Faculty & Staff

Few faculty can claim such a diversity of experiences. He has practiced biology from various perspectives: the chemical structure of enzymes, the environmental fate of pesticides, the metabolism of drugs in race horses, the biochemistry of insecticide resistance. He also has familiarity in bionomics of grouse, cancer research, environmental analysis, laboratory management.

"The moving power of mathematical invention is not reasoning but imagination"
Augustus De Morgan

"The teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil to learn is hammering on cold iron" Horace Mann

This herpetologist has published many articles on frog communication and recently has taught introductory biology, ecology, genetics and advanced seminars in science. He also taught a course focusing on forgiveness and reconciliation in the wake of 9/11. When on sabbatical in 2005-2006, he lived in Guatemala with his family, where he introduced an environmental curriculum by which children, through the capture and identification of larval insects, adopt streams and monitor their quality. Locally, he is active with several environmental organizations. In 2001, he received the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award.

Founder of the Neumann University Criminal Justice Program, this retired Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) brings reality to the classroom through his law enforcement experiences and knowledge of the subject areas taught. He considers his most important job to be preparing Neumann University students for their chosen careers in criminal justice.

This Erie, Pennsylvania, native has shown his paintings and photographs locally and nationally. In 2003 he received Neumann University's Growth in Scholarship Award.

An internationally known coloratura soprano who has performed in the Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, "Dr. Yuki" shares international teaching techniques with Neumann students as a result of her involvement with the International Chamber Music Festival in Evian, France, and her lectures in Japan. Dr. Yuki is also director of the Neumann University Concert Chorale. Her joy in music inspires both beginning and experienced singers at Neumann University, and her professional achievements as a soloist and lecturer enrich the learning experience for her students. According to Dr. Yuki, "Singing offers a challenge to all singers: How do we express our feelings with our voices? My role is to help voice students convert their internal feelings into external expressions via their voices. Everyone who has a voice can polish their instrument and create music if they wish to."

This statistician teaches courses such as mathematical statistics, business statistics, and college algebra in addition to introductory statistics. In 2007, he received Neumann University’s Excellence in Teaching Award.

Former dean of the Division of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Kovach serves as Executive Director of the Delta Epsilon Sigma National Catholic Scholastic Honor Society DESNational@neumann.edu. She has published and presented internationally on writers such as Isabel Allende, Margery Kemp, Voltaire, and Amy Tan; she accords special attention to the medieval (and timeless) Tristan legend and its possibilities in tandem with contemporary literary theory. Her avocations include Chinese folk dance, competitive figure skating and ice dancing, and Tang Soo Do karate.

This developmental psychologist is interested in language and cognitive development in infancy and early childhood. Though she is no longer officially a student, she is still learning about language and cognitive development from her son, Dylan, who was born in September of 2005.

Dr. McMonagle, also known as "Doc" by many of his students, served as Deputy Legislative Director for a US Congressman on Capitol Hill before running for Congress and later for Delaware County Council.  Dr. McMonagle earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from Temple University and his MPP in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago.  An expert in American Government and Public Policy, this educator brings a wealth of practical and scholarly experience into the classroom -- preparing students for a variety of skill-based careers or for graduate studies starting in their freshman year at Neumann. His book, Caribou and Conoco, explains the political and social variables that have been driving important public policy debates on energy and the environment.

This multidimensional teacher sees mathematics, like music, as a creation. It is not found or discovered, but created. It is not a creation that we can hold or see, but it is there--like music. The difference: music is fed through feeling, through the heart; mathematics, instead, is music of the mind.

A specialist in moral and environmental philosophy, this semi-professional musician teaches a wide range of philosophy courses as well as philosophy with music. He has over twenty publications and has made over forty paper presentations. He believes that some popular songs are helpful in showing that philosophy lives outside the classroom.

Dr. Roberts comes to Neumann University from the clinical field of psychology bringing direct patient experience from various clinical settings. Her areas of interests are drug/alcohol, multicultural issues, and motivational interviewing. In her off time she enjoys spending time with her family. She is also still adjusting to the "brutal" winters of PA as she formerly lived in South Florida.

This leader of the literature/humanities group and educator of the imagination (a phrase drawn from critic Northrop Frye) has special interests in Emily Dickinson, poetry in general, Shakespeare, 19th-century novels, interdisciplinary women's studies, conferencing with students, and lifelong learning.

Sister Linda Marie Sariego, OSF has been a member of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Philadelphia for many years. She received a BA in Spanish K-12 from Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA, a Master's of Arts in Bilingual/ Bicultural Studies from LaSalle University, Philadelphia; a Master's of Arts in Spanish from The  Catholic University of America, Washington DC and a Ph.D. in Spanish from The Catholic University of America, Washington DC in 2010. Her specialization is Golden Age (16th and 17th century) Peninsular Literature, particularly the Pastoral Novel. Sister Linda recently published a book entitled :Dynamic Spaces in La Diana by Jorge de Montemayo. Scripta Humanistica: Potomac, Maryland, 2010.

Sister Linda has taught on the elementary level, the university level, and has served as administrator and as translator for pilgrimages. She also offers service as a reviewer of books and translator of insert for Pastoral Music periodical.

Jazz band conductor, musician, and teacher extraordinaire, Dr. Sayers thinks that learning about unfamiliar music is a little like taking a morning swim: It's a shock to the system at first, but the longer you are in, the more you enjoy it.

Mr. Severine has a B.S. majoring in biology and a minor in chemistry, a M.S. in Biology from Villanova University specializing in the biochemistry of tissue determination, and a M.S. in Pastoral Counseling from Neumann University specializing in the counseling of adolescents and young adults. He recently retired from Cardinal O'Hara High School where he was a chemistry teacher and guidance counselor for 34 years. He was the Guidance Director at Cardinal O'Hara from 2002 to 2008. He began teaching at Neumann University in 1978 as an adjunct instructor in science, and has also taught at Delaware County Community College. One of David’s qualities is his versatility; he teaches courses in biology, chemistry and physical science.

Dr. Fallest-Strobl believes that a major benefit of teaching science courses comes from the opportunity to further explore certain topics within the laboratory setting. Because science is everywhere to explore, she strives to share her views with her students. It also gives her a chance to get to know her students better and everyday to learn something new from them.

After years as a major market TV Broadcaster, and still counting, Karen Thomas is sharing her expertise of mass media, public speaking and broadcasting with the Communications Program here at Neumann University. Karen is an award-winning journalist as well as a certified Broadcast Meteorologist, and her passion is working with Neumann University students in the field, especially in the area of internships.
In 1990, Karen graduated from Rowan University, and in 2002, the University awarded her Alumni of the Year. Then it was onto Mississippi State University for her graduate work in Geoscience. Most recently, Karen was elected to the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Chapter of The National TV Arts & Sciences.

Dr. Maria G. Traub is Assistant Professor of French and Italian in the Division of Arts and Sciences. In the fall of 2005, she was named Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes Academiques by the French Government for services rendered in the domain of French culture. A frequent traveler abroad, she strongly advocates speaking more than one language in today's world. In addition, she has studied voice in France and Italy and enjoys sharing her expertise with arts majors.

On the Neumann University faculty for over 20 years, this microbiologist teaches courses such as microbiology, molecular biology and plant biology in addition to introductory biology courses. In 2004, she received the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award. Besides teaching, she maintains an active plant tissue culture research program and encourages student participation for credit.

Dancer, choreographer, educator, and biology teacher, this clinical laboratory specialist received the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award in 2005. Before coming to Neumann, she worked in the highly technological field of laboratory medicine. Her major research interests have been in the areas of hematology and immunology. She has given numerous presentations on such topics such as leukemia, coagulation disorders, and the immune response. Integrating technology into her teaching practice is a special area of interest and she continues to give presentations in innovative uses of technology in the classroom. In the past, she designed self-paced instructional units and instructional videotapes for microscopic work.

Mr. Yönten received his BA and MA degrees from Bogazici University (Istanbul/Turkey) in 1999 and 2002 respectively, and expects to receive his Ph.D. degree from University of Delaware by the end of this academic year. His research interests include international migration, multilateralism, and the European Union. He is writing his doctoral dissertation on multilateralism in international migration. Since 2003, Mr. Yönten has been involved in a large scale project aiming to build a dataset of all multilateral treaties since the establishment of the modern nation-state system. The dataset will be useful to examine distributional aspects of institutionalized cooperation over time and space, and hegemony and leadership in institutionalized cooperation. Both in Turkey and at the University of Delaware, Mr. Yönten has taught a number of courses including Politics of Developing Nations, Problems in International Relations, and Statistics for Social Sciences.