Tenure-Track Faculty

The Office of the Dean of the College announces the hiring of eleven new faculty members this academic year. They are:

Cara Marie Constance (biology; molecular genetics) earned her B.A. in biology from Hiram College and her Ph.D. in biology from the University of Virginia where she was recently a postdoctoral fellow. Professor Constance studies biological clocks and the molecular basis for biological rhythms and will add new courses in molecular biology to the curriculum.

Kimberley Frederick Schrum (chemistry; analytical chemistry) has taught at both Maryville College and Whittier College. She earned her B.A. in chemistry from Lawrence University and her Ph.D. from Purdue University. Her research interests include the development of new methods of detection using Raman spectroscopy in the field of forensics.

Robert Baumann (economics; industrial organization/labor economics) earned his B.A. in mathematics and economics from Bluffton College and his M.A. in economics from The Ohio State University where he completed his Ph.D. research on poverty in Appalachia. His contributions in research and teaching will strengthen the College’s offerings in issues related to social justice.

Neva Novarro (economics; economics and ethics of health care) will join the faculty as the James N. and Eva Barrett Fellow in Ethics and the Liberal Arts. Professor Novarro was an undergraduate at Pomona College and completed her Ph.D. at Stanford University. Her position strengthens the College’s course offerings and scholarship commitment in ethics across the curriculum.

Ericka Fisher (education; social justice education) returns to her alma mater after completing her Ed.D. in social justice education at the University of Massachusetts. Her course offerings will include Social Issues in Education, Oppression and Education, and Multicultural Education. Professor Fisher is a Holy Cross graduate who grew up in Worcester.

Leila Philip (English; creative writing/non-fiction) graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. in comparative literature. She completed a fifth-year degree in East Asian studies from Princeton and the Intensive Summer Language Program in Japanese at Middlebury College. Her M.F.A. from Columbia University was in fiction. Professor Philip joins us from Colgate University.

Sahar Bazzaz (history; Middle East history) graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.A. in history and a minor in biology. She completed her M.A. at the University of Chicago and her Ph.D. in history and Middle Eastern studies at Harvard University where she received an award for excellence in teaching. She received a Fulbright to study in Morocco in 1997. Professor Bazzaz will teach courses in modern Middle East history.

Daniel Frost (modern languages and literatures; Spanish) graduated summa cum laude from Hamilton College where he majored in comparative literature. He received his M.A. from Harvard University where he is completing his Ph.D. in Spanish literature. While at Harvard he received numerous awards and certificates for teaching excellence.

Stephanie Hilger (modern languages and literatures; French) received her "Licence" in English and German language and literature from Université de Liège (Belgium) where she graduated with highest distinction. She earned an M.A. in English literature and is completing her Ph.D. in comparative literature at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her areas of expertise include 17th - and 18th-century French and European literature, French language and culture, and comparative literature. She is fluent in both German and French.

Rosemary Carbine (religious studies; Catholic systematic theology) graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University where she majored in theology. She earned her M.A. in divinity and Ph.D. in theology from University of Chicago Divinity School. She recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in public theology at the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University. Her current work centers on feminist theory and Christian theology, two areas in which she also teaches.

Oneka LaBennett (sociology and anthropology; anthropology - gender and ethnicity) majored in anthropology and sociology at Wesleyan University where she received her B.A. She recently completed her Ph.D. in anthropology at Harvard University. Her areas of expertise include Caribbean migration to New York City, ethnography of the Anglophone Caribbean, and youth culture.