The Lee University Board of Directors recently awarded promotion in rank to 11 faculty members. Seven were promoted from associate professor to professor and four were promoted from assistant professor to associate professor.

The faculty promoted to professor are Drs. Andrew Bledsoe, Ben Christmann, John Hearn, Thaddeus McRae, Bryan Poole, Jason Robinson, and Jared Wielfaert.

Bledsoe, professor of history, has been a member of the Lee’s Department of History, Political Science, and Humanities since 2013, where he teaches courses in American history, the American Civil War, and American military history. He is a recipient of the school’s Excellence in Scholarship Award and has been a Fellow at the United States Military Academy at West Point, a Ridgway Fellow at the U.S. Army Center for Military History, and a Faculty Fellow at the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. Bledsoe earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master of Arts (MA) at Rice University and his Doctor of Jurisprudence at the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Christmann, professor of biology and health science, joined the Department of Natural Sciences in the fall of 2013 and teaches courses in microbiology, immunology, and nutrition. Prior to Lee, he served as a research technician in the Respiratory Disease Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His research has led to students presenting their work at the National Council for Undergraduate Research meetings. He earned his PhD at St. Louis University and his Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Covenant College.

Hearn, professor of chemistry, also joined the Department of Natural Sciences in 2013. Since then, he has established an ongoing research program in which undergraduate students investigate thermodynamic and kinetic properties of chemicals for the purpose of modeling their fate in the natural environment. In addition to his research activities, Hearn teaches general and physical chemistry. He earned his PhD at the University of Georgia and his BA from Asbury College.

McRae, professor of biology, joined the Department of Natural Sciences in 2017. He has written several publications and received press coverage for his research, is a broadly trained biologist with expertise in ecology, and has mentored many undergraduate researchers from a variety of cultural and academic backgrounds on projects ranging from community ecology to animal behavior. He earned his PhD from the University of Miami and his BA from Cornerstone University.

Poole, professor of psychology, also serves as director of Lee’s Center for Teaching Excellence and director of faculty development. He joined the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences in 2013. He teaches courses in basic, advanced, and independent research methods and statistics; emotions; behavioral neuroscience; and learning and cognition. He was awarded Lee’s Excellence in Scholarship award in 2022. He earned his PhD in experimental psychology from the University of Alabama, his MA from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), and his BA from Lee.

Robinson, professor of education, began his teaching career in 1997 and joined Lee’s Helen DeVos College of Education full-time faculty in 2013. He has served on many advisory panels at the local and state level that focus on effective teaching practices, standardized assessments, and teacher education. In 2018, Robinson received Lee’s Excellence in Advising Award and also directs Lee’s Summer Honors Program. He earned his Doctor of Education (EdD) from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, his Master of Education (MEd) from Lincoln Memorial University, and a Bachelor of Science (BS) from Lee.

Wielfaert, professor of humanities, joined the Department of History, Political Science, and Humanities in 2010, where he teaches courses in the humanities, Latin, and the history and literature of the Middle Ages. His research focuses on the literary and intellectual cultures of early medieval Europe, with a special interest in history writing and theological debate in Carolingian Period. He earned a PhD and MA from the University of Toronto and an MA and BA from Lee.

The faculty members promoted to associate professor are Drs. Pamela Hobbs, Richard Moy, Brandon Rodgers, and Ruth Wienk.

Hobbs, associate professor of health science, joined the Department of Natural Sciences in 2015, where she teaches courses in health care, anatomy, and physiology. She has served as a clinical instructor for physical therapy students and held numerous positions in the physical therapy profession, including serving on the faculty at the University of South Alabama. She earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy from The College of St. Scholastica, her Master of Public Health and MS from University of Alabama at Birmingham, and her BS from MTSU.

Moy, associate professor of mathematics, joined the Department of Mathematical Sciences in 2018, where he helps students prepare for the actuarial exams and leads undergraduate research. He engages students by teaching applied topics and designing assignments that increase quantitative literacy and communication skills and has worked on numerous publications, including several with undergraduate students. Moy earned his PhD from Northwestern University and an MS and BS from University of Illinois.

Rodgers, associate professor of marriage and family therapy and director of graduate programs in counseling, joined the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences in 2018. He has served on the leadership team at Siskin Children’s Institute as the director of behavioral health and as a faculty member at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. He earned his PhD in human development with a specialization in marriage and family therapy from Virginia Tech and his MA and BS from Appalachian State University.

Wienk, an associate professor of sociology, also joined the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences in 2018, where she currently serves as department chair. She is involved with Lee’s Benevolence Program and specializes in race and ethnicity in terms of social inequality. Wienk is active in the Cleveland/Bradley community, serving with the United Way, the Cleveland Housing Coalition, and the Blythe Oldfield Community Association. She earned her PhD at South Dakota State University, her MS from Shenandoah University, and a BS from Southeastern University.