August
Ariel Ahram, Public and International Affairs, coedited Advancing Comparative Area Studies: Analytical Heterogeneity and Organizational Challenges (Oxford University Press, 2025) with Patrick Köllner and Rudra Sil. His individual contributions to the volume were: “Introduction: Extending the Horizons of Comparative Area Studies (CAS): Analytical Heterogeneity and Organizational Challenges,” pp. 1–28, with Köllner and Sil; and “Comparative Area Studies in the Great Brain Race: Institutional Legacies and Programmatic Innovation in the Global Age,” pp. 303–32, with Connie Stovall.
Barbara Allen, Science, Technology, and Society, published “Re-Engaging Technoscience in and Beyond Science and Technology Studies,” Tecnoscienza – Italian Journal of Science and Technology Studies 16.1 (2025): 87–107, with Barbara Prainsack and Lucy Suchman.
Aaron Ansell, Religion and Culture, published The Elementary Forms of Corruption: Moral Imagination and Political Change in Brazil (London, United Kingdom: HAU Books, 2025).
The Department of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management has joined the School of Design within the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design. The move, which affected 17 faculty members and more than 300 students in four majors, took effect July 1.
Amy Price Azano, Education and Director of the Center for Rural Education, published “Storying the FEW Nexus: Cultivating Place-Based Integrated STEM Education in Rural Schools,” Education Sciences 15.6 (2025), Article 744, with Hannah Scherer, and “Trends Influencing the Future of Rural and Remote Education in the United States,” Handbook on Rural and Remote Education, ed. Jerry D. Johnson and Hobart L. Harmon (Cheltenham, United Kingdom, and Northampton, Massachusetts: Edward Elgar, 2025), pp. 448–60, with Jamon Flowers et al.
Tim Becker, English, published “Bad Mail,” a fiction piece, in Appalachia Bare on July 30.
Andrea Briceño Mosquera, Institute for Policy and Governance, and Sharon Mastracci, Public and International Affairs, published “Gauging the Gap: Inequality of Time Use When Seeking Government Services,” Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration 3.2 (2025): 262–81.
Ralph Buehler, Public and International Affairs, was selected as Otto Mønsted Visiting Professor at the Denmark Technical University in Copenhagen from June to August 2025; he is conducting research with colleagues at the DTU’s Department of Engineering Technology and Didactics, Production, Transportation, and Planning on how to improve the integration of walking, cycling, and public transport to encourage people to drive their cars less. In addition, Buehler published “Promoting Active Travel: Overview of Walking and Cycling Levels and Policies,” Safe and Sustainable Mobility by Design: Safe Cities, Vehicles, Institutions, and Human Rights, ed. Geetam Tiwari et al. (Singapore: Springer Nature, 2025), pp. 159–70; and “Impacts of Point of Interest (POI) Data Selection on 15-Minute City (15-MC) Accessibility Scores and Inequality Assessments,” Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice 195 (May 2025), Article 104429, with Fabiha Rahman et al.
Katie Carmichael, English, published “Making a Merger: Social and Linguistic Factors in the Low-back Merger in New Orleans English,” Journal of English Linguistics 53.2 (2025): 137–62, with Aaron Dinkin.
The College is delighted to welcome the following tenure-track and tenured faculty, who are joining the Virginia Tech faculty during the 2025-2026 academic year. Shelbie Turner, Human Development and Family Science, was hired as a tenure-track Assistant Professor. Hired as Associate Professors were Breanne Grace, Sociology, and Joshua Grace, History and Director of the Academy of Transdisciplinary Studies.
In July the College’s Marketing and Communications Team launched ECHO, a digital magazine that shares stories highlighting the research, teaching, and global impact of the College’s students, faculty, and alumni. The inaugural issue is available here.
School of Education faculty members Amy Price Azano, also Director of the Center for Rural Education, and Rachelle Kuehl published “Addressing Equity Challenges and Expanding Opportunities in Gifted Education for Rural Multilingual Learners,” Journal of Advanced Academics 36.3 (2025): 563–86, with Curriculum and Instruction alumna Rosa Mata.
Educational Leadership and Policy Studies doctoral students Ashley Faaborg, Amy McClure, and Sarah Terwilliger, as well as alumna Connie Balkcom, published “When Girl Drama Goes Viral: A Case Study in Freedom of Speech,” Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership 28.3 (2025): 46–59, with Fallon Graham.
A celebration of the legacy of University Distinguished Professor Emerita of English Nikki Giovanni, who passed away December 9, 2024, took place June 8 at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech. Giovanni retired from Virginia Tech in 2022 after 35 years as a professor in the Department of English. Titled “Black Love is Black Wealth: A Celebration of the Life and Works of Nikki Giovanni,” the program commemorated the poet’s legacy and enduring influence on artists, writers, students, poets, athletes, and many others at Virginia Tech, across the nation, and around the world. Part of Virginia Tech’s Alumni Weekend, the event included musical performances, special readings, and speeches by well-known speakers, entertainers, actors, and musicians; a clip is available here. On the same day as the memorial, Virginia Tech faculty unveiled the “Nikki Giovanni Immersive Experience,” which features recordings of Giovanni reading two of her poems; the experience took place in the Cube at the Center for the Arts. More of Giovanni's poems will be added by the end of the year. In addition, the award-winning documentary, “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” was shown at the Lyric Theatre on June 7 to mark the poet’s birthday. In February Giovanni was honored posthumously by the Poetry Society of America with the 2025 Frost Medal, for which she had been nominated before her passing. Named for Robert Frost, the Frost Medal is one of the oldest and most prestigious awards in American poetry and recognizes distinguished lifetime achievement in poetry.
Justin Greene received the 2025 Joyce Gentry Smoot Award, which recognizes exceptional teaching by a non-tenure-track instructor in the Department of English.
Aarnes Gudmestad, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, published “From Stay-abroad Research to SLA Theory: A Focus on Variable Structures and Phraseological Units, Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education 10.2 (2025): 155–79, with Amanda Edmonds.
Monamie Haines, Science, Technology, and Society, was awarded a Hagley Library Oral History Project Grant for the project titled “The Epistemic Labor of 1970s Indian Immigrants in the U.S. Nuclear Industry.” In addition, Haines serves as Co-Principal Investigator for the project titled “Advancing Aquaponics Workforce Development Through Sociotechnical Games,” which received a Susan Duncan Innovation in Agriculture Seed Grant from Virginia Tech; the Principal Investigator is Natasha Bell, Biological Systems Engineering.
ASPECT doctoral student Cory Higgs presented visual rhetorical artifacts and LGBTQ+ iconography as part of the performance of the final selection at a concert by the International Pride Orchestra, in collaboration with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. The event took place June 5 at the Strathmore Music Center in North Bethesda, Maryland.
Caroline Hornburg, Human Development and Family Science, published “Picturing Mathematicians: Examining How Gender and Math Anxiety Relate to Students’ Representations of Mathematicians in Late Elementary and Middle School,” Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 258 (2025), Article 106290, with doctoral alumna Jisun Kim and Gillian Grose et al.
Timothy Luke, University Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science, published “Trump’s New ‘Golden Age’ for America: ‘This is Going to be Great Television,’” Telos: Critical Theory of the Contemporary 211 (Summer 2025): 153–57.
ASPECT doctoral student Rebekah Mui Pei Ern published “Fellowship of His Suffering: An Exploration of Cruciform Ecclesiology in the Light of Gendered and Sexual Violence,” Ecumenical Trends 54.3 (2025): 9–15; and “Remembering Together: Anabaptism at 500,” The Vendor: The Best of Greater Holmes County 22.15 (2025): 10–11.
Joseph Mukuni, Education, published “Secondary School Students’ Perceptions of Entrepreneurship Education and Career Options in Zambia,” Educational Research and Reviews 20.5 (May 2025): 75–85, with Kaluwe Petros Libingi and Anthony Marvin Samanenga; and “Zambian Teachers’ Perceptions About Schools’ Preparedness to Integrate Entrepreneurship Education Into the 2023 Curriculum,” Journal of Entrepreneurship Education 28, Special Issue 2 (2025): 1–22, also with Libingi and Samanenga.
Carol Mullen, Education, published two articles in Leading & Managing 30.3 (2024): “New Teacher Mentoring in a Culture of Overload: Perspectives from Appalachian Principals,” pp. 60-76, with Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Education alumna Jennifer Fleming, and “Can Middle School Leaders Support Instruction in a Multifaceted Crisis – Is ‘Support’ Comprehensive Enough?” on pp. 94-107 with Educational Leadership and Policy Studies alumna Susan Badger. In addition, Mullen served as guest editor for a special issue of Leading & Managing, 31.1 (2025), titled “Creative Responses to Leadership Challenges and Constraints.” Her individual contributions were: “Editorial,” pp. ii–v, and “Trans Student Controversy in Education Policy: Constraints and Possibilities,” pp. 1–20, with Educational Leadership and Policy Studies alumna Jessica Weymouth-German.
Cayce Myers, Communication, published Artificial Intelligence and Law in the Communication Professions (New York, New York: Routledge, 2025) and Campaigns Inc. Leone Baxter, Clem Whitaker, and the Invention of Political Consulting, Women in American Political History (New York, New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2025).
The article “College Match and Undermatch: Assessing Student Preferences, College Proximity, and Inequality in Post-College Outcomes,” coauthored by Sarah Ovink, Sociology, Sociology alumni Patrick Delaney and Maggie Nanney, and Demetra Kalogrides, was selected for inclusion in Leveraging U.S. NCES Education Data: High-Impact Articles from the Past 10 Years of RIHE, a collection of articles previously published in Research in Higher Education featuring National Center for Education Statistics data. The article originally appeared in Volume 59 (2018): 553–90 of the journal.
Dominique Polanco, Religion and Culture, coedited The Routledge Companion to Race in Early Modern Artistic, Material, and Visual Production (Routledge, 2025) with Nicholas R. Jones and Christina H. Lee. Her individual contributions to the volume were: "Introduction: America's Civilized,” with Jones and Lee, and “Corn Is Blood: Pasta de cana de maiz as P’urhepecha Survivance,” pp. 1–21 and 259–68, respectively. In addition, articles by two other CLAHS faculty are included in the volume: Edward Polanco, History, “In the Necklace: The Historia de Tlaxcala’s Colonial Representation of Kuskatan,” pp. 269–77; and Catalina Andrango-Walker, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, “Beyond Race Constructs: Self‑Representation and Indigenous Authority in the Coat of Arms of the Cacique Mayor Sancho Hacho de Velasco,” pp. 306–13.
Edward Polanco, History, published “Colonialism as Illness: Images of Disease and Violence from Early Colonial Mexico,” Materialities of Disease Across the Medieval World: Images, Objects, and Remains, ed. Lori Jones (Leeds, United Kingdom: Arc Humanities Press, 2025), pp. 49–72.
The College is pleased to announce the following promotion and tenure decisions by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors at its June 3 meeting. Promoted to Associate Professor with tenure were: Sweta Baniya, English; Koeun Choi, Human Development and Family Science; Nicholas Goedert, Political Science; Caroline Hornburg, Human Development and Family Science; Bryan Klausmeyer, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures; Edward Polanco, History; Fabian Wendt, Political Science and PPE Core Faculty; and Rose Wesche, Human Development and Family Science. Promoted to the rank of Professor were: Ananda Abeysekara, Religion and Culture; Nneka Logan, Communication; Zhange (Nicole) Ni, Religion and Culture; Dana Robertson, Education; Ashley Shew, Science, Technology, and Society; Nadine Sinno, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures; Trevor Stewart, Education; Matthew Wisnioski, Science, Technology, and Society; and Anna Zeide, History. David Bredenkamp, Public and International Affairs, and Gregory Novack, Philosophy, were promoted to Collegiate Associate Professor. Promotion to Associate Professor of Practice was awarded to Catheryn Foster, Education. Promotion to Advanced Instructor was awarded to Katherine Hall, English. Dale Jenkins, Communication, was promoted to Senior Instructor.
Public and International Affairs faculty members Ralph Buehler and Steven Hankey published “Data Aggregation Impacts on Built Environment-Mode Share Models Around Public Transit Stations,” Journal of Transport and Land Use 18.1 (2025): 397–424, with SPIA alumni Seyed Sajjad Abdollahpour and Huyen T. K. Le.
Dana Robertson, Professor of Reading and Literacy and Director of the School of Education, and Curriculum and Instruction doctoral student Valerie Dunham published “Discourse Within the Interactional Space of Literacy Coaching,” Education Sciences 15.6 (2025), Article 694.
The College notes with sadness the death of Paul Sorrentino, Clifford A. Cutchins III Professor Emeritus of English, on June 10. A scholar of American literature, he was an expert on Stephen Crane and was awarded support for his research from the National Endowment for the Humanities and a Guggenheim Fellowship. A highly regarded classroom teacher, Sorrentino received the State Council for Higher Education for Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award in 2006 as well as teaching awards and recognition from Virginia Tech. He served as Associate Chair of the department from 1992 to 1995. Sorrentino joined the Virginia Tech faculty in 1978 and was awarded emeritus status in 2015. The funeral home obituary provides additional information.
Trevor Stewart, Education, published “Complexity, Struggle, and the Dialogical Self: Learning from New Teachers to Shift the Paradigm of Teacher Education and Professional Learning,” Journal of Constructivist Psychology 38.2 (2025): 456–75, with Timothy A. Jansky.
Debra Stoudt, Professor of German and Associate Dean for Policy and Faculty Affairs, published “Challenges in Tandem Language Learning,” 11th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd’25) Proceedings (València, Spain: Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025), pp. 584–92, with Julia Salzinger.
During its June meeting the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors conferred the emeritus title on H. Dean Sutphin, Professor in the School of Education and a faculty member in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Sutphin has played a pivotal role in advancing global health initiatives, fostering international partnerships, and engaging with students and faculty in medical education, career and technical education, and agricultural sciences. He also serves as Vice Provost for International and Appalachian Outreach at the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, where he will continue after retirement from Virginia Tech. Sutphin has secured numerous grants, published extensively, served as editor and on editorial boards for journals in his field, and received prestigious awards for his achievements. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Virginia Tech and his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University.
Matthew Wisnioski, Science, Technology, and Society, published Every American an Innovator: How Innovation Became a Way of Life, Lemelson Center Studies in Invention and Innovation Series (Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 2025).
The College expresses its sorrow on the death of Wayne “Dempsey” Worner, Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the Virginia Tech College of Education, which evolved into the School of Education; he passed away April 25. Worner played a key role in the inception of the university’s College of Education and also served as its first Division Chair of Curriculum and Instruction. He joined the Virginia Tech community in 1971 and was honored with emeritus status in 1996. During his tenure at Virginia Tech he advised 125 doctoral students and 75 principal preparation students. He established the Wayne M. Worner Scholarship Fund, which supports graduate students preparing for career as public school administrators. Additional information can be found in the funeral home obituary and the Virginia Tech In memoriam.
Philip Yaure, Philosophy and ASPECT Core Faculty, published Seizing Citizenship: Frederick Douglass’s Abolitionist Republicanism (New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2025). In addition, he published “Why Does Possessing Standing to Blame Matter?” in the Canadian Journal of Philosophy 54.1 (2025): 59–73.
Jenna Zan, English, published “Nats in the Banyan Tree: Communing with the Unruly Spirits of
Burma’s Third Jungle” as part of the symposium titled "Thinking in and Through Comparative Rhetoric and Decolonial Studies,” Rhetoric Society Quarterly 55.2 (2025): 113–17.
Bonnie Zare, Sociology and Director of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, published “Invisibility of Caste in Everyday Campus Life: Indian American Students and Their Understanding of Privilege,” Social Identities 31.4 (2025): 459–75, with ASPECT alumnus Muhammedshah Shajahan and Gaurav Pathania.