Dr. Lillie Fears, professor of multimedia journalism production, was one of 25 scholars chosen for the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute hosted by the Georgia Historical Society. The Institute, "Recognizing an Imperfect Past: History, Memory, and the American Public," allowed college and university professors to discuss how they can shape and lead discussions on looking at America's history with a modern perspective.

Dr. Katherine Baker, assistant professor of art history, helped identify France's Chicart Bailly as the artist who created numerous pieces in an exhibition at Bowdoin College Museum of Art. The curator of "The Ivory Mirror: The Art of Mortality in Renaissance Europe," credited collaboration with Baker for identifying the creator of several pieces of art from around turn of the 16th century. A news article has details. 

Dr. Turgut Ozkan is among those who are joining the A-State faculty this fall. Having recently completed his Ph.D. in criminology at the University of Texas at Dallas, he will be an assistant professor of criminology. Ozkan studies recidivism, incarceration, machine learning and risk assessment in the area of crime and justice. An avid international traveler and tennis enthusiast, he is open for collaborations with like-minded researchers.

A-State also welcomes Nikki R. Kemp, assistant professor of nursing, who is joining the faculty this fall.  Kemp completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing at Arkansas State, and she is experienced in medical-surgical nursing and nursing management in acute care. Her teaching specialties include clinical education, and her research topics are technology in nursing, health literacy, sleep deprivation in nursing and retention of nurses.

Dr. Derek Jenkins will be a new assistant professor of music theory and composition this fall at A-State. He recently completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.  Jenkins' research interests include composing for bands and wind ensembles and the history of orchestration, and he enjoys reading about the history of space exploration and astronaut autobiographies.