New professors join Grove City College faculty

Grove City is bringing on nine new professors for the 2017-2018 academic year, bolstering the College’s accomplished and committed faculty ranks.

• Dr. John Dixon ’05, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering. His technical research specialization is in engines/emissions, as well as fundamental heat transfer. Dixon completed his graduate work at the University of Minnesota, earning a master’s degree in 2007 and doctorate in 2013. Between his master’s and doctoral work, he worked in industry at Cummins Power, developing fuel systems for consumer generator sets. He comes to Grove City College after teaching a range of courses at the University of South Florida, including a Matlab programming course, thermodynamics, computational methods and internal combustion engines.
• Dr. Deborah Forteza, assistant professor of Spanish. She joins the Department of Modern Languages to teach Spanish literature, culture and language. Her specialization is early modern Spanish representations of Tudors and English Catholics. Originally from Uruguay, Forteza grew up in Argentina and came to the United States to study. She completed her doctorate in literature at the University of Notre Dame in 2017, where she taught courses in Spanish language and English writing and rhetoric. She also earned a M.Div. and an M.A. in counseling from Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Minneapolis and a master’s degree in English from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.
• Dr. Caleb Fuller ’13, assistant professor of Economics. He has specialties in law and economics, Austrian economics, the political economy of entrepreneurship and the economics of privacy. His current research focuses on understanding how the institutional environment constrains entrepreneurial choice, as well as how entrepreneurs exert influence over the institutional environment. He completed his doctorate in economics this year at George Mason University, where he taught introductory economics, intermediate microeconomics and served as a teaching assistant for courses in labor economics and public choice. During graduate school, he also served as a research assistant to senior fellows in the Hayek Program at George Mason. He earned a B.A. in Economics at Grove City College in 2013.
• Dr. Michele Gerring, instructor of French. She joins the Department of Modern Languages and specializes in the study of the Maghrebi-French, descendants of North Africans living in France. Gerring earned her doctorate in French and francophone studies at The Ohio State University in 2014 and received her M.A. in French from Bowling Green State University in 2005. Gerring graduated with her B.A. in French from Westminster College in 2003, spending one semester at l’Université de la Sorbonne in Paris. Gerring has significant experience in leading French conversation tables for undergraduates and community members, and in facilitating viewings and discussions of films in French.
• Andrew Grimm, instructor of Social Work. He joins the College’s Department of Psychology and Social Work to teach and to assist with the field education program. The focus of his experience has been serving children, youth, and families affected by trauma, poverty, mental health concerns and the inequities of society. He has delivered social work services at both the micro and macro levels. He earned a master’s degree in social work from the University at Buffalo and his B.S. in social work from Roberts Wesleyan College. He comes to Grove City College from Santa Barbara, Calif., where he served as a program director at the YMCA serving homeless and runaway youth.
• Dr. Holly Guevara, assistant professor of Chemistry. She will teach general chemistry and some upper level chemistry courses. Her specialization is organic chemistry. Guevara completed her doctorate at the University of New Hampshire in 2017, where she studied the ring opening mechanism of benzene metabolism and served as an Instructor before coming to Grove City College. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Eastern Nazarene College in 2012.
• Dr. Joseph Hasper, associate professor of Music. He will teach music theory and lead the jazz ensembles. His areas of specialization are 21st century composition and jazz arranging. His research interests include interactive, computer-assisted composition and linguistic models of musical structure. Hasper completed his doctorate in music composition at the University of Oklahoma and holds master’s degrees in music theory and educational technology. He earned his B.F.A. in music composition from Carnegie Mellon University. He taught previously at University of Oklahoma, Shippensburg University, Cameron University and Kutztown University, and served as a major in the Army for more than 20 years. He is active internationally as a composer and arranger of interactive and multimedia works and ballet pieces.
• Jolene Munson, assistant professor of Education and director of the College’s Early Education Center. Munson has many years of experience in education and worked most recently in the Erie School District, teaching with students from Pre-K through eighth grade. She previously served as assistant director of the YMCA Child Care Center in Erie, where she worked with children up to age 5. She holds a master’s degree in elementary, early childhood and mid-level education from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She is certified to teach early childhood, elementary and mid-level mathematics.
• Amy Russin, associate professor Accounting. She joined the Department of Accounting and Finance in January and is a certified public accountant. Russin began her career as an auditor for S.R. Snodgrass, earned an MBA at Geneva College and taught there before joining the Grove City College faculty. Russin teaches principles of accounting and auditing. She brings a strong network of professional relationships to the College that provides students with connections and keeps current on changing professional standards.

Grove City College’s faculty is comprised of Christian scholars who are accomplished in their fields. Many conduct groundbreaking research in the sciences and humanities and all are dedicated professors who teach and mentor students in the classroom and laboratory. The College’s 13:1 student-faculty ratio means students and professors also have the opportunity to form strong and meaningful relationships. More than 85 percent of the College’s full-time faculty members hold terminal degrees in their disciplines.

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