As the first full month of classes successfully passes, and the campus begins to emulate a quintessential Northeast autumn, Saint Anselm college welcomes its own changes to the community.

The new academic year welcomes seven new full-time faculty members, each with a great deal of experience in their respective fields of study. 

Professor Ann-Marie Bishop joins our college community as an assistant professor within the Sociology and Social work Department, and she will be teaching Introduction to Social Work as well as Field Seminar courses. Professor Bishop received her Bachelor of Arts at Providence College, later earning her Master’s of Social Work at Salem State College. In addition to her work as an instructor, Professor Bishop works as a part-time clinician at Catholic Medical Center (CMC). 

Professor Adam Cooke joins the Biology Department at Saint Anselm, and he will be teaching lecture and lab sections for General Biology and Microbiology. Before his addition to our community, Professor Cooke pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). After completing his B.S., he pursued a Ph.D in Biology at Binghamton University (SUNY), wherein he investigated how bacteria live and grow in chronic infections, alongside teaching biology courses, recitations, and labs. Professor Cooke cites his experiences at graduate school in guiding his career desires, writing: “I learned that I wanted to focus more on teaching than research as a career, so I became an Instructor and Research Advisor at Wilson College, a small liberal arts college in rural Pennsylvania.” 

In the Economics and Business Department, Professor Stephanie Coffey joins Saint A’s as an assistant professor where she will teach Principles of Microeconomics and Business Statistics. Professor Coffey received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Vermont, studying mathematics. She later earned her master’s in economics from the University of Maine, as well as a Ph.D in economics from Syracuse University. Her research zeros in on the relationship between health and education, exploring the impact of early childhood health disparities on academic performances in K-12 students.

Joining the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures as an assistant professor is Justin Mohler, who will teach German I and German III, as well as an Honors Conversatio seminar. 

Despite growing up in Poulsbo, a small town outside of Seattle, Professor Mohler has a broad experience teaching around the world. He writes: “I’ve been fortunate to teach a variety of subjects at schools and universities across three continents (in Washington State, Austria, and Hong Kong).” Professor Mohler looks forward to building the German program at Saint Anselm and sharing his research interests with his students. 

In the Criminal Justice Department, Saint A’s welcomes professor Stephanie Morse. As an assistant professor, she will be teaching Theory and Practice of Punishment, Corrections and the Community, and Research Methods in Criminal Justice. Professor Morse received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D at Arizona State University. She notes her commitment to service that is “strengths-based, inclusive, and uplifts others.”

Joining the Nursing Department is Professor Jessica Wine, a full-time clinical faculty member. She has previously instructed in both clinical rotations and simulation labs at the college, and has worked as a critical care nurse for 15 years. She is currently teaching Health Assessment and Sim Lab for Medical Surgical Nursing. She earned her B.S.N. at the University of New Hampshire, her M.S.N. at University of Massachusetts-Lowell, and her Master’s in Nursing Education in 2018 at Walden University.

Additionally, Elizabeth (Beth) Daily enters the Saint Anselm community as Interim Director of the Anselmian Abbey Players. She received her M.F.A in acting at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, and a M.Ed in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Missouri.

While each of our newest additions to the campus community hail from a plethora of different backgrounds, each individual appears unified under similar passions of engaging with research, teaching, and service. Ultimately, an aspect that seems to draw people to the Saint Anselm community, as highlighted by our newest faculty members, is a sense of belonging. Professor Cooke echoes a sentiment that reigns true for many members of our tight-knit community; the small size of our institution allows for close bonds to form. Professor Cooke writes that “small class sizes really help me to make meaningful connections with my students.” 

“Everyone on campus was very kind and thoughtful, and it really made me want to become a part of the community.” 

Although he acknowledges that he has only been here for a short time, Professor Mohler expresses his gratitude for Saint Anselm’s “exceptionally welcoming and truly inspiring” students.

Professor Cooke and Professor Mohler’s remarks illuminate a point in which the Hilltop prides itself in: the kind, closely-bonded nature of our community.

All photos courtesy of Saint Anselm College.