The Honors College
at West Chester University
Dr. Kevin Dean, Director
703 S. High Street
West Chester, PA 19383
Phone: 610-436-2996
Fax: 610-436-2620
Honors@wcupa.edu
Honors Faculty
Dr. Paul Arsenault
Marketing
312D Anderson
Phone:
610-436-2304
I am a Full Professor at West Chester and hold a Ph.D. from Temple University, as well as an MBA from the Babcock School of Management at Wake Forest University and a Masters in Psychology from Vanderbilt University. My undergraduate degree is from Marietta College. My research interests include generational/cohort differences, charismatic leadership, organizational change, leadership assessment and development.
Anita Foeman
Communication Studies
Main Hall 508
afoeman@wcupa.edu
Phone: (610) 436-2283
Since 1992 I have been a Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at West Chester University. I received my PhD in Organizational Communication from the Speech Department at Temple University in 1982. Throughout my career I have examined diversity related to Organizational, Public, and Intercultural Communication. My current work is focused on examining DNA ancestral profiles and family narrative to explore issues of the social construction of race and identity. My work includes over 20 years of publication and consulting in these areas.
John Helion
Kinesiology
320 Sturzebecker HSC
jhelion@wcupa.edu
Phone: (610) 436-2424
I have been teaching for 39 years. I've taught at all levels from elementary school through college. I have taught in both urban and suburban settings. I am involved in physical education teacher education as well as experiential education. I instituted the annual Katrina Relief trip to the gulf coast which is now in its fourth year. I have traveled to several countries including Ireland, Great Britain, Italy, Greece, Trinidad - Tobago and South Africa. These trips have been both professional and personal. I have been married for 36 years and am the father of two wonderful daughters, Courtney, an art conservationist and Chelsea, a doctoral fellow at Cornell University in the area of social psychology.
Mark Hickman
Communication Studies
Main Hall 016
mhickman@wcupa.edu
Phone: (610) 436-6942
I have taught at four different institutions--Miami University, Ohio University, Ohio State University, and West Chester University. The one constant that stretches across all of these positions is that I have been involved in intercollegiate forensics (competitive speech and debate), which I believe is one of the best co-curricular activities for developing leadership skills.
I currently share my home with Sammy, my 3 year old Maltese, who is quite possibly the coolest dog on the planet.
Gerardina L. Kenney
Learning Assistance and Resource Center
223 Lawrence Center
gkenney@wcupa.edu
Phone: 610-738-0496
I am the Director of the Learning Assistance and Resource Center (LARC) and I enjoy learning how students learn. My goal is to teach students how develop methods that adhere to their learning styles in order to help them succeed in college. I come across new challenges all the time, and I like to help students become independent, active learners, so they can help themselves succeed academically.
Fun fact: I have five children, including two sets of identical twins.
Nyia Lacey
Communication Studies
220 E.Rosedale Ave B
nlacey@wcupa.edu
Phone: 610-738-0475
I am an enthusiastic teacher and consultant that is also very active in the community, lending my skills to organizations like the American Diabetes Association, UNICEF, and Phenomenal Young Ladies. I have been a member of West Chester's professional community for more than 9 years, but have contributed academically for much longer, conducting research in the West Chester and Philadelphia areas. In addition to working with the Honors College I have a long standing relationship with the Academic Development Program. Quarterly I contribute to Connections, a paper reaching more than four thousand members that belong to the Christian Stronghold Baptist Church and I have recently begun to work with Destinations with Direction, a high school based organization that presents students otherwise focused with the possibility of college.
Dr. Lisa Marano
Mathematics
Phone: (610) 738-0585
I am Associate Professor and Assistant Chair of the Mathematics Department, where I serve as the coordinator of the BS in Applied Mathematics Program. My research interests include mathematical finance and probability theory. Currently, I am developing a course in Mathematics and Social Justice which introduces students to the concept of quantitative literacy and illustrates social injustices quantitatively.
Dr. Paul Morgan
Professional & Secondary Education
102 Ehinger Office Annex
Phone: 610-436-6945
My scholarly work here on campus is devoted to exploring the historical precedents, philosophical rationale, and practical means of reorienting educational institutions toward sustainability. I am the director of the undergraduate and graduate certificate programs in education for sustainability and I am also currently pursuing research in education for worldview change. I am a member of the University’s Sustainability Advisory Council and I am the faculty advisor for the University’s environmental organization, EARTH. I teach HON 312 and co-teach HON 314. I hold a B.A. degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Education from Columbia University, Teachers College.
Chris Penny
Professional & Secondary Education
210A Recitation Hall
cpenny@wcupa.edu
Phone:(610)738-0531
I teach undergraduate and graduate educational technology courses. I am graduate of Penn State University with a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction. Recently I became an Apple Distinguished Educator and a Google Certified Teacher. My efforts in teaching and research have the focus of technology integration into education. In my most recent research project I am working on an e-reader pilot at West Chester University. The goal of this research is to determine if the convenience and features of a e-reader are more useful than the physical qualities of a print book. Outside of teaching, research and service I enjoy spending quality time with my wife and three young boys.
Dr. Matthew Pierlott
Philosophy
I am a new addition to the Honors College Faculty and offer a seminar on Ideas of Freedom. Currently, I am an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department, teaching courses in ethics and business ethics, and on issues in the philosophy of science, mind and freedom. In addition to teaching, I am an advisor to the student philosophy club and am a member of the Faculty Senate.
Dr. Denise Polk
Communication Studies
509 Main Hall
Phone: 610-436-2180
I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies. My teaching and research areas focus mainly in areas of interpersonal communication, work-family integration, conflict resolution and health communication. I serve on the Joint Sustainability Task Group, BLUER (Borough Leaders United for Emissions Reduction) and I participate on the Sustainability Advisory Council. I enjoy gardening, cooking, and working on my home in my free time, and am also a hobby beekeeper. I received my B.A. from Baldwin-Wallace Colege, my M.A. from Miami University and my Ph. D. from Kent State University.
Linda Stevenson
Political Science and Latin American Studies
Phone: 610-436-3162
I am currently an Associate Professor of Political Science and a Director of Latin American Studies at WCU. I teach a variety of courses including Public Opinion and Democracy, International Relations, Comparative Politics, Latin American Culture & Politics, U.S.-Latin American Relations, a Globalization Seminar, and a Latino Politics seminar. In Spring 2010 I was given the opportunity to spend my sabbatical in Chile examining the impact of Chile’s first female President, Michelle Bachelet, on policies of gender equity and women’s rights for a comparative project on similar issues in Mexico and the United States. I earned my M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science and have certificates in Latin American Studies and Women’s Studies from the University of Pittsburgh. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends in the outdoors, anywhere between Philly and Chile.
Victoria Tischio
English
550 Main
vtischio@wcupa.edu
Phone:(610)436-2898
I never thought I wanted to be an English professor until I started teaching college composition classes as part of my graduate assistantship. I immediately fell in love with my students and with the project of teaching. I went on to pursue a Ph.D. in English with a concentration in composition and rhetoric as a result of having found this passion for teaching college-level writing. I still find studying writing--how it happens, how we learn it, why we write, what roles in plays in society--endlessly fascinating and have devoted my scholarship to looking at it from a variety of theoretical angles. I live in West Chester, PA with my husband, Bob, and two cats, Wally and Kitty Hawk. I like to cook and go to the movies.
Donna Usher
Art
218 Mitchell Hall
dusher@wcupa.edu
Phone: (610) 436-2680
I am currently an associate professor of art in the Department of Art at West Chester University, PA. Following my passions, I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and Bachelor of Science in art education from Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, going on to earn my Masters in Fine Arts with Honors from the University of Delaware. I have been featured both locally and internationally in several permanent collections, including The Museum of Cozumel, Mexico; The National Centre of Fine Arts, Cairo, Egypt; the Reading Art Museum, Reading, Pa and several others. Many of my paintings can be seen in the upcoming exhibition Art in the Philadelphia Airport, 2010 to 2011.
Joan M. Welch
Geography and Planning
103 Ruby Jones Hall
jwelch@wcupa.edu
Phone: (610) 436-2940
I received my B.A. in Environmental Science and Spanish from Saint Cloud State University in Minnesota, a M.A. in Energy and Environmental Studies and a Ph. D in Geography from Boston University. I worked in Latin American development and as the National Park Service's National Landmarks Coordinator for the northeast region before beginning at West Chester in 1990. My research focuses in biogeography and landscape ecology. I am also passionate about local food and am a member of the Community Suported Agriculture (CSA) at Sankanac, Camphill Village, Kimberton HIlls, since 1993, where my family also keeps honeybees.
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