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REXBURG,
Idaho – A
new associate dean and two new department chairs have been named at
BYU-Idaho.
Jo
Anne Kay will serve as the new associate dean for the College
of Education.
She
graduated from Ricks College
in 1968 and later earned a bachelor’s degree in business
administration with a secondary in business education from Brigham
Young University.
Over
the years she has filled a number of positions. She taught in the Teton
School District for 16 years,
worked with National Geographic as a teacher consultant for 10 years and
took a 15-year sabbatical to raise her four sons.
She
came to BYU-Idaho four years ago.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would come to
BYU-Idaho,” she said.
While
here, she has had a variety of responsibilities from consulting to
designing an introduction to geography class for elementary education
majors.
“These
last four years have been a challenge, but also such a great opportunity
for growth,” she said. “I’m looking forward to this new
challenge.”
Kathy
Barnhill will serve as the new Department of Nursing chair.
Barnhill
received an associate degree in nursing from Ricks College in 1981 and her
bachelor’s degree through New York Regency, one of the most
competitive and difficult programs in the country, in 1994.
Kim
Van Wagoner, former nursing chair, said, “Kathy is the only person I’ve
ever known to not fail the New York Regency program. She’s one of the
smartest people I know.”
She
later received a master’s degree in nursing from Idaho
State University
in 1996 and a doctorate degree in adult education from the University
of Idaho in 2003.
She
came to Ricks College
in 1992 and taught the fundamentals of nursing and then medobolic
disorders. These last few years she has taught obstetrics.
As
the new chair, she will have many responsibilities including preparing for
the National League for Nursing accreditation committee in March.
“She
is very organized and capable,” said Van Wagoner. “The
department of nursing is in great hands.”
John
Bidwell will serve as the new Theatre
Department chair.
Bidwell spent his youth in the farming community of
Grant. He graduated from Rigby High
School and went on to attend Ricks
College, BYU, Weber
State and ISU, and earned his
master of arts from BYU.
He
first taught at Ricks during the 1982-1983 school year
when he replaced Lynn Benson, who was serving a church mission with his
wife in Nauvoo, Ill.
He later returned to work full-time in the fall of 1989. Being with the Playmill Theatre in West Yellowstone
for 32 years and owning the business since 1989 has given him added
experience.
Bidwell has set many goals that come along with the new
position.
“I
hope to help unite our talented faculty together as a cohesive,
collaborative and creative ensemble with a focus of providing the best
theatrical exposure and experience for the students and patrons of
BYU-Idaho’s theatre program,” he said.
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