Freshman Success Faculty Council
Promoting academic success of first-year students.
The Freshman Success Faculty Council is a standing committee appointed by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The Council provides college-wide leadership on efforts to promote the academic success of first-year students. Council activities and initiatives may include: 1) the identification of innovative teaching pedagogies, inclusive teaching, and other “best practices” that engage freshman in classrooms, studios, and laboratory learning, 2) promoting out-of-class activities including research and professional activities, 3) sharing strategies with teaching colleagues for identifying “at risk” students and intervention methods for students with academic and personal challenges.
Lee Ann Brown
Lee Ann Brown is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics with 26 years of
teaching experience. Her degrees include a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and
a Master of Science in Applied Mathematics, both from Oklahoma State University. She
has taught a variety of freshman level mathematics courses as well as courses designed
for elementary education majors, at OSU and at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Her current assignment is teaching and coordinating MATH 1813, Preparation for Calculus.
Her coordination of MATH 1813 includes providing resources to maintain consistency
across sections and offering teaching guidance to instructors of the course that serves
over 1000 students each year. Her teaching efforts have also included the design and
instruction of online math courses.
Jacinta Mutambuki
Dr. Jacinta Mutambuki, the Edward Bartlett Professor of Pedagogy in Chemistry, joined the Department of Chemistry
at OSU in fall 2018 at the level of an assistant professor from the Washington University
in St. Louis, where she completed her postdoc training. She holds her Bachelor’s degree
in Science Education (Chemistry/Math) from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, and a
masters’ and a doctorate degree in Chemistry-Chemical Education and Science Education/Chemistry,
respectively. Mutambuki’s research interests span evidence-based classroom instructional
approaches, inclusive teaching practices, authentic research-based laboratory curricula,
and investigations on the effects of these pedagogies on students’ performance, cognitive
and affective outcomes, and persistence in chemistry and other STEM disciplines. Prof.
Mutambuki teaches the General Chemistry course, a gateway course with an enrollment
ranging between 200-270 students per class, required for students who have declared
a major in STEM programs. She is also interested in teaching graduate courses in Chemical
Education.
Joe Haley
Dr. Joe Haley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics. Before joining the OSU faculty
in 2013, Haley received B.S. degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University
of Washington and a Ph.D. in Physics from Princeton University. In addition to his
active research program in high-energy physics at CERN, he is known for his "high-energy"
personality. He is passionate about promoting science education and outreach and has
taught all levels of university courses. Most recently he has been teaching the honors
add-on class for introductory physics. He is also the faculty advisor for the OSU
Society of Physics Students and organizes annual outreach events for Oklahoma high-school
teachers and students.
Catilin Barnes
Dr. Catitlin Barnesis an instructional designer for CAS Outreach and works with faculty to create high-quality
online courses. She is licensed to teach biology, physical science, earth and space
science in grades 6-12, has taught in higher education for over six years and is a
certified instructional designer and course assessor. Dr. Barnes holds a B.S. in Geology,
an M.S. in Teaching, Learning, and Leadership in Secondary Science Education, and
a Ph.D. in Environmental Science with a specialty in Hydrogeology, all from Oklahoma
State University. She currently teaches two online, general education courses at OSU,
which are Environmental Geology and Planetary Geology. Barnes started working at OSU
in 2008. She spent a year with the Department of Languages and Literatures, five years
with the NASA Education Projects, and four years with the OSUTeach program. Her research
interests and publications lie within hydrogeology, science education, and online
educational practices.
Thomas Wikle
Dr. Thomas Wikle is Associate Dean for Instruction and Academic Programs in the College of arts and
Sciences and a professor in the Department of Geography. For more than 30 years he
has taught a large introductory section of physical geography. Dr. Wikle has served
as principal investigator or co-principal investigator for eight STEM-related projects
funded by the National Science Foundation and has published widely on education and
career preparation topics. Since 1994, he has organized and led summer field courses
throughout the U.S., Europe, and North Africa and in 2012 he served as an instructor
for OSU’s “Cowboys in Cambridge” program.
Amy Martindale
Dr. Amy Martindale is Assistant Dean for Student Academic Services for the College of Arts and Sciences,
a position she has held since 2009. Martindale graduated from the University of Central
Arkansas with a bachelor of science in psychology and completed the Honors College
minor in interdisciplinary studies. She then earned a master of arts in psychology
from Texas Tech University. While working as Associate Director of Academic Scholarships
for the University of Arkansas, she completed her doctorate in higher education leadership.
Her dissertation and subsequent publication in the Journal of College Student Retention
analyzed the effectiveness of a program to help students with academic scholarships
meet their scholarship requirements and successfully begin their sophomore years.