About Grantham University

University Administration and Faculty

University Administration

Mr. Joseph C. McGrath, President
Dr. Marilyn Bartels, Provost
Mr. Kip Esry, Vice President of Human Resources
Ms. Lori Turec, Chief Marketing Officer
Mr. Les Hyde, Vice President of Admissions
Dr. Jeffrey Cropsey, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives
Mr. Ed Sammarco, Vice President of Finance
Mr. Jeff Bramblett, Chief Information Officer
Mr. Roman Yagnitinsky, Vice President of Financial Aid
Ms. Karan Krna, Vice President of Compliance
Ms. Jayne Ritzinger, Chief of Staff
Dr. Cheryl Hayek, Associate Provost/Vice President of Faculty & Student Experience

Faculty

Grantham University’s mission is to provide accessible, affordable, professionally relevant degree programs in a continuously changing global society.  The University’s programs prepare its graduates for a variety of career fields.  A key component to student success and the University’s overall curriculum is the faculty.  The University’s faculty is comprised of full-time faculty members, who focus on teaching, curriculum development and design, and student advising; and part-time faculty members, whose primary responsibility is teaching.

Provost/Chief Academic Officer

Marilyn Bartels, Ph.D.
Dr. Marilyn Bartels, Provost and Chief Academic Officer, holds a Ph.D., in Speech within the School of Communications from Southern Illinois University. She has more than twenty years experience in higher education administering and growing online education. Her leadership skills include accreditation, regulatory compliance and developing new colleges and universities. Described by many as a master online teacher of faculty, the student experience is her focal point. She has experienced working in university settings that offer strong support to the military. In addition to senior roles in higher education of responsibility, Dr. Bartels has professional experience in business such as: public relations, marketing, employee communications, healthcare and telecommunications. She maintains a successful track record of forming corporate and community partnerships by providing strategic planning, fundraising and organizational development.

Vice President of Faculty & Student Experience and Associate Provost

Cheryl Hayek, Ed.D.
Cheryl Hayek, Vice President of Faculty & Student Experience and Associate Provost, holds a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from Northcentral University and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from William Paterson University.  Dr. Hayek has been working in the education field for over twenty years; her experience includes curriculum writing, course development, faculty development, and instruction. For the past ten years, she has focused her career on helping the adult learner reach his/her academic goals.  Her current responsibilities focus on best instructional practices and VIP² recognition in faculty development.

Academic Deans

Niccole Buckley, M.B.A.
Niccole Buckley, Dean of the Mark Skousen School of Business holds a Masters of Business Administration from Webster University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Park University. Ms. Buckley works closely with other faculty in the Mark Skousen School of Business to update and enhance courses in that area.

Paul Illian, Ph.D.
Dr. Paul Illian, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, holds a Ph.D. in Adult Education from Capella University and a Master of Science in Adult Education and a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education/History, both from Kansas State University.  Dr. Illian comes to Grantham University with a well developed background in education administration and instruction.  In addition to a distinguished 21-year military career, his background includes administering remote college campuses, teaching ground and online courses, and serving as an Academic Dean.

Susan S. Fairchild, Ed.D., APRN
Dr. Fairchild, Dean of the School of Nursing, holds a Doctor of Education in Higher Education from Nova Southeastern University with a Minor in Curriculum Design and Instruction and an MSN-Ed from Barry University with a Minor in Administration. Additionally, she holds a BSN and a master’s degree in Adult Education from Florida International University. Dr. Fairchild has over 35 years experience in Nursing, both as practitioner and educator.

Cynthia G. Akagi, Ph.D.
Dr. Cynthia Akagi, Associate Dean of the School of Allied Health, holds a Ph.D. in Human Ecology, with an emphasis in health education, and a Master of Science in Family Life Education and Consultation, with an emphasis health education, from Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS. Dr. Akagi has more than fifteen years of experience in health education.

Michael Erwin, M.A.
Mr. Michael Erwin, Dean of Curriculum and Publishing, holds a master’s degree in Adult Education with emphasis on Distance Education from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Aided Design with emphasis on Virtual Reality. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Business Administration with emphasis on E-Commerce.  Mr. Erwin comes to us with a long background in educational facilitation and leadership, recently working as the Executive Dean of an online and graduate school. His background in teaching and administration for online and on-ground campuses spans 15 years and includes subject matter expertise in a variety of technological areas.  Mr. Erwin also co-wrote an online self-study for the Higher Learning Commission that was recently showcased as a best practice at the higher learning conference.   His in-depth knowledge of digital delivery and andragogy will complement our curriculum model.

Directors

Russell Perkins, M.S., M.A., Registrar
Russell Perkins, Registar, holds a Master of Arts in Military History from Norwich University, a Master of Science in Information Management-Project Management from Grantham University, and a Bachelor of Arts in United States History from Graceland University.  He also holds a Six Sigma (Green Belt) Certification from the Institute of Industrial Engineers.  He has served various colleges and universities in the areas of residence life, academic tutoring, student advising, project management, business analysis, course design, and online instruction in student success and military history.

Todd Ritter, M.S., Institutional Research
Todd Ritter, Director of Institutional Research, holds a Master of Science degree in Psychology from Utah State University.  He has been working in education measurement for more than 15 years with the past 10 years in instructional design, education consulting, project management and performance improvement.  Mr. Ritter’s work in Performance Improvement has been recognized by the International Society for Performance Improvement by awarding a CPT (Certified Performance Technologist) designation.

Chair

Tina Freestone, M.A.
Tina Freestone, Chair of the Criminal Justice Programs, holds a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from the State University of New York at Albany.  Ms. Freestone teaches in the Criminal Justice programs and works closely with other faculty in the Criminal Justice programs to update and enhance courses in that area.

Full-Time Faculty

Alexander Ames, Ph.D.
Dr. Alexander Ames holds a Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from St. Louis University, a Master of Arts in English Language and Literature from the University of Alabama and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Studio Art from the University of Missouri, Columbia. Dr. Ames teaches English in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Chase Cookson, MBA
Charles Cookson holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Grantham University and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Anthropology from the University of Kansas. Mr. Cookson teaches a variety of business courses, including business and society, introduction to operations and quality management, leadership in organizations, and training and development.

Linda Catlin, M.L.I.S.
Linda Catlin holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Missouri-Columbia.  She serves as the University’s Librarian.

Matt Diggs, M.A.
Matt Diggs holds a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science from the University of North Texas.  Mr. Diggs teaches the capstone seminar that all multidisciplinary degree students must complete for their degree.  He also teaches a variety of social science electives in the College of Arts and Science.

Robert Tracy, M.S.
Robert Brent Tracy holds a Master of Science in Computer Studies from Northwest Missouri State University and a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Central Missouri.   Mr. Tracy teaches Computer Science in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Stephanie Phillips, M.S.
Stephanie Phillips holds a Master of Science in General Psychology from Walden University and is working on her dissertation for her Ph.D. in Psychology.  Ms. Phillips is the developer of Grantham’s current psychology course electives.  She teaches in the College of Arts and Science.

Timothy P. Goss, M.A.
Tim Goss holds a master’s degree in English with a focus on Composition Studies from Emporia State University and a Bachelor of Arts in English Creative Writing from Washburn University.  Mr. Goss is the author and developer of Grantham University’s writing program and continues to expand and develop current and upcoming courses. He also teaches in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Faculty

Alireza Torabian, Ph.D., University of Waterloo
Amr Elchouemi, Ph.D., University of Louisiana – Lafayette
Anna Villena, Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco
Bari Courts, Ph.D., Capella University
Bashar Elkhatib, Ph.D., Ferris State University
Bruce Bayley, Ph.D., Utah State University
Craig Smith, M.P.A., Troy State University
Cyril Ritter, M.A., Canyon College
Dexter A. Malley, M.S., University of New Orleans
Gary Minor, M.A., Seattle University
Jayson Sayers, M.S., North Central University
Julia Smith, D.S., Robert Morris University
Joshua Ozymy, Ph.D., Texas Tech University
Kay Taila, M.A., University of Oklahoma
Kimberly Carter-Cram, Ph.D., University of California – Los Angeles
Patricia Hudon, M.A., Webster University
Sandy Trout, M.B.A., Marymount University
Sangeeta Theru, M.S., Texas A&M University
William Anderson, Ph.D., University of Missouri- St. Louis

(This is not a complete list; it includes a sampling of the degrees and experience our faculty members possess. Complete List of Part-time Faculty)