Faculty Advisory Board
The JMU Libraries Faculty Advisory Board (FAB) is critical to helping the Libraries serve our campus community well. The FAB is designed to provide valuable input and feedback on our JMU Libraries services, resources, and programs to ensure that they remain aligned with the evolving needs of our faculty.
Who Is on the Board?
The FAB comprises 18 full-time and part-time faculty from each of JMU’s seven academic colleges.
We actively encourage participation from faculty members who represent a broad range of disciplines and experiences with our library and educational technology services.
What does the Faculty Advisory Board do?
The advisory board will meet on Zoom twice per semester, starting in Fall 2024. Each board member will serve a 2-year term.
Meet Our Board
Laura Atkins
College of Business
Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics
Prof. Laura Atkins is a Senior Lecturer in the College of Business with interests in application and web development, data analytics, and user experience. She has used JMU Libraries services for her classes, including creating video collections using LinkedIn Learning. She developed an interest in 3D printing after attending a JMU Libraries workshop, which then inspired her to apply for the Integrative Design Technology Fellowship. As part of the fellowship, she designed and taught a Digital Ethics class that incorporated 3D printing into a case- and discussion-based CoB class.
Chris Berndsen
College of Science and Mathematics
Chemistry & Biochemistry
Dr. Chris Berndsen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Dr. Berndsen has worked with JMU Libraries to incorporate instruction on data management and effective searching of the scientific literature into course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). His work with JMU Libraries was featured in ASBMB Today in 2022.
Sharon Blatz
College of Education
Educational Foundations and Exceptionalities
Dr. Sharon Blatz is an Associate Professor in the College of Education. She has collaborated with JMU Libraries staff and faculty and received training in instructional design, educational technologies, and media production to support her teaching. She has also worked with her liaison librarian and is impressed with how well the Libraries supports faculty and students.
Molly Bowman
College of Health and Behavioral Studies
IIHHS, the Child Development Clinic
Dr. Molly Bowman is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with the Child Development Clinic and works with learning disorders, autism, mood disorders, and other mental health concerns. She believes the library is a place of community and knowledge, and the core of our university. She offers a unique perspective of working within the IIHHS community and with Graduate Psychology as an adjunct instructor. Her past experiences with JMU Libraries have included Course Reserves, Interlibrary Loan and Special Collections.
Chiara Elmi
College of Science and Mathematics
Geology and Environmental Science
Dr. Chiara Elmi is an Associate Professor of Mineralogy with research interests in the reactivity of minerals for environmental protection and industrial applications, physico-chemical changes in lightning-struck materials, and more. She enjoys learning new pedagogical approaches by working with instructional designers at the Libraries. She also values the role of JMU Libraries in providing the campus community with needed resources, a safe space, and a sense of belonging.
Eric Fife
College of Arts and Letters
Communication Studies
Dr. Eric Fife is Professor of Communication Studies, where he teaches courses in family and interpersonal communication. His scholarship focuses on various aspects of interpersonal and family communication, including conflict management and how technology influences close relationship development and maintenance. Dr. Fife has experienced a wide range of library services, from Interlibrary Loan to instructional technology. He also experienced the critical role of the Libraries in supporting online teaching at JMU when he was head of his department during the rapid transition to online classes at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jason Forsyth
College of Integrated Science and Engineering
Engineering
Dr. Jason Forsyth is an Associate Professor of Engineering. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Virginia Tech in May 2015 and his primary research interests are in wearable/ubiquitous computing and engineering education. In his additional role as Curator of Coins for the Madison Art Collection, Jason works with the JMU Libraries to acquire numismatic references and digital auction catalogs to attribute and value the Sawhill Collection of ancient Greek and Roman coins held by JMU. He also works with The Makery to create digital facsimiles of the collection for educational public outreach.
Diana Galarreta-Aima, Ph.D.
College of Arts & Letters
Spanish
Dr. Diana Galarreta-Aima is an Associate Professor of Spanish, and the coordinator of the minor in Medical Spanish. Dr. Galarreta-Aima has worked with JMU Libraries to create and share an open course for aspiring medical interpreters. This story shares how Dr. Galarreta-Aima is leveraging JMU Libraries video production services, instructional design workshops, open textbook publishing platform Pressbooks, and the expertise of our Open Education Librarian to create her first open online training.
Lori Gano-Overway
College of Health and Behavioral Studies
Kinesiology
Dr. Lori Gano-Overway is an Associate Professor in Kinesiology and Program Director of the Coaching Education minor program. She teaches courses in Sport Psychology and Coach Education. She collaborated with JMU Libraries to create research guides to use in courses she teaches and leveraged instructional design and media production services to create content for an online course for community coaches. She also made a contribution to JMU Libraries’ award-winning self-paced course that teaches principles of Universal Design to JMU instructors: Learning Access through Universal Design.
Kristen Kelley
College of Arts and Letters
Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Dr. Kristen Kelley serves as Multilingual Student Services Coordinator in the JMU Learning Centers. Equitable access to quality education is Kristen’s passion. An Assistant Professor, Dr. Kristen Kelley currently teaches Marriage Equality and other courses in the Queer Studies Minor, which she co-coordinates. She has broad experience with the Libraries, including working with liaison librarians and inviting them to her classes, completing the Online Teaching Institute, and collaborating with the Libraries on other events like the Queer Teach-in and faculty training on Canvas. She even worked at the front desk in Carrier Library in the late 90s when they started offering a late night shift!
Raihan Khan
College of Health and Behavioral Studies
Health Sciences
Dr. Raihan Khan is an Assistant Professor of Health Sciences whose research and teaching interests include chronic disease and disabilities, infectious disease, and healthcare systems. He and his students use library resources extensively, and he trains his students on using the library website for searching scientific journals. Dr. Khan worked with instructional designers to structure his Canvas course when he joined JMU. He has attended many workshops offered by the Libraries, including several related to open-access textbooks.
Fariss Terry Mousa
College of Business
Entrepreneurship
Dr. Fariss Terry Mousa is a Professor of Strategic Management, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. He has taken courses offered by the Libraries and has collaborated with The Makery on several projects. Over the years, he has also collaborated with his department’s liaison librarian and frequently invited her into the classroom. Dr. Mousa also brings the unique perspective of having worked for seven years in a university library.
Judith Ofcarcik
College of Visual and Performing Arts
School of Music
Dr. Judith Ofcarcik is an Assistant Professor of Music. A music theorist, she researches musical form, narrative, and anti-colonial approaches to the representation of music analysis. She also is an organist and plays regularly around the Shenandoah Valley. Judith is an avid reader and lover of libraries.
Mark Rankin
College of Arts and Letters
English
Dr. Mark Rankin is Professor of English at JMU, where he has taught since 2007. He is a champion for JMU Libraries and especially Special Collections. Over the years he has assisted in the development of the library’s growing collection of early printed books and has integrated Special Collections into the curriculum of both the Department of English and the Book Arts minor.
Lauren Sarringhaus
College of Science and Mathematics
Biology
Dr. Lauren Sarringhaus is an Assistant Professor in the department of Biology. Their research is on the locomotor behavior of primates, with a focus on video based methods. Dr. Sarringhaus brings a new faculty perspective to the board and is keen to ensure that the library remains at the forefront of digital research. Dr. Sarringhaus has engaged with The Makery and appreciates the digital resources that the JMU Libraries provide for scaffolding anatomy teaching and conducting research.
Pamela Sullivan
College of Education
Learning Technology & Leadership Education
Dr. Pamela Sullivan is Professor of Early, Elementary and Reading Education. She is currently integrating open educational resources into all of her classes after completing an open pedagogy fellowship in JMU Libraries. She has published scholarship with her department’s liaison librarian and invited him to speak to both undergraduate and graduate-level courses. She has published several 3D printing chapters based on experiences in The Makery and has taken multiple JMU Libraries educational technology and instructional design courses.
Traci Wile
College of Visual and Performing Arts
School of Art, Design, and Art History
Prof. Traci Wile is a new faculty member at JMU and teaches Architectural Design with particular emphasis on community-engaged design. While she brings a valuable new-faculty perspective to the board, she has had experience with her department’s liaison librarian and the Libraries’ instructional designers. She has also borrowed multimedia equipment from the Libraries.
Raafat Zaini, Ph.D.
College of Integrated Science and Engineering
Integrated Science and Technology
Dr. Raafat Zaini is an Assistant Professor in Integrated Science and Technology. He currently teaches systems thinking and creative problem-solving, including a course about designing the university of the future, in which libraries play a big role. He has a diverse background in mechanical engineering, aeronautics & astronautics, system dynamics, and organizational behavior, with experience in fostering community-library partnerships. Dr. Zaini has engaged with JMU Libraries in numerous ways, including an e-book publishing workshop and creating a custom research guide for his course with his department’s liaison librarian. He is particularly drawn to the evolving role of libraries in today’s digital and information-driven age.
We want to hear from you!
The board will be critical to helping us meet the needs of faculty, students, staff, and our broader community, but we want to hear from all faculty! You can share your ideas and feedback any time by contacting Ask the Library or libraries@jmu.edu.
Contact
If you have questions about the Faculty Advisory Board, please contact Emily Blake (blakeed@jmu.edu).
Thank you for helping us to continuously improve our services to meet the evolving needs of JMU faculty, students, and staff.