New full-time faculty members who are teaching at Monmouth for the first time include:

Lydia Cooper, a visiting assistant professor of English, comes to Monmouth from Baylor University, where she was a teaching assistant the past four years. Cooper earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Akron on 2001 and received her master’s and Ph.D. from Baylor in 2005 and 2008, respectively.

Pat Montgomery joins Monmouth’s accounting department as an assistant professor after holding teaching positions Kaplan University, St. Ambrose University and Luther College. Montgomery received three degrees from St. Ambrose, including his bachelor’s degree in 1981, his MBA in 1988 and his master’s in accounting in 2007.

Julio Noriega, a visiting assistant professor in the department of modern foreign languages, will teach Spanish at the college. His teaching experience includes stints at Southern Indiana University, Denison University and, most recently, Pittsburg State University. His undergraduate degree in Spanish was earned at the University of San Marcos in 1985, and he received his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1989 and 1993.

Jeff Roegner is a visiting professor in the department of communication and theater arts. He earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in interpersonal communication from Central Michigan University in 1989 and 1997, respectively. Since last August, he had served as a writer for Graphinity, a graphic design studio.

Keith Williams, an assistant professor in the department of political economy and commerce, makes the short jump to Monmouth from Carl Sandburg College, where he had taught since 1999. Williams also taught four years at Sauk Valley Community College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in photography management from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1977 and his MBA from Rockford College in 1991.

Miranda Woolever is a visiting instructor in the communication and theater arts department. She received her master’s degree in communication studies in May from Eastern Illinois Univesity, where she was also a teaching assistant for two years. Woolever graduated from the University of Illinois in 2005 and has also served as a teaching intern at Lake Land College.

Laura Zieglowsky, an assistant professor of educational studies, completed her Ph.D. in education at the University of Iowa last month. She also earned her MFA in theater from Iowa and received her undergraduate degree in English education from Truman State University in 1980. Over the past 14 years, she has taught at Illinois Wesleyan, Southern Illinois University and Iowa.

New part-time faculty members include:

Eric Hanson, a 1998 graduate of the college, and Caroline Porter of Galesburg, will serve as adjunct professors in the political science department. Currently Monmouth’s city administrator, Hanson also served as mayor of nearby Cambridge, a position he won by election at the age of 24. Porter, who has served three terms on the Knox County Board, earned degrees from Knox College in 1958 and 1973, the latter in political science. She received her master's degree in the same subject from Western Illinois University in 2007.

Wendel Hunigan, who comes to Monmouth from a 36-year teaching career at Carl Sandburg College, is an instructor in the sociology and anthropology department. The Burlington Northern Outstanding Teacher of the Year at CSC in 1982, Hunigan has lectured part-time at Knox College since 1988 and will continue in that role, as well. He earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology at Western Illinois University in 1969 and his master’s in sociology from Illinois State University in 1971.

Carolyn Kellert, who graduated from Monmouth in 1981, joins the music department as the director of the vocal ensemble, Chorale.

Greg Etzel and Sara Moran will be lecturers in the music department. Etzel earned his undergraduate degree in music performance from Western Illinois University in 2004 and his master’s from Western Michigan University in 2007. He is also on the faculty at Knox College and Black Hawk Community College.

Lt. Col. Steve Rosson and Maj. Jack Thresher, both faculty members at Western Illinois University, will serve as military science instructors for Monmouth’s ROTC program. There are enough students enrolled that, for the first time in several years, some classes will be held on the Monmouth campus. Thresher has held various military ranks, including battalion operations officer for the 397th Engineer Battalion. Rosson is chair of WIU’s military science department.

Bren Tooley will serve as an administrative fellow at Monmouth this academic year. She will work with a variety of faculty and administrative projects, which is consistent with her wide teaching and administrative experiences at Colorado College and Cornell College.

Assistant art professor Tyler Hennings, admission representative A.J. Danielson, development staff members Bryn Lawrence, Nancy Loch and Mary Stahl, technical support manager Ed Peters and physical plant secretary Sharon Petrick actually started their employment at Monmouth prior to the current academic year.

New staff hires include:

Daniel Reck is the new assistant director of Greek life, leadership and development. Reck’s diverse employment background includes two years as a student life counselor at Ball State University, five years as a chief medical officer with Boy Scouts of America and his ongoing presidency of forzandoArts. Reck earned degrees in computer science and music from DePauw University in 2003 and 2004 and a master’s degree in higher education administration from Northwestern University earlier this year. He will also serve as the assistant director of the Fighting Scots Marching Band.

Ian Van Anden, a 2008 Monmouth graduate, has joined the staff as admission representative. He was voted the college’s Senior Man of the Year and was also editor of the college’s newspaper, The Courier.

Trina Barry, Matt Jones and Keri Osborn are all new members of the college’s physical plant staff.