|
Two colleges and several other departments at Brigham Young
University-Idaho will see changes in leadership beginning in January.
In
the College of Agricultural
and Life Sciences, Stephen McGary will serve as
the new dean. McGary, a graduate of Ricks
College who subsequently
received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham
Young University
and his Ph.D. from Washington State
University, has taught at
BYU-Idaho since 1994. He spent the first eight years in the economics
department before he moved to the agronomy and ag
business department last year.
He
will replace Kevin Anderson, who has served as the dean since 1998. Anderson
will return to teaching in the agronomy department. The associate dean will
be continue to be Lynn Perkes,
who teaches health sciences.
In
the College of Physical
Sciences and Engineering, Glenn Embree will replace Rudy Puzey,
who has served as the dean of the division chair of the Engineering and
Technology (which later became part of the College
of Physical Science and
Engineering) since 1998 and will return to teaching in construction
management. Embree began teaching at BYU-Idaho in
1969, having just completed his master’s degree from BYU. He then
received his Ph.D. from the University
of Idaho in 1976. He has taught
most of the geology courses offered at BYU-Idaho and has done work with the
U.S.
geological survey, the Department of Energy and within the mining and
energy industries.
The
associate dean will be Troy Spratling, replacing
Roger Hoggan. He has taught in the automotive department since 1999 and
holds a master of education from Weber
State University
and a bachelor’s in industrial education from BYU.
Within
the College of Agricultural
and Life Sciences, Louis Burhley, the biology
department chair since 1998, will be replaced by Michael Groesbeck.
Groesbeck, who is starting his eleventh year at BYU-Idaho, received his
B.S. and M.S. from BYU and his Ph.D. from Utah
State University.
He has taught anatomy and physiology, biology for majors, and pathophysiology but will teach only advanced physiology
while serving as department chair.
Within
the College of Education,
the department chair of the department of home and family education will
change from Carma Sutherland (who has held the position since 1998) to Linda
Miller. Miller began at BYU-Idaho in 1978 and has taught classes in sewing,
practical homemakeing, upholstery, home
furnishings, nutrition, and money management. She received her B.S. from
BYU and her M.S. from Idaho State
University.
Within
the College of Physical
Science and Engineering, the computer science
department (formerly chaired by Greg Cameron) and the computer engineering
and technology (formerly chaired by Rex Fisher) will be combined into a new
department called computer science and engineering. Cameron, who is a
graduate of Ricks College, Utah State, and John Hopkins, will chair the new
department.
The
new chair of the mechanical engineering and technology department will be
Adrian Baird. He is replacing Victor Forsnes, who
has served as chair twice, most recently since 1993. Baird, the new chair,
has taught computer-aided engineering technology at BYU-Idaho for 13 and a
half years, received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees
from BYU. He teaches courses in engineering graphics, technical
illustration, printed circuit board fabrication and product design
customization; as department chair, he will be involved in these courses as
well as engineering technology courses in statics/strengths
and manufacturing.
Also
within the College of Physical Science and Engineering, the new chair of
the physics department will be Brian Tonks,
replacing Lynn Thomson, who has held the the
position since 1992. Tonks graduated from Ricks
College in 1979 and
subsequently received his B.S. from BYU and his Ph.D. from the University
of Arizona. He has been
teaching at BYU-Idaho since 1993. In addition to developing the course
“The History of Philosophy of Science” and introduction to
physics class, he has taught other courses in astronomy and physics.
In the College of Religion
and Social Science, the Department of Religious Education chair will now be
Larry Thurgood, who has taught courses in Book of
Mormon, Old Testament, New Testament, Doctrine and Covenants and eternal
marriage at BYU-Idaho since 1998. Thurgood has
two bachelor’s degrees – one in Spanish and one in sociology
– from Weber State
University. He also has a
master’s degree in educational pyschology
from BYU. Thurgood
is replacing Robert Marcum, who has served
as department chair since 1998.
In
the College of Language
and Letters, the new chair of the foreign language department will be Brent
Strong, who has taught German at BYU-Idaho since 1989. He holds a
master’s degree in German from Georgetown
University and a Ph.D. degree
in foreign language education from Ohio
State University.
Strong is replacing Mel Sanford, who served as department chair for the
past four years.
|