Recently the Otterbein College Senate and Board of Trustees approved the reorganization of the College's academic department, creating three new schools and five new deans working under the Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Abíódún Gòkè-Paríola.
The three schools are the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Professional Studies and the Graduate School. Two additional deans will oversee Academic Services, as well as College Programs.
The deans, who were hired internally and will begin their new duties effective July 1, 2009, are:
- Dr. Paul Eisenstein, Dean, School of Arts and Sciences
- Dr. Niki Fayne, Dean, School of Professional Studies
- Dr. Amy Jessen-Marshall, Associate Vice President and Dean of College Programs
- Dr. Susan Fagan, Associate Vice President and Dean of Academic Services
- Dean of The Graduate School and Research, search in progress
Dr. Paul Eisenstein, a resident of Worthington, currently serves as associate professor and chairperson in the Department of English. His specific teaching and writing interests include literature since 1945, Holocaust literature, Literary and Critical Theory, and Film Studies. He participates in the Honors Program at Otterbein and is a founding member of the Program in Critical Theory at Otterbein.
He received his bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in English from The Ohio State University. He authored the book Traumatic Encounters: Holocaust Representation and the Hegelian Subject (State University of New York Press, 2003), as well as 10 essays and articles and over a dozen reviews. Dr. Eisenstein is currently at work on another book-length project that treats literary texts that approach the Holocaust in deliberately unrealistic or fantastic ways.
He has been a Bexley Education Foundation Holocaust Scholar-in-Residence at Bexley High School; faculty advisor for Aegis: The Otterbein College Humanities Journal; a member of Professional Learning Community for Undergraduate Research through the Center for Teaching and Learning; and has presented addresses on Literature of the Holocaust for the Governor's Council on Holocaust Education.
As the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Eisenstein will oversee Art, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Communications, English, Foreign Languages, History and Political Science, Life and Earth Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Music, Physics and Astronomy, Psychology, Religion and Philosophy, Sociology and Theatre and Dance.
Dr. Niki Fayne, a resident of Columbus (43221) currently serves as professor and chairperson of the Department of Education at Otterbein. She earned her bachelor's degree in American studies from Barnard College; her master of arts in teaching in the area of social studies education from Harvard University; her master of arts degree in special education and master of education degree in reading and learning disabilities from Teacher's College at Columbia University; and her doctorate degree in educational psychology from Columbia University. Her teaching and research interests include assessment, learning disabilities and urban education.
As the dean of the School of Professional Studies, Dr. Fayne will oversee Business, Accounting and Economics, Education, Equine Science, Health and Sport Sciences and Nursing.
Dr. Amy E. Jessen-Marshall, a resident of Sunbury, currently serves Otterbein as an associate professor of Life and Earth Sciences and chairperson of the Integrative Studies Program.
She earned her bachelor's degree in biology from Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota and her doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota. Her thesis was titled, "The Role of the Conserved Motif G-X-X-X-D/E-R/K-X-G-R/K-R/K, in the Function of the Lactose Permease of Escherichia coli ."
Dr. Jessen-Marshall's teaching areas include cell biology, microbiology, developmental biology and microbial physiology, in addition to a variety of Integrative Studies courses. Her research areas include environmental microbiology/bioremediation through a Merck Foundation Interdisciplinary Research grant; biochemistry of membrane transport proteins; and scholarship of teaching and learning through a NSF CCLI grant, as well as Otterbein Center for Teaching and Learning.
She has published six papers and presented nearly 20 abstracts and presentations. Her memberships include the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), American Society for Cell Biology (ACB); Sigma Xi Research Society and National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT).
As the dean of College Programs, Dr. Jessen-Marshall will oversee the Senior Year Experience (SYE), First Year Experience (FYE), Honors, Environmental Studies, Integrative Studies (IS), Black Studies, Women's Studies and part-time faculty.
Dr. Susan Fagan, a resident of Westerville (43082), is currently Associate Academic Dean in the Office of Academic Affairs. She earned her bachelor's degree at Seton Hall College, her master's degree in education at the University of Pittsburgh and her doctorate degree in education at Rutgers University.
As the dean of Academic Services, Dr. Fagan will oversee the Academic Support Center, student academic concerns, academic advising, the registrar and academic facilities and equipment.
The College's reorganization plan also calls for the creation of a School of Graduate Studies. This will help accelerate the efforts to create a graduate culture, key to the establishment of Otterbein's planned doctoral program in Nursing and other new graduate programs currently under development.
Dr. Fayne will serve as Interim Dean of the Graduate School and Research effective March 1, 2009. This position will provide oversight for all graduate programs, Continuing Studies, and Sponsored Programs. The College will initiate a national search for a substantive Dean in fall 2009.
