Religious Studies
Craig Wansink
Batten Professor of Religious Studies
Dr. Wansink is a professor of religious studies who also serves as Senior Pastor for the Second Presbyterian Church in Norfolk and a Board of Trustees member for Morningside University. His areas of research include Comparative Religion, Conflict Mediation, and Ancient Christianity and Ancient Roman Imprisonment. He holds a Ph.D., M.Phil., and M.A. from Yale University, an M.Div. from McCormick Theological Seminary, and a B.S. from Morningside University. He has also studied and worked in Japan, Jordan, Germany, and Israel.
He had the opportunity to dance — in the background — with the Stuttgart Ballet in a performance of Romeo and Juliet in Osaka, Japan.
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Science Education
Bill McConnell
Batten Professor of Education
Dr. McConnell is a professor of education with a concentration in science education. His research focuses on the teaching and learning of environmental science. He holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in science education and is involved in two environmentally-related grant-funded projects — one embedding environmental education into elementary classrooms across Pennsylvania and Virginia, another mapping extreme heat in Portsmouth to identify areas of critical need.
His passion for environmental science education grew out of a love of the beach and surfing. Now his whole family surfs — some of his favorite moments have been enjoying the ocean together.
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Journalism & Mass Communication
Lisa Lyon Payne
Batten Professor of Journalism & Mass Communication
Dr. Lyon Payne is a professor of Journalism and Mass Communication with research areas in Public Relations, Media and Communication, and Journalism. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, an M.S. from the University of Tennessee, and a B.A. from the College of William & Mary. She has worked as a public relations consultant, research analyst, and Editor of College Media Review.
She enjoys tennis, the beach, and time with her husband and two sons.
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Political Science
James Moskowitz
Batten Professor of Political Science
Professor Moskowitz teaches political science with research areas in Human Rights, U.S. Foreign Policy, and Research Methods — specifically Data Access and Research Transparency (DART). He holds an M.A. from Indiana University and a B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College. He has served as a debate moderator in local elections and consulted with precinct-level organizers for both parties.
His twin brother was a four-year starter for the Marlin tennis team. Senior year, the brothers were finally scheduled to play each other on the record for the first time. It rained. The match never happened.
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Earth & Environmental Science
Annika Quick
Batten Professor of Earth & Environmental Science
Dr. Quick is a professor of Earth and Environmental Science whose research sits at the intersection of hydrology and biogeochemistry, with a particular interest in human influences on nutrient cycling. She holds a Ph.D. from Boise State University and a B.S. and M.S. from Brigham Young University. She volunteers with the Elizabeth River Project and Keep Norfolk Beautiful, and is active in the Society for Freshwater Science and the National Association for Geoscience Teachers.
During grad school she had a side gig giving tours at a wastewater treatment plant — and loved every minute of it.
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English & Creative Writing
Gavin Pate
Batten Professor of English
Professor Pate teaches English with research areas in Creative Writing, Experimental/Hybrid Literature, and Horror Literature. He holds a B.A. from Guilford College and an M.F.A. from Naropa University. He works with The Muse Writers Center and Novel Writing, and regularly teaches Fiction Writing, American Violence, The Power of Horror, and Crime & Noir.
He is, by his own admission, an irrational fan of both Alabama Football and The Grateful Dead.
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Theatre & Women's Studies
Sally Shedd
Batten Professor of Theatre
Dr. Shedd received her Ph.D. in Theatre and Film from the University of Kansas and has trained at the National Shakespeare Conservatory and the American Conservatory Theatre. Since joining VWU in 1999, she has directed a wide range of productions including Into the Woods, Suddenly Last Summer, Medea, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Almost Maine. In addition to theatre courses, Dr. Shedd teaches in Women's and Gender Studies.
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Sport & Recreation Professions
Jill Sturts
Batten Professor of Sport & Recreation Professions
Dr. Sturts is an associate professor and chair in the Department of Sport and Recreation Professions. She received her B.A. from Baldwin-Wallace University, her M.Ed. from Bowling Green State University, and her Ph.D. from Indiana University. Prior to pursuing a terminal degree, she oversaw programming in campus recreation across multiple institutions. She has served on the faculty for the NIRSA School of Collegiate Recreation, as a board member for The Academy of Leisure Sciences, and on the editorial board of the Recreational Sports Journal. She also serves as Assistant Dean of the Jane P. Batten Honors College.
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Atmospheric & Environmental Science
Elizabeth Malcolm
Batten Professor of Environmental Science
Dr. Malcolm received her B.A. in Environmental Science from Earlham College and her Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Michigan's College of Engineering. Before joining VWU, she was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Princeton University in the Department of Geosciences. Her research focuses on the environmental transport and chemistry of trace metal pollution — particularly mercury. Undergraduate students in her laboratory have studied mercury cycling via sea spray, vegetated green roof impacts on runoff pollution, and mercury levels in Virginia dolphins. She teaches courses in meteorology, atmospheric science, climatology, and environmental chemistry.
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