New faculty and staff members join EMU

As students eyed new schedules last week, they may have noted a few new professor names listed beside old standard classes. It shouldn't come as a surprise, though, that a few of those professors' names were Yoder.

"They're all outstanding individuals," said Undergraduate Academic Dean Marie Morris,. Morris played a key part in finding professors to fill the numerous open positions for this year.

Cyndi Gusler has already worked as adjunct faculty for EMU and JMU and will be working full-time this year as an assistant professor of art and the chair of the Art Department.

Allon LeFever, associate professor of business, will be the director of the MBA program. He comes to EMU with extensive management and executive leadership experience.

Heidi Miller Yoder has also worked as adjunct faculty and spiritual director, and will now serve as a full-time assistant professor of Bible.

Laura Yoder, an experienced nurse clinician and adult nurse practitioner, joins EMU as an assistant professor of nursing.

Priscilla Book Simmons is also a professor of nursing, and will serve in a teaching and administration position for the RN-BSN program at the Lancaster campus.

One area in particular that has a new look this year, the Science Department at EMU will receive two new chemistry professors, Scott Kennedy for physical chemistry and Tara Kishbaugh for organic chemistry. Kishbaugh will begin teaching in the Spring semester.

"I'm really amazed by the caliber of both of the chemistry professors," said Morris.

In addition, James, Jim, Yoder is now a full-time assistant professor of biology. He has taught for several years at EMU already, but this is the first year he will be teaching full-time.

The Language and Literature Department has also gained two new professors, Marti Eads as associate professor of English and Moira Rogers as associate professor of Spanish.

Rogers brings a passion for "building bridges between the learning that occurs in the classroom and the lives of real people in the community." Although she only arrived in Harrisonburg in August, she has already begun making connections with local organizations that work with Spanish-speaking immigrants.

The Anabaptist tradition of reaching out with compassion is one aspect that drew her to EMU. "I have sorely missed the Anabaptist approach that shapes my commitment and hope as a disciple of Christ committed to the active promotion of peace and social justice," Rogers said. She decided to leave her previous position because the school made a contract with the US Army to provide online Pastoral-Studies courses, and she chose not to support that relationship with the military.

Marti Eads also chose EMU because of the strong commitment to Christian education and "the emphasis on international peacemaking and friendship-building."

Before she heard about the position at EMU, she had a job offer at another university but "didn't feel right" about taking it. Quoting Psalm 107:4-7, she prayed that God would lead her to "a place where [she] could dwell", a job that she could feel peace about. That evening she unexpectedly met Beryl Brubaker, Interim President, who offered her a position at EMU.

These professors have holes to fill left by former faculty. However, they are well on their way to completeting that task.