Faculty

In the Classroom

Each term Honors College students have the opportunity to take over 40 Honors courses with excited and inventive Towson University faculty members. With course enrollments limited to 20 students and a focus on the seminar-style discussion format, students have the opportunity to build connections with faculty from day one on campus. The Honors College believes that the undergraduate experience is enhanced by a collaborative learning philosophy which encourages students and faculty to work side-by-side in the classroom.

Honors College seminars are proposed by faculty members with the specific intention of enabling students and faculty to examine areas that are not usually part of regular departmental offerings. Honors seminars provide a robust and collegial discussion environment that is intellectually demanding, and encourage undergraduate research, interdisciplinary perspectives, critical thinking, and global awareness. Honors seminars often deal with topics that are at the forefront of a faculty member's academic inquiry, and which have direct relevance to world in which we live.

Faculty-Led Research

 Honors students work one-on-one with TU faculty in the pursuit of Honors electives like internships, independent studies, and thesis writing. Faculty supervision allows Honors students the opportunity to gain valuable experience engaging in work which will prepare them for graduate study or the workforce. 

In the Admissions Process

Honors College faculty who spend their time teaching Honors students are the best equipped to assess a prospective student's readiness for success in the Honors classroom. Each year, over 40 TU faculty and staff assist in the Honors College application review process by reading incoming freshman and transfer student applications. This effort allows the Honors College to take a holistic approach to assessing applications and ensure that all applicant-submitted material is considered by one or more reviewers.

Honors College Professor of the Year

Each year, graduating Honors students are invited to nominate a TU faculty member for Honors College Professor of the Year.

The Class of 2024 selected Dr. Joseph R. Clark as the Honors College Professor of the Year.

Dr. Joseph R. Clark is an associate professor of Political Science at Towson University. A graduate of the University of Arkansas (B.A. History) and The George Washington University (PhD, Political Science), his teaching and scholarship focus on international relations and national security issues with an emphasis on strategy. Dr. Clark’s current scholarship examines the political genesis of the Russo-Ukrainian War and its effects on how the war is fought and likely will be settled. He previously investigated how the institutional structures of the US Army hampered organizational learning and doctrinal innovation during America’s twentieth-century Vietnam War, yet facilitated such during its twenty-first century Iraq War. He has also examined how the US Army’s desire to be apolitical weakens its ability to adequately address the political aspects of modern conflict.  Dr. Clark’s scholarship has been published by the US Army War College, the National Defense University, and the National Security Agency.  His most recent article, “Russia’s Indirect Grand Strategy” was published by the Foreign Policy Research Institute. At TU, Dr. Clark regularly teaches courses on US foreign policy, war and warfare, and intelligence and national security; within the Honors College, he offers a TSEM designed to help freshman develop basic academic discourse and research skills. He also participates in many service activities for the Honors College and the University. Prior to his academic life, Dr. Clark served in the Army as a 37F (thirty-seven fox) psychological operations specialist.  As such, he supported unit commanders by providing advice on the political, military, social effects of actions on the part of friendly, neutral, and enemy forces.   

Past Honors College Professors of the Year

• Prof. Chantal Francois, Instructional Leadership and Professional Development (2023)
• Prof. Cindy Ghent, Biology (2022)
• Prof. John Sivey, Chemistry (2021)
• Prof. Erin Fehskens, English (2020)
• Prof. Salvatore Pappalardo, English (2019)
• Prof. Jeffrey Kukucka, Psychology (2018)
• Prof. Benjamin Warner, English (2017)
• Prof. Michael Elliott, Sociology (2016)
• Prof. Lillian Carter, Health Science (2015)
• Prof. Peter Baker, English (2014)
• Prof. Andrew Reiner, English (2013)
• Prof. Jack Fruchtman, Political Science (2012)
• Prof. Andrew Reiner, English (2011)
• Prof. Cristina Magaldi, Music (2010)
• Prof. Jonathan Mattanah, Psychology (2009)

Honors Faculty

Fall 2024

• Prof. Sharon Becker (ENGL 290*: Storytelling through K-Pop)
• Prof. Amanda Burnham (HONR 370:* Drawn from Life: The Art of the Graphic Memoir)
• Prof. John Bushey (HONR 301: The Polluted States of America)
• Prof. Gretchen Carlson (MUSC 125: Honors History of Jazz for Non-Majors)
• Prof. Joseph Clark (TSEM 190*: Water as the Sinew of Human History)
• Prof. Terry Cooney (TSEM 190*: Using American Water)
• Prof. Sarah Elfreth (HONR 370*: Public Policy & Public Advocacy)
• Prof. Michael Elliott (TSEM 190*: Water as a Global Problem)
• Prof. Erin Fehskens (HONR 345: Literature of Violence and Reconciliation)
• Prof. Chantal Francois (HONR 370*: Black & Latinx Characters in Young Adult Literature)
• Prof. Jason Freeman (SOCI 102: Honors Introduction to Sociology)
• Prof. Seth Gitter (ECON 204: Honors Macroeconomic Principles)
• Prof. Heather Hax (HONR 370:* Environmental Sociology)
• Prof. Gary Homana (EDUC 204: Honors Historical and Contemporary Issues in America's Urban Education)
• Prof. Jacob Hovind (HONR 370*: 21^st-century East Asian Cinema)
• Prof. Christian Koot (HIST 147: Honors History of the United States to the Civil War)
• Prof. Mildred Landrum-Hesser (ENGL 290*: Dark and Mysterious Tales of the Americas)
• Prof. Adeana Lopez (ENGL 190: Honors Writing Seminar)
• Prof. Victoria McAlister (TSEM 190*: Explorations of Ocean History)
• Prof. Alison McCartney (POSC 108: Honors Introduction to International Relations)
• Prof. Kathryn McDougal (BIOL 203: Honors Biology I: Cellular Biology and Genetics)
• Prof. Kevin Murphy (ENGL 190: Honors Writing Seminar)
• Prof. John Murungi (HONR 370:* Legacy of Psychoanalysis)
• Prof. Elysa Newman (COMM 132: Honors Public Speaking)
• Prof. Elizabeth O’Hare (BIOL 192: Honors Introductory Biology for the Health Professions)
• Prof. Christa Partain (HONR 370:* Biology and Pop Culture)
• Prof. Jennifer Potter (CLST 202: Honors Introduction to Cultural Studies)
• Prof. Cecilia Rio (WMST 232: Honors Women in Perspective)
• Prof. Charlotte Saylor (HONR 370:* History of Infectious Diseases)
• Prof. Kari J. Schumm (MATH 233: Honors Basic Statistics)
• Prof. Gilad Sharvit (HONR 370*: Freedom and Happiness from Buddha to Freud)
• Prof. Jessica Shiller (HONR 229*: Honors Seminar in Metropolitan Perspectives)
• Prof. Yury Urnov (THEA 102: Honors Acting I)
• Prof. Jonathan Vincent (ENGL 290:* American Literature at War, 1675 to the Present)
• Prof. Benjamin Warner (ENGL 332: Honors Writing Fiction; HONR 225*: Writing for the Environment)
• Prof. Niya Werts (HONR 240*: Honors Seminar in Western Heritage, Plurality, and Diversity)

*Denotes a special topics course listing. Special topics courses such as ENGL 290 or HONR 370 share broad methodological approaches while addressing different subject matter relevant to the theme of each section. In any given term multiple sections of a special topics course may be offered with a different topic for each section.