18 New Faculty Join A&M International This Fall
Texas A&M International University is welcoming 18 new faculty members to its Colleges or the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library this Fall.
Dr. Ray Keck, incoming president, said the University conducted nation-wide searches to identify faculty that could help lead the University in its growth and development.
"We've searched the nation and are pleased to welcome this new group of faculty to our University. Each brings a diverse range of academic research and real-world experience and commitment to helping our students to become the person they wish to be through an engaging and insightful commitment to teaching and learning. The addition of these faculty will help us to continue to grow into a major regional university of choice," Dr. Keck explained.
New faculty members are as follows.
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES
Dr. Ezra S. Engling, professor of Spanish, holds his Ph.D. in Spanish with specialization in Golden Age Literature and an M.A. in Spanish with emphasis in Latin American literature from the University of The West Indies in Mona, Jamaica. His bachelor's degree in Spanish and English was also earned at the University of The West Indies.
Prior to joining A&M International, he was a faculty member at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and the University of Delaware in Newark, Del.
He is the author of numerous publications including "Africans in the Spanish Golden Age," in Afropaedia: The Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora; "The Sociocultural Role of the University," in Teaching Matters; and "Los Hijos de la Fortuna: Teágenes y Cariclea: Calderón, Heliodorus and the People of the Sun," in Afro-Hispanic Review. His research interests include the Moorish presence in Spanish Golden Age drama, Africans in the Spanish Golden Age and works of Calderón de la Barca.
Dr. William W. Riggs, associate professor of political science, earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University of New Orleans. His M.S. in political science and public administration was earned at the University of Southern Mississippi and his B.A. in political science was earned at The Citadel.
Prior to joining A&M International, he was associated with the University of New Orleans, Livingston University in Alabama and Los Angeles City College.
He is a retired Marine Corps officer and a former secondary school teacher. His research interests include liberalism, communitarianism and the New Democrats and trail courts and the rational model.
Dr. Bonnie A. Rudolph, associate professor of psychology and director of Counseling Psychology, holds her Ph.D. in psychology with specialization in counseling and community psychology from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. She also holds an M.A. in psychology from DePaul University in Chicago. She earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish and political science from Indiana University.
Prior to joining A&M International, she was a professor of psychology at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in Chicago. She was also owner and director of the Chicago Stress Center in Chicago.
Her numerous publications include "Assessment Interview Processes: A Successful and a Failed Brief Therapy," in Psychotherapy in Private Practice and "Client Evaluation of Short-Term Response Psychotherapy in a Community Mental Health Center," in Crisis Intervention. Her research interests include competency in the diagnostic interview among graduate psychology students and the relationship between psychological needs and the five-factor model of personality classification.
Dr. Gilberto D. Soto, associate professor of music and coordinator of Fine and Performing Arts, holds both his doctoral degree in music education and a master's degree in guitar performance from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss. His bachelor's degree in music education was earned at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. He also holds a bachelor's degree in education from the Universidad Autónoma del Noreste in Torreón, Mexico.
Prior to joining A&M International, he held faculty positions at Laredo Community College, the Vidal M. Treviño Magnet School and Hinds Community College in Jackson, Mississippi.
He is the winner of numerous awards including the 1997 "Heritage Award" for the preservation of folklore, customs and traditions and 1993 and 1994 "Literacy Star Awards," sponsored by the Literacy Volunteers of America. In 1992, he was invited to perform classical guitar at the White House in Washington, D.C. In 1991, he performed for Presidents George Bush and Carlos Salinas de Gortari of Mexico. He was recently named "Educator of the Year" by the Laredo Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Christy S. Teranishi, assistant professor of psychology, holds her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She also holds an M.A. in communication from San Diego State University in San Diego, Calif. Her B.A. in psychology and business economics was earned at UC-Santa Cruz.
Prior to joining A&M international, she was a lecturer at San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif. She has also held positions as instructor of psychoneuroimmunology at the Meridian Institute in Monterey, Calif. and as instructor of statistics at UC-Santa Cruz.
She is the author or coauthor of over 14 papers presented at professional meetings. Her research interests include ethnic identity development; cultural transitions across home, college and peer contexts; and Chicano/Latino and Japanese American adolescent development.
Carlos Valle Jr., instructor of history, is completing his Ph.D. in urban studies at the University of New Orleans. He earned his M.A. in history from Texas A&M International University and M.Ed. in community college leadership and curriculum design from East Texas State University in Commerce, Texas. His B.S. in radiologic technology was earned at the Incarnate Word College in San Antonio.
Prior to joining A&M International, he was an adjunct faculty member in the Health Science Division of Delgado Community College in New Orleans.
He was also program director and instructor of radiologic technology and health sciences at Laredo Community College for a number of years.
Dr. Jeffrey H. Cornelius-White, assistant professor of psychology, earned his Psy.D. and M.A. in clinical psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in Chicago. His bachelor's degree in music was earned at Roosevelt University in Chicago. His experiences include five years of clinical experience in educational and higher education settings and consultations with school personnel, state officials and families regarding special education referral and eligibility.
Prior to joining A&M International, he conducted his post-doctoral fellowship at the Center for Psychological Services, Chicago Counseling and the Psychotherapy Center and Diagnostic Services in Chicagoland, Ill. His doctoral internship was conducted at Harper College Health and Psychological Services in Palatine, Ill. He has also worked as a diagnostician in Chicago.
He is the author or coauthor of numerous papers and articles including "Nondirectiveness and Effectiveness: An Empirical Study of Therapist Behavior, Client Progress, and Client Outcome," presented at the Society for Psychotherapy Research and the International Conference on Client-Centered and Experiential Therapies.
His research interests include investigation of the group supervisory behavior scale and core constructs, non-directivity and theory integration in client-centered therapy, among others.
Dr. Cecily F. Cornelius-White, assistant professor of psychology, earned her Psy.D. and M.A. in clinical psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in Chicago. Her bachelor's degree in psychology was earned at the University of Chicago.
Prior to joining A&M International, she was a teaching assistant at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology. Her clinical experience was obtained as a diagnostician in Chicago. She was also a pre-doctoral psychology intern at Northwestern University Counseling and Psychological Services in Evanston, Ill.
Her research interests include non-concordant anorexia in male monozygotic twins, levels of competency of new clinicians entering the field of psychology and eating disorders.
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Hafizul Islam, instructor of information systems, earned his M.S. in Information Systems at Texas A&M International University. His BBA was earned at AMA International University, Bangladesh (AIUB).
Prior to joining A&M International, he was a graduate research assistant in the College of Business Administration. He has also worked as a lab assistant at the University and as a faculty member, systems analyst and teaching assistant at AIUB.
Dr. Robert E. Shapiro, visiting associate professor of accounting, earned his LL.M in taxation from the New York University School of Law. His J.D. was earned at the Harvard Law School and his B.S. in economics was earned at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.
Prior to joining A&M International, he was a faculty member at Seton Hall University. He has also worked as an attorney in the Office of the Regional Counsel in New York City and Newark, New Jersey and has been a tax specialist with KPMG and Senior Tax Counsel to American Express.
He is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey and holds a CPA certificate issued by Louisiana.
His writings have appeared in refereed journals including Business Law Review and the International Tax Journal.
Dr. Jacques Verville, assistant professor of information systems, earned his Ph.D. in administrative science from the Université Laval in Québec, Canada. His M.Sc. in information resources management was received at Syracuse University in New York. His M.A. in international relations was also earned at Syracuse while his B.A. in linguistics was received at the University of Alberta, Canada.
Prior to joining A&M International, he was a faculty member at Michigan Technological University's School of Business and Economics in Houghton, MI. His research focus has been on enterprise software and he co-authored Acquiring Enterprise Software: Beating the Vendors at their own Game, published by Prentice-Hall this past July.
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Dr. Trace Pirtle, associate professor of education, earned his Ed.D. in counselor education from Texas A&M University-Commerce. His Ed. S. was received at the University of Nebraska. He also holds an M.Ed. in school counseling from South Dakota State University and a B.A. in cultural anthropology from San Jose State University.
Prior to joining A&M International, he was a faculty member at Sul Ross State University, Texas A&M University-Commerce and Huron University in South Dakota. He will be heading the College of Education's School Counseling Program. His research interests include cultural sensitivity, focused psychotherapy and technology-assisted instruction.
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Dr. Terutake Abe, visiting assistant professor of mathematics, holds his Ph.D. in mathematics from Johns Hopkins University (JHU). He has also earned a M.A. in mathematics from JHU and a B.Sc. in Mathematics from University of Tokyo, Japan.
Prior to joining A&M International he was a lecturer at University of Texas, Austin and a visiting scholar at JHU. His research interests include algebraic geometry of toric varieties and combinatorial geometry of convex polytopes and polyhedral cones, among others.
Dr. Qingwen Ni, assistant professor of physics, holds his Ph.D. in solid state physics from the University of North Texas (UNT). He also earned a M.S. in physics from UNT and his B.S. in physics from Shanghai Teacher's University, China.
Prior to joining A&M International he was senior research scientist at Southwest Research Institute, and was also associated with UNT and Shanghai Education College, China. His research interests include magnetic resonance (nuclear magnetic resonance and electron spin resonance) applications, among others.
Dr. Ni has contributed articles to many professional journals, including Physics in Medicine and Biology, and Journal of Chemical Physics. He is co-inventor of U.S. Patent Number 6,046,587, entitled "Measurement of Flow Fractions, Flow Velocities, and Flow Rates of a Multiphase Fluid Using NMR Sensing" and has applied for a second patent entitled "Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Technology for Non-Invasive Characterization of Bone Porosity and Pore Size Distribution."
Myung-chul Kim, instructor of mathematics, holds his Master of Arts in teaching mathematics from Michigan State University (MSU). He has also earned a M.S. in applied mathematics from Chicago State University and a B.S in mathematics from Soon-Chun-Hyung University, Korea. He has submitted a paper entitled "Torque of a Rotating Polygonal Cylinder in a Very Viscous Fluid Fluid Dynamics in Applied Mathematics.)" to Mechanics Research Communication.
Prior to joining A&M International he was a teaching assistant at MSU.
SUE AND RADCLIFFE KILLAM LIBRARY
Joshua Been, reference and government information librarian, received his Master of Library Science from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo. He earned his B.A in history from SUNY at Fredonia. He will be the library's liaison to the College of Business Administration.
Prior to joining A&M International, he was a research librarian at the Export-Import Bank of the United States and reference/political science librarian at the United States Military Academy in West Point. He also was an information specialist at Galaxy.com.
David G. Ratliff, reference and interlibrary loan librarian, received his Master of Library and Information Science from Louisiana State University (LSU) and his B.A. in psychology from Portland State University (PSU), Oregon. He will be the library's liaison to the Department of Natural Sciences and the Department of Psychology and Sociology.
Prior to joining A&M International, he was a reference librarian at the New York Public Library and a research assistant for the Coastal Fisheries Institute at LSU, working on their Louisiana/Gulf Coast shark nursing grounds project. At PSU, he worked at the Branford Price Millar Science and Engineering Library in reference and map collections.
Eric A. Elmore, automated services librarian, received his Master of Library and Information Science from Louisiana State University (LSU) and his B.S. in psychology from Montana State University-Billings. He will be the library web coordinator, the library's Novell administrator and provide reference assistance.
Prior to joining A&M International, he was the electronic services graduate assistant and later electronic reference services library associate at LSU as well as the assistant webmaster for the LSU library.
For more information on new faculty members, please contact the respective offices of the Deans of the College assigned or the Killam Library:
College of Arts and Humanities - Dr. Jerry Thompson, 326.2460.
College of Business Administration - Dr. John Kohl, 326.2480.
College of Education - Dr. Rosa Maria Vida, 326.2420.
College of Science and Technology - Dr. Juan Homero Hinojosa, 326.2440.
Killam Library - 326.2400.
University office hours are from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu