Faculty

Gretchen Rumohr-Voskuil, M.Ed., Ph.D.
Phone: (616) 632-2872
E-mail: gretchen.rumohrvoskuil@aquinas.edu

Twitter: @RumohrVoskuil

Office: AB 309

Gretchen Rumohr-Voskuil is an Assistant Professor of English and serves as director of the Inquiry and Expression program. She earned her B.A. from Hope College and her M.Ed. from Aquinas College. Her doctoral studies at Western Michigan University involved a critical examination of the history, rhetorical force, and application of the term "best practice." One of her main research interests is the teaching of writing, and she has explored concepts such as peer review, audience, teacher development and technology within this context. Aside from her investment in the Inquiry and Expression program, Dr. Rumohr-Voskuil teaches literature, literature methods, and writing methods at Aquinas. Her scholarly work has appeared in Language Arts Journal of Michigan, Teaching Literature in Virtual Worlds: Immersive Learning in English Studies (Routledge 2011), and The Doctoral Degree in English Education (Kennesaw 2009), but she is most proud of her four daughters: Nola (8), Marcelle (5), Andra and DeeDee (twin toddlers).

Dan Brooks, Ph.D.
Phone: (616) 632-2068
E-mail: brookdan@aquinas.edu

Office: AB 359

Dr. Brooks is currently the Coordinator of General Education, Director of the Humanities Program, and Professor of English at Aquinas College. In addition to Humanities, he has taught in the freshman year Inquiry and Expression program and a variety of English courses, including 20th century British, Irish, and American literature, the Grammar of Modern English, and several introductory survey and genre courses. Brooks earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Binghamton University (N.Y.) in 1988 and joined the faculty at Aquinas in 1989. He is also the faculty advisor for The Saint.

Brent Chesley, Ph.D.
Phone: (616) 632-2830
E-mail: cheslbre@aquinas.edu

Office: Holmdene 311

Dr. Chesley earned his Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame. He joined the faculty of Aquinas College in 1987. Dr. Chesley teaches 17th- and 18th-Century British Literature and Creative Nonfiction. He is known around campus for his belief that Pride and Prejudice is the best novel ever written in English. He also has a special interest in helping students to prepare their creative nonfiction for publication. When he is not busy writing his own creative nonfiction, Dr. Chesley follows the fortunes of his favorite automotive racing team, Ferrari.

Jennifer Dawson, Ph.D.
Phone: (616) 632-2828
E-mail: dawsojen@aquinas.edu

Office: Holmdene 308

Jennifer Dawson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English, earned her B.A. in English from the University of Michigan, and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Michigan State University with an emphasis on Early American Literature and Victorian Studies. She taught at Michigan State University and Grand Valley State University before joining Aquinas College's faculty in 2001. While her main area of scholarly interest is American Literature and culture before 1900, her academic passions include studying women writers, conduct manuals, periodical literature, captivity narratives, letter writing and all aspects of cultural history. In 2008 and 2011, she applied her background in Irish Literature and History to co-directing the AQ Ireland program. Over the years, she has been active in Student Affairs: co-chairing the President's Academic Integrity Committee in 2007 and helping with the Common Reading Program which she began chairing in 2010. Being appointed Associate Dean of Student Affairs in 2011 formalized this commitment to fostering student development and promoting academic integrity. Currently, Dawson balances her schedule between teaching and working in the Dean of Students Office. Off campus, she is an avid reader, an ardent organic gardener, and a busy mother of two very active children who share her dream of returning to Ireland.

Michelle Derose, Ph.D.

Phone: (616) 632-2826

E-mail: derosmic@aquinas.edu

Office: AB 358

Michelle Derose joined the English department full-time in 1999 to use her PhD from the University of Iowa in post-colonial literature and theory to teach the world and African-American literature courses. She is also the co-director of the Insignis Program for Honors students and has twice served as the faculty member for the Ireland program. An active poet, she has published both original poetry and scholarly work on poetry. An avid bicyclist who always wears a helmet, Michelle also loves canoeing, camping, hiking, and cross-country skiing with her husband and son.

Gary Eberle, M.A.
Phone: (616) 632-2829
E-mail: eberlgar@aquinas.edu

Office: Holmdene 309

Gary Eberle, professor of English, is the author of several books, including The Geography of Nowhere: Finding One's Self in the Postmodern World (Sheed & Ward, 1994); Angel Strings, a novel (Coffee House, 1995); A City Full of Rain, short stories (Xlibris, 2001); Sacred Time and the Search for Meaning (Shambhala, 2003); and Dangerous Words: Talking About God in the Age of Fundamentalism (Boston: Shambhala/Trumpter, 2007). His most recent book is Aquinas College the First 125 Years, a history of Aquinas College. Eberle has twice been selected by the Student Senate as Outstanding faculty member of the year, and in 1994 he received an award from the Aquinas College faculty for outstanding scholarship. He developed the Insignis Program for Honors Students in 1985 and directed it for 12 years. His journalism and fiction have won awards locally and nationally, and his novel Angel Strings was named a “best book” by the New York Public Library in 1997. Active professionally, he has been president of the Mid-East Honors Association, the Michigan Honors Association, and was an officer of the Michigan Association of Departments of English. In 2011-2012, he was Master of the Revels for Aquinas College's 125th anniversary celebrations. A more extensive biography and critical notes may be found in the on-line version of Contemporary Authors.

Sara Haviland

E-mail: smh006@aquinas.edu

Wendy Marty, M.A.

E-mail: martywen@aquinas.edu

Wendy Marty teaches GE 170 at Aquinas. She has a BA in English and Education from University of Michigan, MAT work from Oakland University in Reading, and an MA from Grand Valley State University in English and Education. She has been a Learning Assistance Professional at Aquinas, Academic Supervisor for Grand Rapids Public Schools Loop After School program, and currently works independently as an Academic Coach helping students to develop facility in organization, writing, academic reading comprehension, study skills, and test taking including ACT, SAT, GRE, and GMAT.

Michael Miller, M.A.

E-mail: mdm002@aquinas.edu

Office: AB 309

Michael Miller attended Western Michigan University and received his B.A. in Creative Writing with a double major in Medieval Studies. He attended the University of Southern California where he earned his Masters of Professional Writing. After USC he worked in Los Angeles and New York for the Entertainment Industry as a Development Assistant and Writing Collaborator and also as the director of operations for a Business Management CPA firm. Michael has taught as an adjunct at Aquinas since the spring semester of 2010 and also teaches at Grand Rapids Community College and Davenport University. When he is not teaching he is an avid writer having published poetry, short fiction, and essays with numerous one-act play productions, awards, and several screenplays optioned for production consideration to his credit.

Lynnea Page-Jenkins, MFA
E-mail: lfp001@aquinas.edu

Office: AB 309

Lynnea Page-Jenkins attended Western Michigan University and received her B.A. in Creative Writing with a double major in Women's Studies. She also received her M.F.A., with an emphasis in poetry, from WMU. While at Western she worked for New Issues Poetry and Prose as an assistant editor. She volunteered for Third Coast Magazine as a poetry editor for two semesters and taught English as an adjunct for three semesters, this will be her fourth fall. Lynnea has been teaching adjunct at Aquinas two years, this will be her third fall. She has also been teaching at Grand Rapids Community College for going on three years. Lynnea has a fiver-year-old daughter and loves to run.

Brian Parsons, M.Ed.
E-mail: bcp002@aquinas.edu

Office: WC 107

Brian Parsons has been with Aquinas College since the Fall of 2009. In addition to teaching Inquiry and Expression he also teaches the Student Development classes for first-year students. He earned a B.A. from DePauw University and completed his M.Ed from the University of Cincinnati with a focus in Secondary Education. Prior to joining Aquinas, Brian spent five years teaching high school English in Cincinnati, Ohio. When not at Aquinas, Brian and his wife try to keep up with their four-year-old daughter and one-year-old son.

Molly Patterson
Phone: (616) 632-2841
E-mail: pattemol@aquinas.edu

Office: Holmdene 221

Molly Patterson joined the Aquinas faculty in fall of 2005. She completed her graduate work in political science at the University of California, Irvine. Her political science interests include participatory forms of democracy, citizen education and development, and issues of power and social justice.

Elizabeth Shelley
E-mail: ejs001@aquinas.edu

Office: AB 309

Beth Shelley has worked at Aquinas since 2007 and teaches Inquiry and Expression and Business Communication. She earned her Bachelor's degree in English from Albion College, where Shakespeare became a passion. After a few years in Washington State and South Korea, she returned to Michigan and earned her Master's degree in English from Grand Valley State University. Beth, her husband, and one-year-old daughter live in Grand Rapids.

Mariette Van Garderen, M.Ed.
E-mail: mjv002@aquinas.edu

Office: Wege 110

Mariette Van Garderen has been working at Aquinas since 2009 and supports the Inquiry and Expression department through her work as a writing consultant at the Writing Center. She earned her B.A. from Calvin College where she studied Art Education and Spanish. Having an interest in technology and learning, Mariette earned an M.Ed in General Education with an emphasis in Education Technology from Grand Valley State University. Mariette has previous experience teaching adult learners in ESL, General Education, and Visual Communications.

Bradford Winkler, J.D.
Phone: (616) 632-1997
E-mail: bradford.winkler@aquinas.edu

Office: AB 55

Bradford Winkler has been at Aquinas since 1979. He is a graduate of Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1996. He also holds degrees from Bowling Green State University and Michigan State University in student affairs administration. He served in student affairs positions at Aquinas as Director of Residence Life from 1979-87, Associate Dean of Students from 1987-90, and Dean of Students from 1990-2008. Since 2008, Brad moved full-time to the faculty as Associate Professor In-the-College. He is a licensed attorney in the Michigan and federal courts. He teaches a variety of law classes in Political Science, Business Administration, Graduate Management, Education, Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. He also teaches a section of Inquiry and Expression and coordinates the Moot Court class in which students compete against other undergraduate students in appellate argument. He serves as an advisor to students preparing for legal careers and serves as advisor to the Pre-Law Club.