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Fall 2023

Dr. Andy Buck

Associate Professor of Sociology

Jenn Horn and Taylor Horsley

Instructor in English and Adjunct in English

Dr. Joy Santee

Associate Professor of English

Dr. Taylor Petty and Dr. Laura Lutgen-Nieves

Assistant Professors of Criminal Justice

Dr. Dan Bauer

Professor of Anthropology

Nancy Raen-Mendez

Instructor in Art

Dr. Denise Lynn and Dr. Stella Ress

Chair of the History Department and Associate Professor of History

Dr. Kristin LaFollette

Assistant Professor of English

Dr. Shannon Pritchard

Associate Professor of Art History

Dr. Denise Lynn

Interim Chair of the History Department

Mr. Robert Millard-Mendez

Professor of Art

Michael Strezewski

Associate Professor of Anthropology

Ms. Yu-Li Alice Shen

Instructor in English

Dr. Jason T. Callahan

Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice

Dr. Zachary A. Pilot

Assistant Professor of Psychology

Chuck Armstrong

Assistant Professor of Art and Design

Greg Blair, Ph.D

Assistant Professor of Art and Design

Dr. Sara Christensen Blair

Chair of Art & Design

Dawn Paris

Senior Administrative Assistant

Epiphany Kneedler

Adjunct - Art and Design

Andrea Hoelscher

Adjunct - Art and Design

Katherine Watts

Adjunct - Art and Design

Summer 2023

Norma Rosas Mayén

Professor of Spanish

Dr. Bartell M. Berg Ph.D.

Associate Professor of German

Kelly Kaelin

Assistant Professor of History and Gender Studies

Dr. Rocco J. Gennaro

Professor of Philosophy

Dr. Trent A. Engbers

Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Administration

Mr. Robert Millard-Mendez

Professor of Art

Ms. Alisa (AL) I. Holen

Associate Professor of Ceramics

Spring 2023

Carly Cato, a political science major with a pre-law minor, has been awarded the Law Scholar Award. This esteemed award offers a minimum half-tuition scholarship to the IU McKinney School of Law, and Cato is one of only two USI students to receive the honor. Cato has shown a remarkable aptitude for law, and her academic achievements have set her apart as a deserving recipient of the Law Scholar Award.


Midori Matsuura, a political science major, has been honored with the prestigious USI Trustees Distinguished Merit Award. This award recognizes Matsuura's exceptional achievements in her field of study and highlights her dedication to academic excellence.


Audrey Kidwell ‘08, a distinguished graduate of USI, has been named this year's Women's History Month community honoree by Tallahassee Community College. Kidwell graduated from USI in 2008 with a double major in political science and international studies and has since become an influential leader in her community. Her outstanding achievements have earned her this esteemed recognition as a role model for women, demonstrating her commitment to excellence and dedication to empowering others. 


Dr. Kelly Kaelin, Assistant Professor of History, has been awarded a summer stipend grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to use toward work on her book, Moravian Missionaries, Gender and Race in the 18th-Century Caribbean. The book discusses women's participation in the 18th-century Moravian churches of the Caribbean.  

Kaelin's project is one of 258 others from across the country awarded grants and stipends from the NEH. The NEH summer stipends are for scholars who will enable archival research for more than 100 publications.


Dr. Matt Hanka, Associate Professor of Political Science, recently appeared as a guest on the PBS show, Shively and Shoulders, on WNIN. In the episode, Dr. Hanka provided expert analysis and insight on the Evansville mayoral primary election. The episode is available to watch on YouTube.


Dr. Sri Dandotkar, Assistant Professor of Psychology, had his article entitled, “Knowing, Thinking, and Learning: Fostering Critical Thinking in Undergraduate Psychology Classes,” published by The Journal of Effective Teaching in Undergraduate Psychology Classes. Read Dr. Dandotkar’s article here.


Dr. Alexandra Natoli, Assistant Professor of French, was selected as one of 20 educators for the summer pedagogy seminar “Teaching in Troubled Times,” hosted by the Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights (TOLI) in New York, NY. Dr. Natoli joins Drs. Todd Schroer and Oana Popescu Sandu as USI faculty members to have received this honor.


Drs. Stacer and Jalain standing with a projector screen with presentation titleDr. Caroline Jalain and Dr. Melissa Stacer of the Criminal Justice department presented their research on how Veterans Treatment Courts adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic at the Western Society of Criminology conference held in Vancouver, BC on February 2-4, 2023.


Stalking The Legacy: The Science and Art of John James Audubon is set to air on WNIN at 7:00 p.m. Sunday, February 26. Produced by Leigh Anne Howard and Dave Black, Department of Communication and Media, this documentary also features Dr. Tamara Hunt and Dr. Kristalyn Shefveland from the History Department.


Dr. Kristalyn Shefveland, Associate Professor of History and Interim Assistant Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, gave the keynote address, Old Florida: Yankee Settler Colonialism in the Land of the Aís and Seminole, at the 2023 Florida Conference of Historians in Stuart, Florida.


Dr. Matthew Hanka, Associate Professor of Political Science, appeared on WNIN Lawmakers to discus local, state, and federal governments with WNIN's John Gibson. See the Video


Dr. Kristalyn Shefveland, Associate Professor of History and Interim Assistant Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, gave the keynote address, Old Florida: Yankee Settler Colonialism in the Land of the Aís and Seminole, at the 2023 Florida Conference of Historians in Stuart, Florida.


Screenshot of Dr. Hanka taken from the video of the discussion.Dr. Matthew Hanka, Associate Professor of Political Science, appeared on WNIN Lawmakers to discus local, state, and federal governments with WNIN's John Gibson. See the Video