New Faculty for 2018-19 at Mars Hill University

Mars Hill, NC (08/21/2018) — Mars Hill University began classes for its traditional program on Tuesday, August 21, 2018, and along with new students, the university also welcomed new full-time faculty for the 2018-19 academic year.

Sharon Bigger, Visiting Associate Professor of Nursing.
Bigger is certified in hospice and palliative care as well as nursing professional development. She has bachelor's degrees in nursing and in sociology, and a master's degree in philosophy and religion, and is completing a Ph.D. in nursing at East Tennessee State University. Her practice background is in both hospice and community health at the local, regional, and international levels.

Chrystal Cook, Lecturer of General Studies.
Cook has been an adjunct instructor at Mars Hill since 2013, and moves to a full-time role this fall. She also has taught at UNC Asheville and AB Tech Community College. Rev. Cook is a minister who officiates weddings and guest speaks in pulpits on weekends.

Sue Fair, Visiting Assistant Professor of Fine Arts.
Fair was born in Asheville, North Carolina, and is a graduate of West Henderson High School, Florida A & M University, and Florida State University, from where she holds a graduate degree in theatre education. She also served her country in the Army Reserves for eight years as an intelligence officer, specifically prisoners of war intelligence. Fair has worked professionally at Gardner-Webb University as the theatre arts department interim chair, instructor, designer, and managing director. She has worked at Flat Rock Playhouse, Tallahassee Community College, and Young Actor's Theatre. Fair has been involved in theatre for 30 years with over 50 performances under her belt and has been teaching professionally for 20 years. Her true love is theatre education and inspiring people of all ages with the wonders of live theatre.

Audrey Martin-McCoy, Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment.
Martin-McCoy holds a Ph.D. in educational research and policy analysis from North Carolina State University. She most recently worked as director of research and evaluation for the North Carolina State Board of Education. She is married to Jonathan McCoy.

Jonathan McCoy, Instructor of History.
McCoy is a Mars Hill alumnus from the class of 1992. Following a 24-year career as a high school teacher and coach, he joins the MHU faculty as an instructor of history and facilitator for an African-American studies program that is under development. McCoy is married to Audrey Martin-McCoy.

Misty Shane, Visiting Assistant Professor of Nursing.
Shane says she has a passion in caring for children and families, and has experience in travel nursing working in various neonatal and pediatric ICUs in North Carolina including Duke University and Mission Hospital. Her experience in nursing education began in 2010 and includes working as an adjunct clinical instructor in the community college setting for 4 years and 3 years fulltime in an A.D.N. and Practical Nursing Program. Shane's teaching philosophy includes being a caring, and compassionate educator. She values the importance of student success through demonstrating these caring attributes with each student encounter.

Robert Zinna, Assistant Professor of Biology.
Zinna earned his Bachelor's of Science in Biology at Winthrop University. From there he worked as an imaging technician for the Medical University of South Carolina, before completing his Ph.D. in Entomology from Washington State University, where he worked on the evolution of insect weaponry. He spent two years as a Postdoctoral Research and Teaching Fellow at the University of Arizona studying how mosquitoes respond to Zika virus and teaching at Pima Community College. Zinna's professional interest include insects (obviously), bioinformatics, insect endocrinology, and phenotypic plasticity.

Heather Zurburg, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice.
Zurburg joined the university last year and moves full-time into her faculty role for the fall semester. She earned her bachelor's degree in criminology from the University of Florida, her master's in criminal justice from Florida Atlantic University, and her Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice from Florida State University. This summer she brought to Mars Hill an opportunity for criminal justice students to work with the federal government's Human Smuggling & Trafficking Center (HSTC) in the fight against human trafficking.

Two recently retired faculty return on an interim basis to fill vacant positions:

Mike Robinson, Visiting Associate Professor of Music.
Neil St. Clair, Visiting Professor of Musical Theatre.

Other new faculty for 2018-19 include:

Jeddidiah Griffin, Assistant Professor of Biology.
Andreja Lukic, Assistant Professor of Social Work.
Cynthia Nicholson, Lecturer of Spanish.

Photos of the following faculty are available:

Sharon Bigger: https://www.dropbox.com/s/w5to4uk6xrzui8k/sharon-bigger_1.jpg?dl=0
Sue Fair: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4zuiw3zsj8pwetr/sue-fair.jpg?dl=0
Audrey Martin-McCoy: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ko8j2cql1myz2az/audrey-martin-mccoy.jpg?dl=0
Jonathan McCoy: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1xt6xu4dw44e6ze/jonathan-mccoy.jpg?dl=0
Misty Shane: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hup3tsq303869sr/misty-shane.jpg?dl=0
Neil St. Clair: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0svnz392990h1rv/neil-stclair.jpg?dl=0
Robert Zinna: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0crdzsdty2ma5x0/robert-zinna.jpg?dl=0
Heather Zurburg: https://www.dropbox.com/s/u1wzu2seslu4yut/heather-zurburg.jpg?dl=0