RELEASED: April 25, 2002

DANVILLE, KY-Several Centre College professors recently received tenure and/or promotions.

Five members of the faculty were granted tenure by vote of the college board of trustees: Rick Axtell, Steve Asmus, Mary Daniels, Donna Plummer and Nayef Samhat.

Samhat and Rick Bradshaw were promoted to the rank of associate professor from assistant professor. Patrick Kagan-Moore and Maryanne Ward were promoted from associate professor to full professor.

Axtell is the college chaplain, teaches religion, and has expertise in hunger and homelessness issues. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Mississippi College. Axtell earned a master of divinity degree and a doctorate from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has completed other advanced studies at the University of Notre Dame. Axtell initially taught at Centre during 1992-93 and returned to the college in 1995.

Asmus has taught in the biology and biochemistry/molecular biology programs at Centre since 1996. Centre students have collaborated with him on extensive research. Asmus earned a bachelor of science degree from Cleveland State University and a doctorate from the University of Michigan.

Daniels, who has taught Spanish at Centre since 1996, served as the first resident teacher for Centre's international program in Latin America. She taught and supervised a group of 15 Centre students in Quito, Ecuador, for the term in 1998. Daniels earned a bachelor's degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, completed a master's degree at the University of Wisconsin and received a doctorate from the University of Kentucky.

Plummer teaches educational psychology and curriculum and math for the elementary school. She also supervises the college's elementary level student teachers. Plummer, who has taught at Centre since 1996, holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Texas Wesleyan University, a master's in biology and a life-teaching certificate for biology, physical science, and life/earth science from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a doctorate in science education from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Samhat, who has taught at Centre since 1996, has particular expertise in the theory of international relations, international political economy, and the political economy of environmental policy. An expert on the Middle East, Samhat has had columns published in newspapers around the country. Samhat holds a bachelor's degree in international economics from George Washington University's School of International and Public Affairs, a master's degree in international finance from Columbia University, and a doctoral degree in comparative political economy from Northwestern.

Bradshaw has special expertise in African history and international affairs and serves as counselor for international students studying at Centre, where he has taught since 1995. As a specialist on Japanese-African relations, he also teaches Japanese and Sango, an African dialect. Bradshaw holds a bachelor's degree from Hawaii Loa College and master's and doctoral degrees from Ohio University.

A teacher and producing theatre artist for more than 20 years, Kagan-Moore teaches a wide range of courses in Centre's dramatic arts program as well as humanities courses in the college's general studies program. He regularly directs at least one of Centre's three major productions each year. Kagan-Moore, who has taught at Centre since 1992, holds a bachelor's degree from Oregon State University, a master's degree from Western Washington University and a doctorate from The Ohio State University.

Ward teaches British nineteenth-century literature, the history of the novel, interdisciplinary humanities and comparative literature. The relationship between art and architecture to literature in the nineteenth-century is a key academic interest. Ward holds a bachelor of arts degree from Marymount Manhattan College, master's degrees in English and Russian from the University of Virginia and a doctoral degree in English from The Ohio State University. She began teaching at the college in 1991.

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