Retirements: Northern Kentucky University, Greater Cincinnati Region

NKU would like to express its gratitude for the invaluable contribution that the following faculty have made to this university. We wish to congratulate them on their retirement!

College of Arts and Sciences

Michael King

School of the Arts

Theatre and Dance Program

Mike King specializes in Shakespeare, stage dialects, and acting methodology, and teaches a wide variety of courses including all levels of stage performance, theatre history, script analysis, and his beloved One Person Show course. As the director of the Y.E.S. Festival of New Plays, Mr. King helped with the world premiere of over sixty plays and musicals on NKU stages over the past forty years.

Bruce McClure

Department of Political Science, Criminal Justice, and Organizational Leadership

Bruce served our students, especially Pre-Law and BA in Law students, for 27 years where he has been a valued, highly respected member of the department. He has assisted countless students in their applications and preparation for law school and the Bar exam; his impact on our community is seen in courtrooms all across the region, and probably the country and he will be greatly missed.

Hilary Landwehr

Department of World Languages and Literatures

During her 35-year career at NKU, Dr. Hilary Landwehr has been a key member of the Spanish program teaching at all levels of the curriculum. She has served in many important roles in the Department of World Languages and Literatures, including WLL Webmaster, the Foreign Language Coordinator in the Literature and Language Department, and the Kentucky Coordinator for the National Spanish Exam.

Rudy Garns

Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Philosophy

and Integrative Studies

Though a Philosopher by training, Rudy represents the very essence of the best of interdisciplinary teaching and learning and is known across campus for his collaborative, inviting approach to problem solving and serving students. For over 30 years, he has challenged the norms of academia, making us all better at what we do and his presence at Starbucks will be sorely missed.

Mel Peterson

Department of Mathematics and Statistics

During Mel’s 12 years at NKU, he has been instrumental in teaching introductory statistics coursework, as well as coordinating STA 205 offerings. His previous career experience at Procter & Gamble has been an incredible asset in the classroom as it provides real-world application to the concepts taught in the course.

Haile College of Business

Denise Luethge

Department of Management

Completed her PhD from Indiana University in 1987 and taught at 6 schools including Doshisha University in Japan. While at NKU, Denise served for 3 years as Chair of the Management Department, had a prolific career as a teacher and researcher and had an avid commitment to service to both the Department and HAILE College of Business.

Nancy Lang

Department of Accounting, Economics, and Finance

After many years of dedicated service to the field of economics and economics education, Nancy Lang’s retirement marks the end of an era, leaving behind a legacy of valuable insights and inspiring teaching that have helped shape the minds of countless students. Nancy began her career at NKU in 1983 and she has left an indelible mark on the economics program and students for decades and will be sorely missed.

College of Education

Lynne Smith

Department of Teacher Preparation and Educational Studies

Dr. Lynne Smith joined NKU in 1988 as an assistant professor of literacy education and has since achieved a multitude of accolades, such as the Milburn Outstanding Professor Award in 2006 and the Alumni Association’s Faculty and Staff Strongest Influence Award in 2017. She has been a leader in the region and across the state in elementary literacy, as demonstrated by over 20 years of work with the Kentucky Reading Project.

Susan Griebling

Department of Teacher Preparation and Educational Studies

Dr. Sue Griebling joined NKU in 2012 as an assistant professor of early childhood education. She has provided the College of Education invaluable expertise from an extensive career with Head Start to her teaching and research related to experiential learning in preschool programming.

College of Health and Human Services

Deborah Patten

School of Allied Health

As an associate professor in the Respiratory Care program, Debbie’s teaching interests have focused on simulation education and the incorporation of High Impact Practices in her courses. Her research interests have been centered around simulation-based education, Interprofessional education (IPE) and smoking cessation initiatives.

College of Informatics

Charles Frank

School of Computing and Analytics

Chuck Frank, who earned his MS from Carnegie Mellon University and his PhD from the University of Virginia, has been a member of the Computer Science faculty at NKU for 43 years. He has also served as a visiting professor at esteemed domestic and international universities, and as a globe trotter, he has traveled to over 65 countries with plans to visit 100 in total.

Gregory De Blasio

School of Media and Communication

Greg DeBlasio has been the foundation of our public relations program for the last 18 years. He has been a champion of helping students gain real-world experience by arranging for them to work with class clients and by encouraging them to develop a broader worldview through leading various study abroad classes.

W. Frank Steely Library

Jennifer Smith

Library Services

Dr. Smith for forty years guided the Teacher Resource Collection in Steely Library through many transformations and locations. She served on many notable American Library Association Committees – Newbery Award Committee, Notable Children’s Book Committee, and Theodor Geisel Book Award Selection Committee, and she was the initiator and long-term leader of the Kentucky Bluegrass Awards Program in which Kentucky school children selected the winning book award.

Faculty Retirements

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