The Virginia Military Institute is quick to boast in many faculty stats that over 95% of professors have earned a Ph.D or hold a terminal degree in their respective field. This statistic will only improve as VMI and the Corps of Cadets would like to welcome four new staff members that arrived earlier this semester all with a goal of strengthening the academics of the Institute.
Dr. Sabrina Laroussi is an Associate Professor in the Modern Languages and Cultures Department. She earned her doctorate from Texas Tech where she focused on literary representations of death and violence in contemporary Peninsular and Latin American Literature. Dr. Laroussi was born in Algeria and studied in both Spain and Texas granting her tremendous qualification for directing and practical knowledge in respect the corps’ summer abroad program in Madrid, Span.
Next, the corps would like to introduce Major Matthew Jarman who attained his doctorate in psychology from Claremont Graduate University. Maj. Jarman specializes in concentrated his Ph.D on social psychology and organizational behavior by leading through complex social situations. For now, he will primarily be teaching Leadership in Organizations, a major independent course that is mandatory for all cadets in order to receive a diploma. Maj. Jarman is excited to conduct research with interested cadets and explore the effects of heightened mental fitness on topic such as leadership, problem solving, and entrepreneurship.
The Applied Mathematics Department has brought two new professors on board to be a part of their elite team, Major Karen Bliss and Major Amy Givler. Maj. Bliss received her Ph.D from North Carolina State University and where she studied the modeling of red blood cell dynamics in patients with chronic kidney disease. She was commissioned and served as an officer in the United States Navy from 2000-2007 and has taught at both Quinnipiac University and West Point. Furthermore she and Maj. Libertini, another professor in the Applied Mathematics department, are co-directors of the national SEMIODE Program, a group that deals primarily with differential equations.
Major Amy Givler earned her Ph.D from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute by focusing on the pre-positioning of points for distribution during disaster relief planning. She is an active member in the mathematics of Operations Research through the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) and will use the applied knowledge to teach advanced courses within the department.
By continuing to hire only the most distinguished faculty, VMI hopes to increase its recognition as one of the nation’s premier undergraduate colleges.