College of Humanities and Social Sciences Welcomes New Faculty

OBU is pleased to announce the addition of three new faculty members to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. New faculty include Dr. Jonathan Callis, assistant professor of English; Dr. Tom Darling, associate professor of kinesiology; and Elizabeth Justice, assistant professor of special education.

Callis earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Rhodes College and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Notre Dame. He has served as both an instructor of record and teaching assistant at Notre Dame, where he taught numerous courses including Satire, Utopia and Distopia, Composition, Introduction to Shakespeare, and the First Amendment, as well as tutoring in the writing center. He also has experience teaching high school humanities at the American International School in Accra, Ghana. He will teach literature and Western Civilization courses at OBU.

Dr. Pam Robinson, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, is glad to welcome Dr. Callis to the college faculty. "Dr. Jonathan Callis comes to us from Notre Dame University where he recently completed his Ph.D. in English with an emphasis in 18th century British literature," she said. "We are excited to have him join the English Department. We welcome him and his family, which includes newborn triplet boys, to the Shawnee community."

Darling earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sport Science from Philips University in Enid, Oklahoma. He earned a Master of Science in Health & Human Performance from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He then earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Health and Human Performance from Oklahoma State University. He has completed numerous courses in the Master of Public Health degree track from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship with the Cancer Control Clinical Research Training Program at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He has served as an associate professor and graduate program director with the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at Oklahoma City University; assistant professor and department research committee chair with the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at Valdosta State University; an H1N1 regional coordinator for the New York State Department of Health; and a research assistant professor with the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Robinson is pleased to have Darling's experience joining the kinesiology faculty. "Dr. Tom Darling brings new knowledge to the department of Kinesiology and Leisure Studies with his research background in the relationship of exercise to cancer and cancer-related illnesses. This experience will serve him well as he prepares students for the field of exercise physiology. Among his primary assignments will be preparing Pre-Allied Health majors for graduate studies in physical therapy."

Justice earned a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from OBU. She then earned a Master of Education in Education Administration from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma. She holds both an elementary and secondary principal's certificate. She holds Oklahoma teaching certifications in Pre-K to Grade 12 Mild-Moderate Disabilities; 1-8 Grade Elementary Education; and Newborn to Grade 12 Mentally Handicapped; and as Highly Qualified in Secondary Language Arts and History. She served as director of special services for Elgin Public Schools in Elgin, Oklahoma, before joining the OBU faculty. She also served as a general education teacher at Elgin Middle School teaching seventh grade geography; a special education teacher for Clinton Public Schools in Clinton, Oklahoma; a special education teacher at Rose Hill Middle School in Rose Hill, Kansas; and a special education teacher at Derby Middle School in Derby, Kansas. She served her administrative internship at Clinton Middle School.

Robinson is excited to bring Justice's expertise in Special Education to the faculty. "Ms. Elizabeth Justice joins the Education Department as the Special Education faculty member. She has served in the field of special education since 1995 as a teacher and most recently as a special education director at Elgin Public Schools. Her experience in the classroom and as a special education administrator will provide valuable insights for our special education majors. She is an OBU graduate and was a part of the first cohort of special education majors when the program started at OBU."