33 New Faculty Members Join WT for 2021-22 Academic Year

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Thirty-three new faculty members have joined the West Texas A&M University roster for the start of the 2021-22 academic year.

The new hires, whose jobs range from instructor to associate professor, are already teaching students in each of WT’s six colleges: the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business, the College of Education and Social Sciences, the College of Engineering, the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities, and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Many also will teach students in WT’s Graduate School.

“We are pleased to have this talented new cohort of faculty members join our already esteemed cadre of scholars,” said Dr. Neil Terry, provost and executive vice president of academic affairs. “A key component of the University’s long-term plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World, is our call to recruit and retain the very best, and these faculty members certainly live up to that expectation.”

All full-time faculty have offices on WT’s campuses in either or both Canyon and Amarillo to meet with students and their colleagues.

“All of our full-time faculty, even those who teach mostly online courses, are involved members of the WT community, a fact on which we pride ourselves,” Terry said.

New faculty members include:

Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences

Guillermo Marcillo, assistant professor of ag sciences – Ph.D., Iowa State University

Rachel Paladino, instructor of biology – M.S., West Texas A&M University

Maitreyee Mukherjee, assistant professor of biology – Ph.D., Bowling Green State University

Engler College of Business

Nika Qiao, assistant professor of accounting – Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley

Dallin Smith, assistant professor of accounting – Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University

Yiding Wang, assistant professor of accounting – Ph.D., University of Oklahoma

Chen Zhao, assistant professor of accounting – Ph.D., West Virginia University

Murray Jennex, clinical professor of CIS – Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University

William Biggs, clinical assistant professor of business law – J.D., University of Chicago

Jae Kyun Yoo, assistant professor of management – Ph.D., University of Illinois

Matthew Loftin, instructor of economics & finance – M.S., George Washington University

College of Education and Social Sciences

Russell Miller, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction – Ph.D., Baylor University

Minseok Yang, assistant professor of research methodology – Ph.D., University of Wisconsin

Sohee Kim, assistant professor of criminal justice – Ph.D., Washington State University

College of Engineering

Li Chou, assistant professor of computer science – Ph.D., University of Texas, Dallas

Mohammad Siddiqui, assistant professor of computer science – Ph.D., University of Toledo

Behnam Askarian, assistant professor of electrical engineering – Ph.D., Texas Tech University

David Parker, associate professor of water engineering – Ph.D., University of Nebraska

Varatharaj Varatharaj, instructor of engineering – M.S., West Texas A&M University

Deanna Bodkin, instructor of math – M.S., Oklahoma State University

Swastika Bithi, assistant professor of engineering – Ph.D., Texas Tech University

Fatemehsadat Tabei, instructor of electrical engineering – Ph.D., Texas Tech University

Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities

Anna Lemnitzer, assistant professor of art and design – M.F.A., University of Montana

Echo Sibley, assistant professor of theatre – M.F.A., University of Arkansas

Kelsey Abele, assistant professor of communication – Ph.D., Arizona State University

Min Wha Han, assistant professor of communication – Ph.D., Ohio University

George Pacheco, associate professor of communication – Ph.D., Southern Mississippi University

Juan Garcia Oyervides, assistant professor of Spanish – Ph.D., University of Colorado

College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Michelle Arnold, instructor of nursing – M.S.N., West Texas A&M University

Tamara Rhodes, instructor of nursing – M.S.N., Walden University

Lee Doernte, assistant professor of exercise science – Ph.D., University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Michelle Smith, assistant professor of nursing – M.S.N., West Texas A&M University

Laura Coats, assistant professor of nursing – M.S.N., Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 60 undergraduate degree programs, 40 master’s degrees and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WTAMU—