Ten new professors have joined the Buena Vista University faculty this year. The additions are a combination of new positions, hires for open positions, and replacements for vacancies created by the six professors who retired last year. The ten include eight new full time faculty across all five schools and two new deans in the School of Education and Exercise Science and the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business.

NEW FACULTY:

Dr. Nathan Backman
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
• Bachelors degree in computer science and mathematics, Whitworth University
• Master’s degree and PhD (2012) in computer science, Brown University
• Published multiple times in academic areas including both high-performance distributed computing and medical image processing
• Competes in computer programming contests
• Plays the guitar and mandolin
• Husband to Meg and father to two daughters, Lily, 2, and Brooke, 10 months

Dr. John C. Bedward
Assistant Professor of Education-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
• Originally from Ottawa, Canada
• Bachelor’s degree in technology education, master’s degree in technology education, and PhD in science education from North Carolina State University
• Instructor at NC State and previously taught science, technology, and STEM courses in K-12 schools
• Private sector experience in electronic publishing and management positions in marketing and communication, sales, product development
• His wife, Lisa Marshall, is a doctoral student in geography at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and an instructor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at NC State
• Enjoys wood and metal crafts, hiking, urban bicycling, kayaking, and gardening

Dr. Thomas W. Bonagura, Jr.
Assistant Professor of Biology
• Bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Maryland, College Park
• PhD at The Johns Hopkins University
• Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the Center for Studies in Reproduction at the University of Maryland School of Medicine from 2005 to 2011
• Outside interests include playing organized baseball and soccer and coaching soccer
• He and his wife, Heidi, have two children, Nicolette and Alassandra.

Callè A. Friesen
Assistant Professor of Education/Literacy Education
• Bachelor’s degrees in English and secondary education at Buena Vista University
• Master’s degree in teacher effectiveness and professional development with reading specialist designation at Drake University where she is also working on an EdD in cultural literacy and educational leadership
• Taught at St. Mary’s School in Storm Lake from 2006-2010 and as an adjunct instructor at BVU since 2010
• Outside interests include reading, theatre, quilting and textile art
• Wife to Byron and mom to four children: Zac, Jessica, Hannah, and Isaiah

Dr. Andrea Breemer Frantz
Associate Professor of Digital Media
• Native of Grinnell, IA
• Bachelor’s degree in English and German from Simpson College, where she majored in English and German
• Master’s degree in rhetoric and composition and PhD in rhetoric and professional communication from Iowa State University
• Was a mass communication instructor at BVU from 1989-1993 and taught English from 1996-1998
• Has also held faculty positions at Wilkes University and Robert Morris University
• Has received professional awards and honors, had scholarly work published, and has been a frequent participant in professional conferences
• Hobbies include salsa gardening, photography, reading, and singing.
• Husband is Mike Frantz, vice president for enrollment management at BVU, and has one daughter, Hannah, who is currently a senior at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania

Dr. Jennifer R. Seymour
Assistant Professor of Education
• Bachelor’s degrees in education studies, psychology and English interdisciplinary study and master’s in educational psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia
• Masters and PhD in educational psychology-cognitive science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Assistant professor of mathematics education at Iowa State University from 2005-2009
• Co-authored articles in academic publications
• Children are Brennan and Amelia
• Enjoys volunteering, boating, swimming, and reading

Dr. Miyuki Vamadevan Arimoto
Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Bachelor’s degree in law and master’s in law at Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan
• PhD in sociology at Washington State University
• Areas of academic interest include criminology, social deviance, juvenile delinquency and corrections, the sociology of gambling, and the sociology of the family
• Served as an adjunct faculty member at Eastern Washington University and Eastern Kentucky University
• Outside interests include traveling and running in marathons

Dr. Heather A. York
Assistant Professor of Biology
• Bachelor’s degrees in ecology, evolution and behavior, and Spanish linguistics from the University of Minnesota
• PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Kansas
• Academic specialty is Neotropical bat ecology
• Assistant professor of biology at Doane College since 2007 and also taught courses for the University of Kansas in Costa Rica and Peru
• A field biology and nature photographer with several published photos, including The New York Times and Discover Magazine Online
• Enjoys dog agility training and she and her husband, Walter, enjoy beekeeping as a hobby
• Has a daughter, Zoey, 3

NEW DEANS

Dr. Ashok Subramanian
Professor of Business and Dean of the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business
• Bachelor’s degree in chemistry from University of Bombay, India
• Master’s of business administration degree and PhD in management information systems from the University of Houston
• Served as chair of the Information Systems Department in the College of Business Administration at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, from 2005 to 2012
• Has consultant and has corporate experience
• Has authored and co-authored a number of published professional articles and has presented at conferences and seminars
• Worked with the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association in various capacities as an IT expert in business consulting and development and as a pro-bono consultant to the Missouri State Treasurer’s office
• He and wife, Julie, have three children: Alex, Devyn, and Ishan
• Enjoys carpentry, reading, golf, tennis, listening to jazz, and learning about the latest in technology devices and software

Dr. Paul Theobald
Professor of Education and Dean of the School of Education
• Nationally known scholar and expert on the history of education in the United States
• Bachelor’s degree in history from St. John’s University
• Bachelor’s in social studies education and master’s degree in history from Mankato State University, Minn.
• PhD in educational policy studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Taught in rural Minnesota public schools for seven years
• Faculty member and administrator at several universities including Texas A&M University, South Dakota State University, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Wayne State College, and Buffalo State College
• Published more than 50 journal articles and chapters, as well as three books
• Passionate about rural literature and saving great works for posterity through his national initiative, Rural Lit R.A.L.L.Y.
• Five children with his wife, Maureen: Nathan, Brianna, Carly, Renee, and Alayna