This year, California State University, Stanislaus is pleased to announce the appointment of 31 new full-time faculty members (22 tenured/tenure track). Despite the difficult fiscal conditions facing the state, region and campus, CSU Stanislaus remains steadfast in its commitment to continue to serve current and future students through high-quality course offerings from outstanding faculty. The new faculty members fill high-need positions and come from a variety of academic disciplines.  They were selected through competitive national search processes. 

“Full time faculty appointments are central to maintaining and advancing the highest quality education to our students and therefore are our number one priority,” said CSU Stanislaus President Ham Shirvani.

“We are very proud to have been able to hire this many highly qualified faculty in spite of the recent state budget constraints,” added Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs James Strong.

The following is a list of the new faculty appointments at CSU Stanislaus:

Dr. Elvin A. Aleman
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Ph.D., The University of Akron

Dr. S. Steve Arounsack
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Ph.D., University of California, Davis

Mr. Augustine Avwunudiogba
Assistant Professor of Geography
ABD, University of Texas at Austin

Mr. Benjamin Boren
Lecturer in Music
M.M., Indiana University

Dr. Jennifer Cooper
Lecturer in Biological Sciences
Ph.D., Purdue University

Dr. Daniel Deisenroth
Assistant Professor of Economics
Ph.D., Colorado State University

Dr. Susan Eastham
Assistant Professor of Kinesiology
Ed.D., University of San Francisco

Mr. Michael Paul Fleming
Assistant Professor of Biology Education
Ph.D., University of Washington, Seattle

Dr. Zac Gershberg
Lecturer in Communication Studies
Ph.D., Louisiana State University

Dr. S. Christine Gonzales
Assistant Professor of Liberal Studies
Ed.D., University of the Pacific

Dr. Jeneva Gularte-Rinaldo
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Ph.D., University of California (UC), San Francisco

Dr. Karen Hartman
Assistant Professor of Communication Studies
Ph.D., Louisiana State University

Dr. Sheryl Hurner
Lecturer in Communication Studies
Ph.D., University of California, Davis

Ms. Jennifer Johnson
Lecturer in Social Work
MSW, CSU Stanislaus

Dr. David Kangas
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Ph.D., Yale University

Mr. Keith Brenden Kelly
Assistant Professor of Music
ABD D.M., Arizona State University

Mr. Kristopher Kohler
Lecturer in Sociology
M.A., University of California (UC), San Diego

Dr. Kimy Liu
Assistant Professor of Advanced Studies
Ph.D., University of Oregon

Mr. Jose Nunez
Lecturer in Child Development
M.S., National University

Dr. Katie Olivant
Assistant Professor of Liberal Studies
Ed.D. University of California Davis/CSU Fresno

Dr. Elenie Opffer
Assistant Professor of Communication Studies
Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder

Dr. Diana Orem
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Ph.D. University of Central Florida

Dr. Brent Powell
Assistant Professor of Kinesiology
Ph.D., University of Alabama (UA), Birmingham

Dr. Tomas D. Rodriguez
Assistant Professor of Sociology
Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University

Dr. Staci Scheiwiller
Assistant Professor of Modern Art History
Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara

Dr. Daniel Soodjinda
Assistant Professor of Liberal Studies
Ed.D., University of Southern California

Dr. Gӧkҫe Soydemir
Foster Farms Endowed Chair of Business Economics
Ph.D., Claremont Graduate School,

Dr. Jennifer Strangfeld
Lecturer in Sociology
Ph.D., University of Oregon

Mr. Gerard C. Wellman
Assistant Professor of Public Administration
ABD, University of Nebraska, Omaha

Dr. Steven Wood
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Ph.D., The Graduate Center

Dr. Yanhong Wu
Lecturer in Mathematics
Ph.D., University of Toronto