Topic: Faculty and Staff

Appalachian’s College of Fine and Applied Arts has named Cara Hagan as its Dean’s Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion, a role she assumed in July. Hagan is an associate professor of dance studies in the college and president of Appalachian’s Black Faculty and Staff Association.

Appalachian professors Dr. Howard Neufeld and Dr. Megen Culpepper, recipients of the Office of Student Research’s 2020 Undergraduate Research Mentorship Excellence Award, share the rewards of student mentoring.

Dr. Conrad E. “Ozzie” Ostwalt, professor of religious studies at Appalachian, has been appointed interim director of the university’s Center for Appalachian Studies and Appalachian studies academic program. Ostwalt assumed his new role July 1.

Appalachian art professor Dr. Mira Rai Waits has been named a 2020 American Council of Learned Societies Fellow for her book project “Colonial Carcerality: The Birth of the Modern Prison in India,” which explores the spatial history of British colonial prisons in India.

Lamont A. Sellers, the former senior diversity officer at the University of South Dakota, is the new director of intercultural student affairs at Appalachian State University as of July 1.

Kimberly Holley, who comes to Appalachian from North Carolina State University, has 15 years of experience in college admissions. She has worked with students from marginalized populations while assisting organizations with improving their overall diversity enrollment.