Plymouth State University has honored five faculty members with prestigious professorships. The University recognized Jennifer Nelson, PhD, with the Ed and Marilyn Wixson Endowed Professorship of Mathematics; Samuel Miller, PhD, with the Colonel Craig Souza ’87 Endowed Professorship in Meteorology; James Hannon, EdD, with the Helen Abbott ’39 Professorship of Environmental Studies; and Jonathan Santore, PhD, and Christian Bisson, EdD, with the Stevens-Bristow Endowed Professorship. The funds allocated for each professorship will support research and projects within their respective fields for the next three years.
“Plymouth State University faculty members dedicate immense time and effort to ensure students succeed before, during, and after their time on campus,” said Nathaniel Bowditch, PhD, PSU provost and vice president for academic affairs. “This year, we are proud to recognize Jennifer Nelson, Sam Miller, Jamie Hannon, Jonathan Santore ,and Christian Bisson with these professorships. This exceptional group has demonstrated unwavering commitment to PSU and the community, embracing PSU’s Cluster Learning Model and ensuring that our students develop the skills needed to have a lasting, positive impact on their communities.”
Jennifer Nelson is an associate professor of practice in mathematics and acts as the co-coordinator for the Computational, Applied, Mathematical and Physical Sciences Academic Unit at PSU. With a passion for both mathematics and biology, she shares her wealth of knowledge by teaching algebra and statistics courses and participating in a long-term field study on the population of lady-slipper orchids in Connecticut. Driven by these interdisciplinary passions, Nelson has been instrumental in helping students achieve collegiate success both inside and outside of her classroom.
Created by longtime PSU mathematics faculty members Ed and Marilyn Wixson, the Wixson Endowed Professorship was made to celebrate and recognize mathematics faculty who are exemplary models of teaching, scholarship and service to PSU and within the community.
Samuel Miller is PSU’s meteorology program coordinator and is also a certified consulting meteorologist. Miller has worked at PSU for nearly 20 years and continues to guide both graduate and undergraduate students, in class and on research projects, to successfully execute and understand the applications for functional meteorology.
In addition to his work at PSU, Miller also serves as the chair of the American Meteorologist Society’s Board of Certified Consulting Meteorologists, primarily providing functional and useful weather information for civil liability cases in which weather may have played a factor.
Made possible through a generous gift from retired US Air Force Colonel Craig Souza ’87, the Souza Endowed Professorship was created to recognize and provide financial support to a deserving PSU faculty member who will research and present on the value of functional meteorology.
James Hannon is an associate professor in the department of Health and Human Performance at PSU, where he also serves as the adventure learning graduate programs coordinator. Passionate about the outdoors, Hannon brings his experience working as an environmental educator and wilderness trip leader in Maine, as well as a patrol leader in Alaska, to PSU students as he guides them on multi-day adventure field experiences.
Created by Janice Griffith, current professor of law at Suffolk University in Boston, to honor her friend, teacher, and mentor, Helen Abbott, for her commitment to youth environmental education, the Abbott Professorship of Environmental Studies recognizes an exemplary PSU faculty member who integrates elements of environmental studies into their coursework or research.
Jonathan Santore is a professor of Music Composition and Theory at PSU, where his work has earned him both the Award for Distinguished Scholarship and the Distinguished Teaching Award. In addition to his teaching and scholarship, Santore has served in various administrative roles, including at both chair and coordinator levels, and he currently co-leads the Visual and Performing Arts Academic Unit.
Christian Bisson is a professor of adventure education and a program coordinator for PSU’s adventure education program where he teaches undergraduate students the technical skills needed for navigating the wilderness. Prior to his work with PSU, Bisson taught outdoor education to a variety of populations ranging from elementary and high school students to college graduates. He has also taught and led many expeditions all over North America, Nepal, and Australia.
Established in 2007 by alumni Wallace R. Stevens and Meredith Bristow Stevens, the Stevens-Bristow Endowed Professorship honors exceptional faculty members who demonstrate excellence in teaching, advising or mentoring; engages in scholarly activity that is recognized nationally or internationally; and makes outstanding contributions to the profession, university, or state.
