MONMOUTH, Ill. — Monmouth College officially welcomed new personnel at the start of the fall semester, including six full-time faculty members and eight new staff members.

Full-time faculty members who are beginning at Monmouth this fall include Matthew Gritter, Michael Harrison, Timothy Pahel, Christopher Rodgers, Eric Todd and Fred Witzig.

• Matthew Gritter is a visiting assistant professor of political science. He did his undergraduate work at Wheaton College in Massachusetts and earned master’s and doctoral degrees in political science from the New School for Social Research in New York City, where he served as coordinator of student advising.

• Michael Harrison, an assistant professor of modern foreign languages, comes to Monmouth from the University of California-Irvine, where he earned his Ph.D. in Spanish literature and culture. He has holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Spanish from Furman University and the University of Virginia, respectively.

• Timothy Pahel joins the faculty as an assistant professor of music. He graduated from Lawrence University with a degree in voice emphasis before completing his master’s degree in piano performance at the University of Illinois. Pahel previously taught at Carl Sandburg College.

• Christopher Rodgers is a lecturer in the department of military science. A second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Rodgers is a full-time member of the military science faculty at Western Illinois University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in law enforcement and justice administration from WIU.

• Assistant professor of chemistry Eric Todd comes to Monmouth from the University of Minnesota, where he was a post-doctoral research assistant. He holds bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin and the University of Illinois, respectively.

• Fred Witzig is an assistant professor of history, who comes to Monmouth from the history department at Franklin College. After doing his undergraduate work in political science at California State University–Los Angeles, Witzig earned master’s and doctoral degrees in history from Indiana University.

New full-time staff members include Jill Battistelli, Jane Carlson, Hollie Casteel, Erik DalMasso, Mark Lyle, Kurt Niemeier, Autumn Scott and Danielle Tucker.

• Director of academic support services Jill Battistelli comes to Monmouth from Clemson University, where she served as a graduate assistant with the Academic Services Center. Her undergraduate degree is from Kent State University, and she has a master’s degree in counselor education from Clemson.

• Jane Carlson has returned to her alma mater in a dual role as development research officer and director of student publications. The 1998 graduate comes to campus after three years as a reporter and editor for the Galesburg Register-Mail. In her student life position, Carlson will serve as adviser to the staff of the Courier, a weekly print and online newspaper, as well as Coil, a literary magazine.

• Hollie Casteel is the secretary for McMichael Academic Hall. Casteel graduated from Illinois State University and also has master’s degrees from Vermont Law School and Seton Hall University. She previously served on the staff of Monmouth’s OSF Holy Family Medical Center.

• Assistant director of admission Erik DalMasso comes to Monmouth from an admission position at the University of Illinois. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Illinois State University, the latter in college student personnel.

• Mark Lyle has returned to campus to serve as director for systems and networks. He was the AV/PC technician at Monmouth from 2003 to 2007 and was most recently at William Blair and Company in Chicago. He earned his bachelor’s degree in electronics management from Southern Illinois University.

• Kurt Niemeier, a May graduate of Monmouth, will remain at the college as head swimming coach. Niemeier, who swam to three individual Midwest Conference titles with the Fighting Scots, majored in physical education.

• Autumn Scott, a 2004 Monmouth graduate, has returned to MC as an admission representative. She earned a master’s degree in college student personnel at Western Illinois University and then served three years as a residence life coordinator at the University of Northern Iowa.

• Danielle Tucker joins the staff as assistant director of campus events/hall director. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and received her master’s degree in leadership in student affairs in May from the University of St. Thomas.

Several college staff members have taken on new titles to start the academic year. Assistant professor of accounting Patrick Montgomery is the new head coach for women’s tennis. In the area of information systems and instructional technology, Chris Buban is now coordinator of instructional technology, Daryl Carr is the chief information officer, Marcie Beintema is an instructional technology and training specialist and Patte Shallenberger is coordinator of user services.