CLAFLIN - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Office Manager
- Senior Administrative Assistant
Job Titles:
- Business Administration, 2020
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator / AP Summer Institute
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Economics
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Education, Interim Chair, School of Education
Dr. Broughton brings a background of STEM education knowledge from the NASA space center and Hampton University. He has also has worked for the State Department of Education as an Education Associate/ regional coordinator for South Carolina First Steps 4K. While earning his doctorate from the University of South Carolina, Dr. Broughton served as an adjunct professor at Newberry College, Benedict College, and University of South Carolina. Dr. Broughton is a children's author, illustrator, and inspirational speaker who has traveled across the country conducting interactive workshops with teachers, students, and paraprofessionals. Dr. Broughton also has also worked for the South Carolina State House with Representative Joe Jefferson. His is a certified trainer for the South Carolina Center for Child Care Career Development.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Chemistry / Environmental Science
Dr. Anthony Rizzuti is passionate about his role as teacher, advisor, and research mentor. His extensive professional experience and training gives Claflin's School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics a distinct edge in the field of environmental science.
Biography
Dr. Rizzuti has a deep commitment to the field of environmental science (in both teaching and conducting cutting-edge research). This commitment has led to securing almost $3,000,000 in external funding, writing numerous publications, and ensuring the successful matriculation of several undergraduate and graduate students.
Dr. Rizzuti conducts research mainly in the field of environmental remediation. His extensive research experience has focused on the remediation of bodies of water polluted with several different types of contaminants (i.e., BTEX, MTBE, nitrates, phosphates, textile dyes, and heavy metals) from various industrial activities. He is currently working on developing cost-effective, environmentally friendly heavy metal remediation technologies. Traditional heavy metal waste removal techniques such as ion exchange and precipitation, reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, lime coagulation, and adsorption using activated carbon and lime ash are not efficient because they are costly and have high energy input requirements. Metals may not be completely removed when these methods are applied, and toxic sludge can be generated. Dr. Rizzuti's research has been extremely successful. He has demonstrated that organic materials (such as peats) and agricultural industry waste products (i.e., soybean hulls) work extremely well at removing (biosorbing) heavy metals from aqueous solutions. His research has demonstrated that biosorbent materials can be regenerated for re-use, and adsorbed metal ions can possibly be recovered from the biosorbent material (Volesky 2007). In addition, biosorbent materials are cost effective, efficient, do not require much energy input, and do not produce toxic sludge. Lastly, biosorbent materials can be repeatedly re-used for additional heavy metal biosorption cycles. Hence, they should not become a hazardous waste disposal problem. Biosorbent materials can be utilized in several applications as inexpensive, reusable, pre-treatment industrial water filters.
Education
1992 B.S. (Geology) University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
1995 M.S. (Environmental Geology) University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
2001 Ph.D. (Environmental Geology) University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
Research Interests
Environmental Science
Environmental Remediation
Biosorption
Bioremediation
Phytoremediation
Environmental Geology
Coal and Peat Petrology
Freshwater and Marine Swamps, Marshes, and Wetlands
Hydrology of Peat-containing Wetlands
Using Peat-Containing Wetlands to Assess, Monitor, and Remediate Environmental, Chemical, Industrial, and Agricultural Pollution
Utilizing Peats and Agro-Industrial Waste Products to Remediate Various Types of Water Pollution
Experience
Dr. Rizzuti came to Claflin University in 2002 after an extensive graduate and post-doctoral experience at the University of South Carolina (USC) in Columbia, SC. During his time at USC, Dr. Rizzuti completed University Classroom Teaching Training and the Preparing Future Faculty Program. In addition, he prepared and taught several geology labs and several individual geology seminars and lectures. He conducted numerous environmental remediation research projects with Dr. Arthur Cohen, who is a world renound scientist in the field of peat-containing wetlands and coal-forming environments. Dr. Rizzuti worked with Dr. Cohen in the area of environmental uses of peats and peat-containing environments. He excelled with Dr. Cohen, receiving both his masters and doctorate degrees, along with producing several peer-reviewed publications. In addition, he continued his post-doctoral research with Dr. Cohen and continues to collaborate with him since his departure from USC, resulting in several more peer-reviewed publications. During his time at USC, Dr. Rizzuti received numerous awards for his teaching and research efforts. Dr. Rizzuti started at Claflin as an Assistant Professor. Then in 2010, he was promoted to Associate Professor and received tenure. During his time at Claflin University, Dr. Rizzuti has continued to excel and grow as an environmental science teacher and research mentor. He has engaged, advised, and helped numerous undergraduate and graduate students matriculate into successful scientists. They have all made several conference presentations and some have peer-reviewed publications as a result of their efforts with Dr Rizzuti. In addition, they all have gone on to have successful careers or are enrolled in various graduate degree programs. Lastly, Dr. Rizzuti has secured almost $3,000,000 in external funding for Claflin University.
Rizzuti, A.M., Cohen, A.D., Hunt, P.G., & Vanotti, M.B. (1999) Evaluating peats for their capacities to remove odorous compounds from liquid swine manure using headspace "solid-phase microextraction". J. Environ. Sci. Health Part B; B34(4), 709-748.
*Lancaster, D.J., & Rizzuti, A.M., 2010. Extracting textile dyes from contaminated water using soybean hulls, rice hulls, and highly characterized peats. Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students, November 10-13, Charlotte, NC.
Rizzuti, A.M., & *Nguyen, D.D., 2007. Utilizing soybean and rice hulls as activated carbons to remove heavy metals from contaminated water. 233 rd American Chemical Society National Meeting, March 25 - March 29, Chicago, IL.
Rizzuti, A.M., & Cohen, A.D., 2000. Assessing water flow through peat-containing wetlands using hydraulic conductivity and micropetrography. GSA Abstracts with programs, 2000 Annual Geological Society of America Meeting November 9-18, Reno, NV, 32(7), p. A287.
Rizzuti, A.M., & Cohen, A.D., 1995. Irradiating peat: What effect does this have on its ability to extract BTEX and cadmium from contaminated water? GSA Abstracts with programs, 1995 Annual Geological Society of America Meeting, November 6-9, New Orleans, LA, 27(6), p. A88.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Professor of Mass Communications Chair of the Department of Mass Communications
While a graduate student at Regent University, Gough was part of the production team that produced the film, Bird in a Cage,that went on to receive the Best Student Film Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in Los Angles, California. Gough also worked on the program,Newsight, that aired on the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN).
After graduating from Regent University, Gough went to Mars Hill Productions in Houston, Texas. She served as the Production Coordinator and Casting Director for the independent film, Without Reservation. The film went on to win the Chris Award from the Columbus International Film Festival, two Crown Awards, including Best Evangelistic Film, and the Silver Award for Best Short Dramatic Film from the Houston International Film Festival. From there, she worked for VPI Communications in Bryan, Texas as a Television Commercial Writer and Producer.
Gough was invited to join the faculty at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. There, she was responsible for teaching and overseeing the student produced newscasts, ECU News, for both radio and television, ECU Tiger Football for KTEN Channel 10 Television, Assignment: Radio ECU for KGOU-FM, and a host of other commercials and special projects for the university, including directing three main theatre productions, Little Shop of Horrors, The Man Who Came to Dinner, and Saul and Sam and the Song and Dance Man: Improvisations on a Theme from Samuel. Gough received outstanding teaching awards from the Oklahoma Speech Theatre Communication Association and the Central States Communication Association.
Gough is the Founder and served as the first President of the South Carolina Media Education Association (SCMEA). The purpose of the SCMEA is to promote quality media education in the State of South Carolina, to provide a venue for faculty and students to present their research and projects and to provide a means for faculty and students to receive quality feedback from media professionals. This is the third statewide education organization of which Gough has served as President. She was President of the Oklahoma Speech Theatre Communication Association (OSTACA) and served briefly as the President of the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association (OBEA). She currently serves as the SCMEA Treasurer.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of English
Dr. Root has been teaching at the college level since 2003, and although the bulk of his teaching experience involves freshman composition, he considers himself more at home in the literature classroom.
Biography
Dr. Root was born in Northern Virginia, 50 miles south of Washington, D.C. His dad worked for the Department of Defense and his mom is an art teacher. He has an older brother who works in insurance. People laugh when he tells them that he did not have cable TV until he was a teenager and that, for eighteen years, he did not have air conditioning or central heat in his house. Needless to say, he did not live high on the hog, but he thinks that not having much fueled his work ethic, which contributes to a message he always try to convey to his students: natural talent only takes a person so far. He is proof of this, as he is much more diligent and persistent than he is talented (at least he believes).
He married my wife in June 2015 and moved to Orangeburg in August 2015 to teach at Claflin University, and he can honestly say that it is the best place he has ever worked. Outside of the classroom, he enjoys archery, listening to music (old school rap, 80's rock, and funk), cooking, reading, and collecting sports cards and autographed memorabilia.
Education
Bachelor's Degree: Virginia Tech, 2002
Master's Degree: The Florida State University, 2005
Ph. D: The University of Georgia, 2010
Research Interests
Autobiography
18th century British Literature
Humor in Literature
Professional Wrestling
English History
Rap Music
African American Literature
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President
- Chairman of the Missouri Dr. Martin Luther King
Dr. Warmack was appointed as Chairman of the Missouri Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Statewide Commission in 2015 and served as Chairman for four years. He previously served on the boards of the Cortex Innovation Community, the Saint Louis Science Center, the St. Louis Regional Chamber, St. Louis Muny, the Greater St. Louis Area Council Boy Scouts of America and Millennium Leadership Initiative Executive Steering Committee. Other past board memberships include the United Way of Greater St. Louis, Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA) Foundation, and the Alumni Board of Directors for Delta State University. Dr. Warmack is a peer reviewer with the Higher Learning Commission, the largest regional accreditation body in the United States.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Music Theory
Dr. Robins joined the Department of Music at Claflin University in 2018 following a year teaching at his alma mater, Stetson University, in DeLand, Florida. He earned his Masters and Ph.D. in Music Theory from Florida State University after spending six years teaching high school band in Central Florida.
Dr. Robins's primary research area is popular music, but he also has extensive interest in form and music theory pedagogy. As a former high school teacher band director, he values the musical skill sets he imparts to his students, particularly in aural skills classes.
Education
Ph.D. in Music Theory and Composition - Florida State University
M.M. in Music Theory and Composition - Florida State University
B.M.E - Stetson University
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Economics
Dr. Jasina has been employed at Claflin University since August 2005 in the School of Business.
Biography
Dr. Jasina received his Ph.D. in Applied Economics from Clemson University. His areas of specialization include applied microeconomics, industrial organization, financial economics, econometrics and times series analysis. Prior to attending Clemson University, Dr. Jasina attended West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics.
While at Claflin, Dr. Jasina has taught courses in Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Business Statistics, Quantitative Methods and Managerial Economics. Dr. Jasina also teaches graduate level courses in the Master of Business Administration program. In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Jasina is actively involved in School of Business and University activities.
Education
Applied Microeconomics
Sports Economics
Industrial Organization
Financial Economics
Economic Development and Growth
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Spanish
Dr. Juan Carlos Hernández came to Claflin University with a long teaching record.
He has taught Spanish language and culture courses at Emporia State University, The University of British Columbia, Prince George´s Community College, and Portland State University.
Job Titles:
- Provost
- Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Job Titles:
- Academic Computing Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Music
- Writer of Article
Dr. Keith is energetic, insightful, and dedicated to helping her students reach their full musical potential. She possess an unconditional commitment to teaching which motivates students to strive for excellence.
Dr. Laura J. Keith is an accomplished music educator, having taught elementary general music and as a middle and high school choral director. She currently serves as Associate Professor of Music at Claflin University, Orangeburg, South Carolina, teaching music education, piano, and honors thesis. Recently, Dr. Keith has been awarded a grant from the Humanities Council SC and has presented lecture-recital series in the spring of 2013. Prior to joining Claflin, Dr. Keith was the Choral Director at Westside High School where her students performed for the school, the community, participated in the South Carolina All-State Chorus and choral festivals in Florida, New York, New Orleans, and the Bahamas. She has served as the middle school clinician for Richland County School District One in Columbia, South Carolina, Spartanburg District Number Seven in Spartanburg, South Carolina and the Lower Region High School Choral Festival at Claflin University, Orangeburg, South Carolina. She was voted "Teacher of the Year" for Anderson School District Number Five in Anderson, South Carolina, 1980.
Several of her former students are presently music teachers on various levels. During the fall of 2001, she traveled to the People's Republic of China as a guest lecturer and spent two weeks in Beijing teaching courses on American music at Capital Normal University. Dr. Keith received the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Howard University, Washington, DC, the Master of Music Education degree, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education degree from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. She is a member of College Music Society and National Association for Music Education.
Education
Bachelor of Music Education, Howard University, Washington, DC
Master of Music Education, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Research Interests
Developing good choral music education for public school students
History of African Americans and their influence on American music
Experience
Richland County School District One Middle School Honors Chorus, Columbia, South Carolina, January 2008
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Student Development & Services
Job Titles:
- Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Job Titles:
- Professor of English
- Professor of English Chair of Department of English
Dr. Mitali P. Wong is a tenured professor of English at Claflin University. A naturalized American citizen, Mitali Wong is originally from Kolkata in India. She has lived in the United States for over thirty years.
Biography
Dr. Mitali P. Wong has taught university courses in the United States, Canada, and India. She is married to Dr. Eugene F. Wong, a retired professor. They have two daughters Paramita and Sumitra who are scientists. Mitali Wong is interested in cooking, reading, exercise, and pets. She enjoys helping people and making new friends.
Dr. Wong received her Ph.D. in English from the University of Manitoba in Canada.She has studied eight languages. She received the James E. Hunter Award for Excellence in Teaching in 200, and the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2015. In 2012 and 2013, she served as project director for a National Endowment for Humanities grant for $99,992. She has also received other smaller grants including UNCF Mellon grants in her previous institution and at Claflin University. She wrote Claflin's funded proposal for the US-India Knowledge Initiative project with the University of Calcutta. The funded amount is $242,000. She has also served as editor of other funded grants for Claflin University. Mitali Wong has published articles on Christopher Marlowe, Canadian poet Robert Kroetsch, Asian American writer Bharati Mukherjee, women in Indian films, and the Chinese feminist writer Zhang Jie. Her most recent book is The English Language Poetry of South Asians (2013) .Research for this book was partially supported by one semester of sabbatical leave and a summer research grant at Claflin University. She has published Politics and Tropes in Renaissance History Plays(2006). She is the first author of The Fiction of South Asians in North America and the Caribbean (2004) co-authored by Dr. Zia Hasan. All of her published books were partially supported by summer research grants at Claflin. Mitali Wong is jointly contracted with for a book on Sri Lankans' Views on English in the Colonial and Post-Colonial Eras, and is currently working towards a book contract for a co-edited anthology on contemporary South Asian poetry.
Mitali Wong's philosophy of teaching incorporates a variety of learning styles. Her methodology of undergraduate instruction emphasizes step-by-step process as basic to students' research and writing. She uses a variety of teaching techniques to keep students actively involved with the course content. She stresses the importance of innovative hands-on student-generated projects to foster lifelong independent learning. Her lesson plans are crafted to meet the needs of each learning group especially with regard to building critical thinking skills. She incorporates intensive writing and research methods into all her courses as a foundation for independent scholarly research in graduate school.
Advisement with frequent conferencing is a very important aspect of Mitali Wong's teaching methodology. She is available to students after 5 p.m. and on weekends if they need to contact her Advisement encourages excellence by monitoring students' progress very closely. She is committed to the belief that nurturing university students in a pleasant and friendly environment builds their trust and self-confidence in Claflin's academic programs.
Education
Ph.D. in English, University of Manitoba,Winnipeg, Canada
M.A. in English, Jadavpur University,Kolkata (Calcutta), India
B.A. (Honors) in English, University of Calcutta , Kolkata (Calcutta), India
Postdoctoral research training: Project on South Asian and Asian American women writers, Department of Comparative Literature, University of Georgia,
Languages studied: Classical: Latin, Sanskrit. European: French, German, Spanish Asian: Hindi, Bengali, Oriya.
Research Interests
South Asian Literature
Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century British Literature
Gender Studies
Postcolonial Studies
Experience
Dr. Mitali Wong has taught in three countries and has developed her teaching philosophy based on her observation of the needs of students. In the United States, she has taught in private and public colleges in the states of Connecticut, Georgia, and South Carolina. She has developed her student-centered teaching methods based on her experiences with students in three states.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Political Science
- Professor
Dr. Yousuf is a versatile professor whose expertise in International Studies enlivens his conversations and his classes. He contributes to Claflin in many ways, including his current role as a coordinator in the Department of Social Sciences.
Education
Ph.D., International Studies, University of South Carolina.
M.A., Political Science, Villanova University, Pennsylvania.
Research Interests
International relations (South Asia, the Middle East)
Nuclear weapon proliferation
Dr. Randall H. Harris has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology since January 2004 after a three year post doctoral fellowship at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH. During his fellowship, he identified proteins important in the chinchilla innate immune system during infection and gained valuable experience in infectious disease animal modeling. He received his PhD from the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he was trained in molecular bacteriology studying regulatory genes utilized by Mycobacterium tuberculosis to cause tuberculosis.
Dr. Harris has taught several courses in the Department of Biology undergraduate curriculum including General Biology I, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Biotechnical Methods. He has also taught Genetic Engineering I and II to the graduate students in the Master of Biotechnology program. His research focuses on host antimicrobial peptide and pathogen interactions, biofilm formation, and heavy metal bioremediation. The lab uses both forward and reverse genetics to identify bacterial genes involved in these processes and to elucidate gene function.
Education
Post Doctoral Fellow, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, 2000-2003
PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL Microbiology, 2000
BS, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, Biochemistry with honors, 1992
Research Interests
Host antimicrobial peptide and pathogen interactions
Biofilm formation
Heavy metal bioremediation
Genetics of bacterial pathogenesis
Job Titles:
- Director, Career Pathways Program
Job Titles:
- Interim Vice Provost for Academic Programs
Job Titles:
- VP Planning, Assessment & Information Services
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees, International Conference of Advancement in Management
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Chairman of the Board / Managing Partner, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Vice Chair of the Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President / CEO, Find Great People
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Chairman, Building and Grounds Committee / President / CEO MCA Architecture, Inc
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Governance Committee
- Member of the Board
- Chairman, Governance Committee / President / CEO, American Services Technology, Inc
Job Titles:
- Instructional Technology Coordinator
- Instructional Technology Coordinator for Academic Affairs
Job Titles:
- Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Member of the Board
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Development Committee
- Member of the Board
- Chairman, Development Committee / Former Executive, at & T
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President, Sage Valley Golf Club
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President, Aflac Group Insurance Executive Vice President / Chief Operating Officer, Aflac U.S
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Chief Operating Officer, Zoom
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Chief Executive Officer, Courtesy Management Inc
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Secretary of the Board / Executive Director, Clyburn Scholarship and Research Foundation
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Member of the Board
- Secretary of the Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Manager of Government Affairs, URS Corporation
Job Titles:
- Executive Administrative Assistant to the President
Job Titles:
- First Year Academic Advisor
Job Titles:
- First Year Academic Advisor
Job Titles:
- Coordinator of Experiential Learning / Molecular Science Research Center
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Senior Pastor, New Creation United Methodist Church, Durham, NC
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Superintendent, Hartsville District
Job Titles:
- Us & Student Freedom Initiative
Job Titles:
- Chief of Staff
- Vice President
- Special Assistant to the President
- Vice President for Fiscal Affairs
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Chairman of Budget and Finance Committee
- Treasurer of the Board Chair, Budget and Finance Committee / President / CEO, Association of Graduates, U.S. Air Force