Six tenure-track and one tenured faculty have joined the College of Arts and Sciences this fall, enhancing the University’s offerings in journalism, education, English and writing, math, music, and combined they have published extensively, received various prestigious awards and traveled throughout the world.
While the group has published extensively, received various prestigious awards and traveled throughout the world, we are most excited by the energy, enthusiasm and new ideas they bring to teaching our students.
”We had a great year in terms of recruiting top-flight faculty” says Lourdes Alvarez, Dean of the College. “I am so impressed by their accomplishments and their enormous promise. We expect great things from all of them.”
Rachel Anderson-Rabern joins UNH as assistant professor of theater. Dr. Anderson-Rabern is an artist/scholar with 15 years of directing experience across the west coast. She's also an actor with training at Russia's Moscow Art Theater and Stanford University. Her creative and academic research focuses on collaborative approaches to performance, the power of everyday tasks and experience, and the aesthetics of slowness and fun. Dr. Anderson-Rabern has hit the ground running and is busy reinvigorating the Theater Program and productions.
Elizabeth Christian is an assistant professor of communication teaching journalism and strategic communication courses at UNH. She earned her Ph.D. in mass communication from The University of Southern Mississippi and is the editor of the award-winning Rock Brands: Selling Sound in a Media Saturated. She also has unique experiences working with prison journalism, so between rock 'n' roll and her work in prisons, Dr. Christian will bring some interesting perspectives to the classroom!
Erica Haskell, assistant professor of music, joins UNH from Bosnia where she has been doing research on the politics of music in post-war Sarajevo, focusing on influences to local pop and rock music styles. Haskell specializes in Ethnomusicology, the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance.Haskell’s research areas include the music of South Eastern Europe, the politics of music, applied ethnomusicology, post-war cultural redevelopment, refugee music as well as cultural policy in post-war Bosnia-Herzegovina. Between her energetic teaching style and research interests, Dr. Haskell will have leading some exciting courses at UNH!
Professor Joseph Kolibol joins the CAS faculty as the chair of mathematics. Dr. Kolibol, who earned his doctorate from Oxford University, has research interests in the areas of applied and computational mathematics. He has published extensively and is interested in working with students from multiple areas of study to form an undergraduate research program in interdisciplinary mathematics. Dr. Kolibol is energetic and brings passion to his field!
Assistant professor Shane Smith joins the education department to focus on issues of special education. Dr. Smith began his teaching career in Jamaica and took an interest in special education after a stint teaching students identified with disabilities. His research interests include postsecondary transition and mathematics education for students with high-incidence disabilities and pre-service teacher education/preparation to work in settings inclusive of students with unique learning challenges, interests, and opportunities. He is certainly an exciting addition to the strong graduate and 4+1 programs in education.
The new director of First-Year Writing is Michelle Trim, an assistant professor in the Department of English. Dr. Trim’s research interests include theories of technology and technical communication, feminism and feminist theory, critical theories of language/ social linguistics and democratic education. Dr. Trim is already revamping the first year writing experience with big changes to the program just around the corner.
Please join the College of Arts and Sciences in welcoming this exceptional group of new tenured and tenure-track faculty.
