SPOTLIGHTS:  STUDENT, FACULTY, STAFF & DEPARTMENTAL HIGHLIGHTS >> ARCHIVE

Yvonne Unnold, Ph.D., Ed.S. Chair, Department of Languages Associate Professor of German and Spanish

Dr. Yvonne Unnold, associate professor of German and Spanish, serves as the new chair of the Department of Languages in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at ASU. Dr. Unnold has extensive teaching experience at both university level and secondary education levels and moved to Jonesboro from Hamburg, Germany. She has taught Spanish, German, and English as a Second Language (ESL) in Costa Rica, Mexico, the U.S., and Germany. Under Dr. Unnold's leadership, the Department of Languages seeks to reach out to the ASU community and encourages all students to enrich their lives through learning a second language starting in their freshman year. Dr. Unnold says, "Learning another language and exploring a new culture truly changed my life and enabled me to pursue professional opportunities that otherwise wouldn't have been accessible for me; I know that learning a second language would do the same for any student at ASU."
 
Dr. Unnold and her husband Javier live with their four children on the ASU campus in Jonesboro. They are quite an international family:  Dr. Unnold is a native of Germany, Javier comes from Chile, their first daughter Luna (16) entered this world in Costa Rica, Fauna (13) was born in Germany, Carmela (8) arrived smiling as a native of Mississippi, and little Adrian led them back to Germany. The family is trilingual, they enjoy traveling, exploring new places and meeting people from all across the globe.

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Rollin F. Tusalem, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Political Science, Department of Political Science

Dr. Rollin F. Tusalem, assistant professor of Political Science, earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Missouri in 2008. His research interests are in comparative democratization, comparative political culture, and comparative political institutions. His most recent work appeared in the following journals; the International Political Science Review, Journal of East Asian Studies, and Taiwan Journal of Democracy. His work on democratization also appeared in several book chapters at university presses. He also has several manuscripts under review.

He recently defended his dissertation titled, "The Effect of Civil Society on Governance and Institutional Performance in Third- and Fourth- Wave Democracies. " His dissertation explores the role of civic associationalism in enhancing governmental effectiveness and public goods provision in nascent democracies.

Dr. Tusalem is very interested in teaching courses in his areas of specialization, specifically the politics of the Third World, Democratization, comparative political economy, comparative political culture, and the political systems of East Asian, Latin American, African, and European states.

Dr. Tusalem is originally from Arizona. He is excited to begin his academic career at Arkansas State and to support the Red Wolves football team.

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Ian Loadman, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor, Political Science, Department of Political Science

Dr. Ian Loadman is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Political Science department teaching public policy and introductory political science courses.  A native of Canada, he earned his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1998. He brings his experience as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Canadian province of Ontario to his teaching in the Masters of Public Administration program. Ian is interested in political philosophy, public policy and public administration ethics. 

He moved to Jonesboro two years ago with his wife, Dr. Fiona Miller (also Canadian) who teaches political theory, and is still trying to understand why Arkansas continued to elect Democrats when the rest of the south turned Republican.

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Veena Kulkarni, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Sociology, Department of Criminology, Sociology, & Geography

Dr. Veena Kulkarni joined Arkansas State University this Fall as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Department of Criminology, Sociology, and Geography. She received her honors Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Economics from the University of Delhi, India. Her doctoral research was completed at the University of Maryland-College Park.  Her broad areas of interests comprise studying social and economic inequalities and the interaction between them with a focus on international migration, labor market outcomes, education, health, and infrastructure. Her work has resulted in publications in Demography, International Review of Applied Economics, Sociological Forum and book chapters published by the Sage Publication and Oxford University Press.

She looks forward to a pleasant and productive time at ASU and Jonesboro. She says it is quite a transition to move to a town of 60,000 for someone who grew up in one of the most populated cities of the world, but she likes the process so far.

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Juan Pablo Gil-Osle', Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Spanish, Department of Languages

Dr. Juan Pablo Gil-Osle was born in Spain and has lived in the United States for 8 years. Prior to moving to the United States he worked in France, Germany and Switzerland. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 2007. He has worked for a number of universities in the United States, including the University of Michigan from 2007-2008. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Languages at Arkansas State University.  Dr. Gil-Osle is presently finishing a book based on archival research on several patron-artist relationships of the seventeenth century in order to clarify the correlation between representations of friendship and patronage in Early Modern culture.

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Amanda Coleman, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Geography, Department of Criminology, Sociology, & Geography

Dr. Amanda Coleman is an Arkansas native who spent much of her life in the Jonesboro area. Both of her parents were ASU graduates. She obtained her bachelor's and master's degrees in Geography from Oklahoma State University and went on to earn her Ph.D from the University of Oregon in 2008.

Her research interests include how society has constructed race, dynamics behind racial constructions and their implications. She is currently collaborating with Dr. Anthony Troy Adams on a project that concerns food accessibility in low-income and minority areas.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, especially her grandmothers who are glad to have her back in Jonesboro again.

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J. Michael Botts, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Criminology, Department of Criminology, Sociology, & Geography

Dr. J. Michael Botts is a recent Assistant Professor of Criminology.  Since 2005, Michael has been a professor of criminal justice at the University of Arkansas, Monticello.  While a professor at UAM, he organized and co-sponsored an activist student group, Students for Constitutional and Human Rights.  In addition, Michael has worked with a local community organization, Options, which provides shelter and legal counsel to domestic violence victims.  While teaching corrections and juvenile justice, students were able to tour institutional facilities in Grady and Dermott, Arkansas.  His doctoral dissertation, completed at American University in Washington, D.C., was an historical case study on public interest, political corruption and the consequences of transgressing the boundaries of what Michael Walzer called the spheres of justice.

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Kurt Monroe Instructor, Department of Criminology, Sociology & Geography

Mr. Kurt Monroe was born and raised in Richland Center, Wisconsin. He completed his undergraduate work at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse where he obtained a bachelor's degree in both Sociology and Psychology. He went on to earn his Master's degree in Sociology at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and is currently finishing up his Ph.D. work in Sociology at SIU-Carbondale. He is currently working on several research projects that explore the social and economic consequences of the expansion of gambling.

When not working or researching, Mr. Monroe enjoys watching football and cheering for his favorite team the Green Bay Packers.

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Marcus Tribbett, Ph.D. Instructor, English, Department of English & Philosophy

Dr. Marcus  Tribbett recently returned to the Department of English and Philosophy after three years as an Academic Advisor in the Wilson Advising Center. Born in Indiana and raised in Arizona, he earned his bachelor's degree in Anthropology from Harvard University. He then went on to earn a Master's degree in English Literature from Northern Arizona University and obtained his Doctorate in English from Washington State University.

Dr. Tribbett moved to Arkansas in 1997 with his spouse, Dr. Janelle Collins who is an Associate Professor of English at ASU. They have one daughter, Sierra, with whom they enjoy playing sports, cards and board games.  In his spare time, Dr. Tribbett coaches youth soccer, plays piano and watches television and movies.

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Robin Pawson Secretary, Department of Political Science

Robin Pawson is the new secretary in the Political Science Department.  She is a recent arrival to Jonesboro from Michigan, where she worked for 19 years as an administrative assistant/ administrator/certification officer in teacher education at Adrian College.  She has an associate’s degree from Jackson Community College in Jackson, Michigan and holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Services from Adrian College in Adrian.

Robin has four children and twelve grandchildren.  When she is not working she likes to scrapbook and read. 

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Nikki Adams Secretary, Department of Languages

Nikki Adams is the new secretary for the Department of Languages. She previously worked in the Office of Academic Affairs and Research and in the Department of Management and Marketing in the College of Business. Prior to her university experience she worked for Jonesboro Warehousing & Distribution Center.

Nikki is native to the Jonesboro area.  She is married and has two teenage sons.  When she is not working or with family she enjoys being outdoors working in her many flower gardens, playing with her five dogs, and reading as time allows. 

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