HONORS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty and Staff
- Academic Counselor and Instructor
Andrea Bradley is a native of Stillwater who holds a Ph.D. in English. Her fields are eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century British literature, but she enjoys teaching courses in a variety of periods and movements, particularly the literature of the First World War and the Golden Age of detective fiction. She is a former Regional Co-Coordinator of the Jane Austen Society of North America and the Society's current chair of its Grants Committee. She sits on the Selection Committee of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence; other organizations include the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, Phi Beta Kappa, and National History Day as well as the Host and Operations Teams at Life.Church Stillwater.
She loves to read, walk in her neighborhood and the OSU Botanic Gardens, do yardwork and embroidery, write letters to far-off friends, and enjoy her three cats. More than all of these, she loves to spend time with her family, which includes five nieces and a nephew. She is very slowly learning to play pickleball.
Dr. Bradley is committed to helping students make the most of their time at the university, by both excelling in their chosen programs of study and pursuing things simply for the sake of beauty and learning. She is most energized by working with students to improve their writing and find a work of literature that speaks to them. She will talk books as long as you like (and maybe longer).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty and Staff
- Academic Counselor
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty and Staff
- Academic Counselor
Dr. Luna is the Thoma Scholars Campus Coordinator for Oklahoma State University. She holds a BS and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her educational background includes a year studying abroad in the U.S. through the Smithsonian Pre-doctoral Fellowship and in Brazil through doctoral funding. She has taught Epistemology at high-school level and have extensive experience in writing scientific publications.
She has been part of outreach programs for children and families (Team member of Escuela de Animales; content developer for Inteligencia Animal). She has also developed and published an art catalog that captures the Latino experience during the pandemic. Her former roles as an educator, researcher and coordinator, have helped her advocate for students and address their needs, while offering guidance and support in a safe environment. She looks forward to forge deep and meaningful connections, where the students can reflect on their obstacles and their growth and celebrate their achievements.
Celeste enjoys spending time with her husband and her dog Dima, drawing nature and trying new baking recipes.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty and Staff
- Academic Counselor and Instructor
Dr. Thomas holds Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Philosophy, a Master's in Public Health, and a Doctorate in Sociology. Since 2016, she has taught various courses in health and sociology, including Total Wellness, Introduction to Sociology, Sociology of Aging, Social Problems, and Social Psychology. For the Honors College, she has taught Mapping Mental Illness and Cults in American Society, and plans to soon teach Divided Cities, Divided Lives: Why Where You Live Matters. Additionally, she served as the co-instructor for Place-As-Text: Central Mexico and a USDA Justice Challenge Field Course on food justice.
Her prior research focused on adolescent suicidality and identifying barriers to care in rural communities. Currently, her scholarly work explores the influence of place and space on mental health, income, and educational outcomes.
Over the past decade, she has contributed to complex epidemiological and ethnographic research projects, collaborating with various tribal, SAMHSA, IHS, and DOJ initiatives that examine the effects of poverty, culture, substance abuse, mental health, educational attainment, and isolation. Dr. Thomas has also presented her work at conferences such as the SAMHSA Native Connections Suicide Prevention Regional Conference, the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition Annual Conference, the Newberry Consortium in American Indian Studies, and various tribal, regional, and national events.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Member of the Faculty and Staff
- Teaching Assistant
- Teaching Assistant Professor 001 Old Central
John Andrews is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Honors College at Oklahoma State University. He completed his BA in Writing at the University of Central Arkansas, his MFA in Creative Writing at Texas State University, and his PhD in English at Oklahoma State University. John's scholarly work focuses on fostering creativity and belonging within honors curriculum. His artistic work focuses on LGBTQIA experience within the genres of contemporary poetry and nonfiction. His first book of poetry, Colin Is Changing His Name, was a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award. He is currently writing his second book of poetry and researching how City-As-Text (Place-As-Text) curriculum impacts retention in first year honors students. He has taught The Poetics of Pop Culture, Place-As-Text: OSU, Place-As-Text: Stillwater, Place-As-Text: Central Mexico, Let's Get Creative: Odyssey of the Mind, Introduction to Creative Writing, and Composition I&II.
His current role includes teaching, advising, and the administrative responsibility of working with K-12 Outreach programs. As a K-12 educator and mentor, John has engaged K-12 students through Odyssey of the Mind, Junior Sciences and Humanities Symposium, Oklahoma State Science and Engineering Fair, Arkansas Governor's School, Upward Bound, and Austin Bat Cave. He also had the privilege of being named a C.D. Marshall Scholar at Texas State University through which he taught high school poetry workshops in Lockhart, Texas. John is passionate about connecting Honors with K-12 students to not only help scholars realize their full potential, but also inspire the next generation of interdisciplinary researchers, innovators, and artists in Oklahoma and beyond
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty and Staff
- Associate Dean of the Honors College
- Dean and Professor of Plant Biology, Ecology, and Evolution
- Dean and Professor of Plant Biology, Ecology, and Evolution 101 Old Central
- Dean of the Honors College
- Director of the Honors Program at WVU
Keith Garbutt is Dean of the Honors College and a professor of Plant Biology, Ecology, and Evolution at Oklahoma State University.
Garbutt received both his B.Sc. [Hons.] and Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Wales, UK. In 1980 he came to the U.S. and did postdoctoral work at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and at Harvard University before moving to West Virginia University in 1987 as an assistant professor. Shortly after receiving tenure in 1993 he became Chair of the Department of Biology, a position he held until 2000. In 2000 Garbutt's work in innovation in undergraduate education led to his being named the Eberly Family Distinguished Professor for Outstanding Teaching. As a botanist Garbutt's work focuses in the main on population biology, eco-physiology and genetics of plants; his research has been supported by awards from NSF, USDA, EPA, and other external sources.
In 2000 Garbutt was appointed Director of the Honors Program at WVU. A short six years later, the WVU Board of Governors approved the creation of the Honors College and Garbutt was named Dean. At WVU each residence hall has a faculty member, known as the Resident Faculty Leader, who lives either in an apartment in the hall or in a house adjacent to it. Garbutt and his wife elected to be the resident faculty for Honors Hall and served as Resident Faculty from 2009-2014. In this position they offered academic and cultural programs to the students and provided (in the secular sense) pastoral support to the students.
Since becoming a full-time administrator his scholarly concerns have moved to issues of education and Honors administration. He has written and presented on issues such as the impact of merit aid on socioeconomic diversity, support for first-generation students and student leadership. His most recent publication is, "Living in Hogwarts" in 2015 co-authored with C. Garbutt, in the NCHC monograph "Housing Honors" eds. Frost, Kay and Poe. Garbutt serves as the Chair of the National Collegiate Honors Council Science and Mathematics Committee and also serves on the Finance Committee and is a member of the Board of Directors.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty and Staff
- Teaching Assistant
- Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State University
- Teaching Assistant Professor 001 Old Central
Dr. Nicole Colston is an teaching assistant professor at Oklahoma State University (OSU) in the Honors College and affiliated faculty in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management (NREM). As a member of the Honors K-12 Outreach, Nicole serv es as Director of OSU Invitational for Science Olympiad, the Oklahoma State Science and Engineering Fair (OSSEF) and the Oklahoma Envirothon.
Dr. Colston has a MA degree in Communication Studies from the University of Miami, and a Ph.D in Environmental Science from OSU. She is a science communication expert and network scholar who explores the pathways and partnerships for increased public participation in STEM learning. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has generously and consistently supported her research related to two domains of expertise, (1) youth and community science related to environmental monitoring and climate change, and (2) STEM career and identity development of youth in Oklahoma.
Dr. Colston is most passionate about models of citizen science that engage diverse audiences and stakeholders in scientific dialogue and learning and developing interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to address water challenges.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty and Staff
- Associate Dean and Professor of English
- Associate Dean and Professor of English 101 Old Central
- Associate Dean of the Honors College
Richard Frohock is the Associate Dean of the Honors College and a Professor of English at Oklahoma State University.
Dr. Frohock recieved his BA from the Colorado College, graduating with Phi Beta Kappa honors, before going on to complete his MA and PhD in Literature at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His educational background also includes a year of high school and a year of college studying abroad in Germany. After receiving his Ph.D. from UCSB, Dr. Frohock started at OSU in 1996 as an Assistant Professor of English. During his time at OSU, he has held various administrative positions, including Director of First-Year Composition (2006-2012) and Head of the English Department (2013-2017).
As a literary scholar, Dr. Frohock researches colonial American and early Caribbean history and literature, and his publications include the books Heroes of Empire: The British Imperial Protagonist in America, 1596-1764 (University of Delaware Press, 2004) and Buccaneers and Privateers: The Story of the English Sea Rover, 1675-1725 (Delaware, 2012). He he is currently writing a book on English pirate stories of the early eighteenth century. As an instructor, he has taught a wide array of undergraduate and graduate courses in early American literature, eighteenth-century British literature, and Atlantic World history. Additionally, he has led OSU study-abroad courses to Trinidad and Tobago, and to Cambridge, UK.
Dr. Frohock joined the Honors College in the summer of 2017. In his new position, he will work to develop programs that provide academic support and non-traditional programing for students in the Honors College, including study away courses, community engagement opportunities, student leadership, and peer mentoring programs.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty and Staff
- Teaching Assistant Professor 147 Stout Hall
- Teaching Associate Professor
Stephanie Miller is a Teaching Associate Professor in the Honors College. Her home department is English. She completed her BA in the Honors Program at Denison University (Granville, Ohio) and her PhD at the University of York (York, U.K.). Dr. Miller's scholarly work focuses on modern and contemporary American literature and culture. She has taught Introduction to Literature, American Literature (1865-Present), British Literature (1910-Present), Literatures in English (1910-Present), The Short Story, Composition I and II, Critical Analysis and Writing I and II, The Story of Lizzie Borden: Axe Murder in American Culture, Flash Fiction, Place as Text: Singapore (Study Abroad), and Tornadoes in American Culture. Her role in the Honors College entails teaching, advising, and administrative responsibilities, such as overseeing the honors experiential learning (xL) program. She is also the current president of the Gamma of Oklahoma chapter of national honor society Phi Beta Kappa.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty and Staff
- Program Manager
- Program Manager 101 Old Central
Ebonie joined the Honors College in January 2010. She attended OSU as an undergraduate where she earned an Honors College Degree in Public Relations. After graduation, she served as an admissions counselor in Undergraduate Admissions at OSU. Ebonie is excited to be a part of the Honors College and is dedicated to helping students achieve academic success.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty and Staff
- Academic Counselor
Kerri Farnsworth-Hoback joined the Honors College staff in August, 2024. She earn ed her BA in Biology from Carroll College in Helena, Montana. After several years of teaching middle school math and science, she completed her master's degree in Biological Sciences at Montana State University and her doctorate in Rangeland Ecosystem Science at Colorado State University. Before moving to Stillwater in 2014, she was a Professor of Biology and Teacher Education at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Dr. Farnsworth loves learning, puzzles, knitting, and playing ukulele. She is inspired to help students reach their full potential in her role as an academic advisor and member of the K-12 outreach team.
Job Titles:
- Director of Ambassador Education Star Ambassador Sophomore
Job Titles:
- Executive Administrative Assistant
- Member of the Faculty and Staff
- Administrative Assistant 101 Old Central
Shelley joined the Honors College Staff in August of 2015. She is from St. Paul, MN and graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. She very much enjoys working in the Honors College and being surrounded by the honors students and their excitement for learning.