IU Northwest faculty promotion, tenure and awards
Indiana University Northwest is proud to announce several promotions and tenure, as well as campus awards to faculty from various disciplines.
Promotions and Tenure
Several IU Northwest faculty members received approval for promotion in the 2024 - 25 academic year by the Indiana University Board of Trustees. Their promotions are effective July 1, 2024. Tenure is effective July 1, 2025.
Tenure Status
- Yllka Azemi, Business and Economics
- Scott Hudnall, Library
- Margaret Pollak, Anthropology
Promotion to Professor
- Nicole Anslover, History
- Kristin Huysken, Geosciences
- David Parnell, History
Promotion to Associate Professor
- Yllka Azemi, Business and Economics
- Margaret Pollak, Anthropology
Promotion to Associate Librarian
- Scott Hudnall, Library
Promotion to Clinical Associate Professor
- Tyra Robinson-Walker, Social Work
- Derek Walter, Fine Arts
Faculty and Academic Awards
IU Northwest professors are leading experts, award-winning educators and teacher scholars. To recognize their work, the campus was proud to distribute many teaching, research and service awards during the 2023 - 24 academic year.
- Distinguished Research/Creative Activity Award: Jonathyne Briggs, Professor of History
- Distinguished Service Award: Monica Solinas-Saunders, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
- Founder’s Day Teaching Award: Eunjoo Kim, Assistant Professor of Education
Trustees’ Teaching Awards
- Nicole Anslover, Associate Professor of History
- Vesna Balac, Assistant Professor of Radiologic Sciences
- Natasha Brown, Associate Professor of Communication
- Jokima Hiller, Assistant Professor of Business
- Margaret Pollak, Assistant Professor of Anthropology
- Sharon Pratt, Associate Professor of Education
- Cecilia Villarruel, Assistant Professor of English
2024-25 Sabbatical Leaves
Congratulations to the following faculty who will be on sabbatical during the upcoming academic year. Their plans are as follows:
Olatunde Abiona, Associate Professor of Computer Information Systems
- Learn the development and teaching of high-performance computing deployment using Linux Clusters.
- Spend time at the International Center for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, to attend workshops and participate in activities related to high-performance computing, wireless communication security, microprocessor systems and other related activities.
- Participate in the development and design of high-performance data centers using a supercomputer to process data.
Natasha Brown, Associate Professor of Communication Arts
- Work on a research project tentatively titled “Black women, social support and body image.” Black women are identified as a group at risk for poorer health outcomes when compared to other women. Collect data from at least 2,500 self-identified Black women regarding their experiences regarding social support and feelings regarding their body and body image.
- Learn how perceived levels of social support are related to how a woman accepts (or rejects) her body, as well as how often the individual engages in health-promoting activities.
Chae Young Chang, Associate Professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs
- Investigate the evolving perceptions of political efficacy and their subsequent effects on various modes and levels of political engagement through “Shifting Tide: Exploring the Political Polarization, Graphic Transformations and Their Impact in South Korea.”
- Establish a clear distinction between two key dimensions of political efficacy: internal and external efficacy in South Korea.
Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford, Associate Professor of Fine Arts
- Continue the body of work and research titled “Floating Monuments” by building new frameworks for public art, challenging conventional formats of production, representation and presentation.
- Work on two new collaborative works in the Floating Monument series that relate to underrepresented historical figures, lost architectures and content. Curate continued “pop-up” events that align with work already happening in communities currently engaged.
Jie Wang, Associate Professor of Computer Information Systems
- Develop innovative learning techniques to overcome a longstanding obstacle in machine learning, the vital importance of annotated data in predictive model training.
- Work on a software development project for improving teaching effectiveness and enhancing student performance on an individual basis.