California Lutheran University Welcomes Nine New Faculty
Nine new faculty will be welcomed at California Lutheran University when classes begin on Wednesday, Aug. 29. Along with new faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, and the School of Business, CLU recently welcomed a new Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences -- Joan Griffin, Ph.D. (The school from which the faculty member received his/her terminal degree is in parentheses).
College of Arts and Sciences:
Ariane Balizet, Ph.D. (University of Minnesota)
Assistant Professor, English Department
Joan Griffin, Ph.D. (Harvard University)
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Grady Hanrahan, Ph.D. (University of Plymouth)
Assistant Professor, Chemistry Department
Steven Hawkins, Ph.D. (University of Southern California)
Associate Professor, Exercise Science and Sports Medicine
Will Jonen, Ph.D. (The Ohio State University)
Visiting Assistant Professor, Exercise Science and Sports Medicine
Seth Wagerman, Ph.D. (University of California, Riverside)
Assistant Professor, Psychology Department
Don Waisanen, M.A. (Pepperdine)
Instructor, Communication Department (halftime)
School of Business:
Renee Rock, M.A. (Cal State Northridge)
Senior Lecturer, School of Business
School of Education:
Michael Cosenza, M.Ed. (California Lutheran University)
Instructor, School of Education
Maura Martindale, Ed.D. (University of Southern California)
Senior Lecturer, School of Education
Ariane Balizet
Assistant Professor, English Department
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Ariane Balizet specializes in medieval and Renaissance British literature, drama and poetry. Her scholarly interests include Shakespeare, histories of gender and sexuality, the Reformation in literature, Siglo de Oro Spain, representations of Jews in medieval and early England, and ideas of home and homeland. She has published articles on Shakespeare and film, religion and gender in Shakespeare’s plays, and 17th century metaphysical poetry. After receiving her B.A. in English literature from Pomona College, she received her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. She is currently working on a book titled Blood on the Early Modern Stage: Marriage, Murder, Mythmaking.
Michael Cosenza
Instructor, School of Education
M.Ed., California Lutheran University
Prior to becoming an educator, Michael Cosenza spent several years in New York City working in the financial services industry as a bank manager, compliance officer, training director, and vice president. After moving to California in 1995, he earned his California Teaching Credential and master's degree at California Lutheran University. He then taught elementary school in Moorpark Unified School District and served as a strategic planning facilitator and coordinator for their Gifted and Talented Students Program. Cosenza earned a B.A. in American Government from Queens College of the City University of New York. He is currently working on his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at CLU.
Joan Griffin
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Ph.D., Harvard University
Joan Griffin comes to CLU with experience in a variety of academic and leadership roles at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. At Augsburg, she was been a trusted faculty leader who spent 15 years on the Faculty Senate, eight of which she served as chair. She also took leadership roles in the Honors Program and was co-author of the institutional vision statement. Dr. Griffin received her bachelor¹s degree from Washington University. Her master’s degree and Ph.D. in Celtic Languages and Literatures are from Harvard University. In addition to medieval literature courses, she has also taught British literature and composition courses. Prior to working at Augsburg, she taught at Wartburg College and Lakeland College, and served as a teaching fellow at Harvard.
Grady Hanrahan
Assistant Professor, Chemistry Department
Ph.D., University of Plymouth (England)
Grady Hanrahan received his undergraduate degree from Indiana State University, his M.S. from Southern Illinois University, and his Ph.D. in Environmental Analytical Chemistry from the University of Plymouth in England. With experience in directing undergraduate research, he has taught in the fields of environmental and analytical chemistry at California State University Los Angeles. His research interests include the design and development of miniature analytical systems for the measure of aquatic species and biomolecules, and the use of chemometrics for experimental design optimization.
Steven Hawkins
Associate Professor, Exercise Science and Sports Medicine Department
Ph.D., University of Southern California
Steven Hawkins earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Emporia State University in Kansas, and his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. His academic expertise is in exercise physiology, while his research interests include aging and bone health. Hawkins joins the ESSM Department after teaching eight years at California State University, Los Angeles.
Will Jonen
Visiting Assistant Professor, Exercise Science and Sports Medicine Department
Ph.D., The Ohio State University
Will Jonen earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. His academic expertise is in exercise physiology and his research interests are in the area of skeletal muscle physiology, specifically the relationship between physical activity, skeletal muscle plasticity and the mechanisms underlying muscle regeneration in young, adult and aged organisms. Jonen is serving in the ESSM Department while on leave from a tenure-track position at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.
Maura Martindale
Senior Lecturer, School of Education
Ed.D., University of Southern California
Maura Martindale joins the School of Education faculty in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program. She received her B.A. in history from Amherst College, her M.Ed. from Smith College, and her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from USC. She taught general education students in public schools in Connecticut before teaching and leading programs at John Tracy Clinic for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and in the USC graduate program. Her specialization is in teaching spoken language to children with hearing loss and parent education.
Renee Rock
Senior Lecturer, School of Business
M.A., Cal State, Northridge
Renee Rock, a 1997 graduate of CLU, began her career as a grant-writing consultant for a local nonprofit organization. After entering an MBA program, she went to work for a venture capital company developing business and marketing plans for high tech startup companies. In 2002, she started her own communications company and has worked with an impressive list of clients including Toyota, Honeywell and Fleetwood. She recently earned her M.A. in rhetoric and composition from Cal State Northridge where she has taught composition courses for the past year.
Seth Wagerman
Assistant Professor, Psychology Department
Ph.D., University of California, Riverside
After recently completing his Ph.D. in social personality with an emphasis in statistics and research methods at University of California, Riverside, Seth Wagerman joins the Psychology Department as an assistant professor. He received his B.A. in psychology from California State University Northridge and his M.A. in psychology from UC Riverside. He has published articles and made presentations on his research on the dynamic interaction of persons with situations.
Don Waisanen
Instructor, Communication Department (Half-time)
M.A., Pepperdine University
Don Waisanen completed his B.A. from Westmont College and his M.A. from Pepperdine University where he received the Outstanding Graduate of the Year Award. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in communication at USC’s Annenberg School where he was recently selected as the Walter Fisher Scholar in Communication. A Coro Fellow in Public Affairs, he has worked as an associate editor for a national broadcasting company, researching and writing for syndicated shows at more than 100 radio stations. He also worked at the Genocide Prevention Center in Washington, D.C. His research interests are in rhetoric and public affairs, political entertainment, social movements and civil society, religious communication, and media ecology.