota. Her dissertation was titled, “A Sub-Group Comparison of the Motivation, Perceived Success Factors, Problems and Needs of Jamaican Micro and Small Business Entrepreneurs.”

Heather Bren, associate professor of art and design
Bren received a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from University of Northwestern–St. Paul, and a master of fine arts in Ceramics from the University of Kansas. She was an associate professor of art and design at the University of Northwestern–St. Paul and previously taught at Bethel as an adjunct instructor. In addition to her academic position, she is also a faculty mentor in ceramics for the Minnesota New Institute for Ceramic Education at Minneapolis’ Northern Clay Center. Her work as an artist has been recognized through several awards, including a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Project Grant, a McKnight Artists Fellowship, and a Jerome Foundation Grant.

Angela Carlson-Lombardi, associate professor of Spanish
Carlson-Lombardi earned a B.A. in Spanish and a B.A. in Studio Art from Bethel University, an M.A. in Hispanic Literature from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D., also in Hispanic Literature, from the University of Minnesota, where she worked in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies. She was also the faculty assistant for the College in the Schools program for the University of Minnesota. With a grant from the Mellon Foundation, she completed a certificate program in Technology and Language Instruction at Middlebury College’s Center for Educational Technology. She returns to her alma mater with extensive experience in faculty and curriculum development, especially in focusing on effective strategies for internationalizing the curriculum.

Sherryse Corrow, associate professor of psychology
Corrow received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Minnesota State University, Moorhead, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in child psychology and cognitive neuroscience from the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota. She developed and taught undergraduate courses, both in the classroom and online, in her areas of expertise while completing her degrees. In the past few years, she has been doing postdoctoral work in neurology/ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. This work included mentoring graduate students in their doctoral research.

Julie Finnern, dean of professional programs
Finnern was previously the Dean of the School of Education and Exercise Science at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. In addition to teaching first, second, fourth, and fifth grades in two Minnesota public schools, she also served as K-12 Literacy Coordinator and Teacher Trainer in Hutchinson, Minnesota. At Buena Vista, she served as director of field experience, university director of assessment, and associate professor of education, and was a member of Buena Vista's General Education Committee. She has participated in and led several accreditation processes, a critical activity of professional programs. Finnern earned her B.A. at Wheaton College, her M.A. at the University of Minnesota, and her Ed.D. at the University of South Dakota. She began her position at Bethel in early August to oversee the departments of business and economics, education, human kinetics and applied health science, and social work.

Julie Hedlund, associate professor of business
Hedlund brings three decades of marketing industry experience to her appointment. In addition, she brings experience as an adjunct faculty member at Bethel since spring 2016, teaching courses such as Global Marketing, Principles of Marketing, and Sales and Sales Management. Hedlund has a bachelor of science in Business from University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and a master of business administration from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition, she has completed a Business Education Licensure program from Winona State University in Rochester, Minnesota.

Julie Hogan, assistant professor of physics
Hogan is fascinated by fundamental particles, high energy phenomena, and the mysteries they can answer about the universe. She received her M.S. and Ph.D. in physics from Rice University. Since 2015, she has done postdoctoral research as a member of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment, situated on the Large Hadron Collider at Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN) in Switzerland. Her primary interests are searching for new physics in jet-rich topologies with highly-boosted massive particles, developing deep-machine learning classifiers for high-energy physics, and developing silicon sensor modules for the CMS tracker upgrades. She is an author of papers by the D-Zero (DØ) experiment, a current author in the CMS experiment, and was awarded $50,000 in 2017 as a Distinguished Researcher at Fermilab’s LHC Physics Center.

Laura Nugteren, associate professor of nursing
Nugteren is an experienced critical care nurse, with a particular emphasis in cardiovascular care. She has an extensive background in nurse education simulation. Her B.S. in Nursing is from South Dakota State University and she earned her M.A. in Nursing with a concentration in Nursing Education from Bethel University. Nugteren’s master’s thesis was titled, “Critical Review of Health-Related Quality of Life Studies of Patients with Aortic Stenosis.”

Denise Post, associate professor of nursing
Post comes to us with more than 25 years of experience in pediatric nursing, most recently as a pediatric nurse practitioner at Fairview Hospitals at the University of Minnesota. She holds a B.A. in Nursing from Augustana College and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Minnesota with an emphasis in pediatrics. Her dissertation was titled, “Transition planning with adolescents and young adults that have sickle cell disease.”

Amanda Primozich, assistant professor of nursing
Primozich comes to us with experience in critical care, particularly with veterans. She has extensive medical and leadership training with the United States Air Force, and continues to serve as a flight nurse in the USAF Reserves. She received bachelor’s degrees in Nursing and Spanish from St. Catherine University. She holds an M.A. in Health Care Leadership from Park University in Parkville, Missouri, and is currently in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Capella University, with a focus on care for veterans outside the Veterans Affairs health system.

Karen Rogers, associate professor of engineering
Rogers received her bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan, and her master’s degree and doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has taught many undergraduate courses in electrical and computer engineering during a 22-year teaching career at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan. For one and a half years of that time, she was the Interim Department Head for Electrical and Computer Engineering. She shepherded the department through an ABET accreditation visit, numerous faculty searches and programs reviews, and the reconstitution of an Industry Advisory Board.

Stacey Stoffregen, associate professor of chemistry
Stoffregen received her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from St. Olaf College, and her Ph.D. in Chemistry with a Biomolecular Science Specialization from Iowa State University. Beginning in 2012, she taught full-time in the chemistry department at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls. Prior to that, she was a visiting assistant professor of chemistry at Macalester College for one year and an instructor in general chemistry for a semester at Iowa State. She has collaborated and been co-author on an impressive list of research grants and peer-reviewed journal articles. An extensive list of supervised student research presentations testifies to her deep commitment to mentoring undergraduate students.

Nickolaus Swedlund, associate professor of communication studies
Swedlund received a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Biola University, and a master of fine arts in directing from the American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles. Before serving as assistant professor of film production at Crown College, Swedlund was a Directing Fellow at AFI and a producer and director of development for Silvatar Media for several years. He has written several screenplays and has directed both a proposed television pilot and a feature film; the latter was screened at the Twin Cities Film Fest in 2015. He is currently raising funds for a second feature film.