New Faculty Appointed at California State University Channel Islands

California State University Channel Islands will have 18 new full-time faculty members teaching courses this fall semester. The tenure-track appointments mark the successful completion of an extensive nationwide search. The new assistant, associate, and full professors will join the existing 30 faculty members who taught this year's inaugural class.

More than 3,000 applicants submitted their curriculum vitas via an on-line application and evaluation system that is the first of its kind in the country. Cal State Channel Islands faculty conducted 350 phone interviews of qualified applicants. Out of this applicant pool, 99 were invited to campus for final interviews.

In a process unique to the University, finalists were chosen by the entire Cal State Channel Islands faculty, not just the hiring departments. Recommendations were made by the faculty to the administration.

"These candidates from diverse backgrounds and academic disciplines are dedicated teachers who will put the student first, a commitment that is fundamental to this University," comments Ted Lucas, Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs. "Their arrival will enable us to continue to serve our growing student population and reach a new hallmark in our development as an institution of higher learning. I am very appreciative of the hard work of everyone involved in this process."

The new faculty members and their areas of specialization are:

• Virgil Adams III, Psychology
• Marion Adler, English-English Education
• Julia Balén, English
• Cathy Claiborne, Business-Accounting
• C. B. Claiborne, Business-Marketing
• Maria Denney, Special Education
• Amy Denton, Biology-Bioinformatics/Genomics
• Jesse Elliot, Mathematics
• Scott Frisch, Political Science-American Institutions/Public Policy
• Matthew Furmanski, Art-Sculpture/Digital Art
• Jorge Garcia, Mathematics
• Nian-Sheng Huang, History-North America
• Antonio Jimenez-Jimenez, Spanish-Linguistics/Language Acquisition
• Lizbeth King, Art-Graphic Design/Technology
• Jill Leafstedt, Special Education
• Joan Peters, English
• Donald Rodriguez, Environmental Science and Resource Management
• Peter Smith, Computer Science

About California State University Channel Islands

California State University Channel Islands is Ventura County's first four-year, public university, and the newest of the CSU campuses. The University - located on a 670-acre campus of preserved natural coastal landscape - emphasizes learning within and across disciplines through integrated approaches and experiential and service learning. For more information, visit www.csuci.edu.