Eight Hood Faculty Members Promoted or Approved for Tenure

FREDERICK, Md., — Eight Hood College faculty members were promoted and/or approved for tenure during the Board of Trustees meeting in March.

“It was my honor to present these eight candidates to the Board of Trustees, for each of them epitomizes Hood's mission to empower and serve our students,” said Debbie Ricker, Ph.D., provost at Hood. “Each colleague is not only a treasured educator and scholar on our campus, but they are also renowned regionally and nationally for their achievement and innovation in education, nursing, counseling, economics, and sociology. Hood College is so fortunate to have them as part of our community!”

Approved for promotion to professor:

• Jennifer Cuddapah, Ed.D., associate professor of education
• Laura Moore, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology
• Tricia Strickland, Ph.D., associate professor of education

Approved for tenure and promotion in rank to associate professor:

• Andrew Campbell, Ph.D., PCPC, NCC, assistant professor of counseling
• Jennifer Cooper, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, CNE, assistant professor of nursing
• Rebecca Grove, Ph.D., assistant professor of education
• Megan Shaine, Ph.D., NCC, LCPC, LPC, assistant professor of counseling
• Ryan Safner, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics

Jennifer Cuddapah, Ph.D., who earned tenure and was promoted to associate professor in 2015, has since continued to excel as a teacher and scholar, teaching undergraduate, master’s and doctoral courses in a wide variety of topics. Since 2015, she has had six publications, with six more currently under revision. She has delivered presentations at national conferences, such as the National Science Teachers Association and American Educational Research Association.

Laura Moore, Ph.D., received unanimous support from her department for promotion in rank of full professor, which noted that she “personifies the best in undergraduate teaching in the liberal arts.” Moore began her career at Hood College in 2002, earning tenure and being promoted to associate professor in 2008. She also served as the Andrew G. Truxal Endowed Chair from 2019 to 2021. As a teacher, Moore has served the sociology department by teaching 13 of the 23 courses offered in the program, spanning several substantive areas.

Tricia Strickland, Ph.D., joined Hood in August 2011 as an assistant professor and earned tenure along with a promotion to associate professor in 2017. Dr. Strickland’s expertise lies in the field of special education, and her courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels reflect this professional strength. Her scholarly contributions fall within the field of mathematics for students with disabilities and focus on curriculum design, inclusivity and culturally responsive practices. For two years, she served as Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. Strickland is also a board member of the Maryland Council for Exceptional Children, holding positions of President, Past-President, Representative to the Representative Assembly, and currently, Treasurer.

Andrew Campbell, Ph.D., was hired in the fall of 2015 as the program director of Hood College’s graduate program in counseling, and served in the role until 2021. Under his leadership, the program has exceeded its enrollment projections and has become one of the most competitive graduate programs at Hood. Campbell spearheaded a successful CACREP accreditation process, as well as the MSDE certification process for the College’s counseling program. Campbell also worked in partnership with other counseling faculty to secure a $2.2M grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to help fund the graduate studies of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Jen Cooper, DNP, joined Hood in the fall of 2016. Cooper is the department’s clinical expert relative to community health, public health and the emerging discipline of population health. Her publications and presentations are consistent with American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) scholarly expectations in the field. She received the Nursing Educator Doctoral Grant Award from the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) and introduced the highly successful Million Hearts® initiative for employees at Hood College.

Rebecca Grove, Ph.D., joined Hood in August of 2016 and has taught courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels within the education department. Dr. Grove is currently serving as the director of the First Year Seminar program on campus. During her time at Hood, she has delivered 14 conference presentations and workshops, as well as co-publishing four articles, with a fifth pending. To support her research, she has received both a Board of Associates McCardell Professional Development Grant and an Academic Innovation Grant.

Megan Shaine, Ph.D., joined Hood in 2016 as a faculty member in the psychology and counseling department. She has taught every semester, including summers, for a total of eight different graduate counseling/thanatology courses and one undergraduate psychology course. In partnership with her counseling colleagues, she submitted an application for a Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). In June 2021, the grant was awarded for $2.2M over four years.

Ryan Safner, Ph.D., joined Hood College in 2016. Safner focuses on four main pedagogical strategies: skill-building, application and discussion, holistic assessment and use of technology, the latter of which made for a seamless transition online during COVID. His recent publication, “‘Public Good’ or ‘Good for the Public?’ How Political Entrepreneurship Endogenized the Funding of Scientific Research” was published in the Journal of Private Enterprise. Safner served as a member of the Mayor of Frederick’s Strategic Opportunities Advisory Team, which delivered a report to the mayor in 2018 identifying opportunities and threats to economic resiliency for the City of Frederick.

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