Washburn University Adds 17 Women to Its Teaching Faculty

Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, enrolls about 7,000 students. Women make up 58 percent of the student body. The university has added 26 new faculty members for the 2013-14 academic year. Of these 26 new hires, there are nine women who were appointed lecturers and eight women who have been appointed to positions as assistant, associate, or full professor.

Here are brief biographies of the higher-ranking women appointees.

Erin P. Grant is an assistant professor of criminal justice. Dr. Grant is a graduate of Illinois State University in Normal. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in criminal justice from Texas State University, San Marcos.

Vickie A. Kelley is an assistant professor of allied health. She is the former director of the Kansas Career and Technical Education Resource Center at Washburn University. Dr. Kelley is a graduate of Washburn University and holds a master’s degree from Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant and a doctorate in educational leadership from Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas.

Kathryn Kendall-Morwick is an assistant professor of English. She was a visiting lecturer at Indiana University in Bloomington. Dr. Kendall Morwick is a graduate of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in English from Indiana University.

Miu Ha Kwong was named assistant professor of social work. She previously taught at Shue Yan University in Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong, and SUNY-Brockport. Dr. Kwong is a graduate of Wheelock College in Boston. She holds a master’s degree from Columbia University and a docotate in clinical social work from New York University.

Leslie M. McCullough was appointed an assistant professor of social work. She was a lecturer at Washburn and previously served on the staff at Texas A&M University in College Station. Dr. McCullough is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University. She holds a master of social work degree from the University of Texas and a Ph.D. in psychology from Northcentral University in Prescott Valley, Arizona.

Barbara W. Scofield was appointed a full professor of accounting. Previously, she has served on the faculty at the University of Texas Permian Basin, the University of Dallas, and Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. Professor Scofield is a graduate of the University at Albany of the State University of New York system. She earned an MBA at Texas Christian University in Forth Worth and Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Texas.

Jane Sharp was named associate professor of mathematics. She has taught at Oakland University in Rochester, Minnesota, and Montana State University in Bozeman. Dr. Sharp holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wichita State University. She earned a second master’s degree from Emporia University in  Kansas and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Kansas State University.

Laura Sidlinger is a new assistant professor of nursing. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Washburn University and a doctorate in nursing practice degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.