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Wesleyan Welcomes Three New Faculty Members

Tyler M. Schwaller, Th.D., Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Ackerman/Hurdle Chaplaincy Chair

Tyler grew up in a small town in west-central Iowa and graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, in 2007, majoring in religion with minors in music and women and gender studies. He received a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2010 and then continued at Harvard for a Doctor of Theology (ThD) in the area of New Testament and Early Christianity. He is also an ordained deacon in The United Methodist Church, with membership in the Iowa Annual Conference. "I am excited to serve at Wesleyan as both Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Chaplain because heart and mind are never separate. Whether studying and teaching about the past or engaging in ministry today, I am committed to helping students recognize the varieties of ways people make meaning of life, both the biggest questions of existence and everyday matters of survival, and to make meaning themselves in ways that foster justice and care for one another" said Schwaller.


Holly Cole, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology

Holly was raised in a small town in Oklahoma. She earned her bachelor’s degree with a major in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma. and attended graduate school at the University of Arkansas where she earned a Masters degree and a Doctoral degree in Experimental Psychology. Cole's research combines cognitive and social psychology. She is particularly interested in how social interactions and social pressures may influence a person’s memory. "I have always wanted to teach at a small college that supports teaching and has a sense of community on campus. As was evident during my interview, Wesleyan far exceeded my expectations on both accounts." said Cole.

Deonna Tanner, PhD, RN, Associate Professor of Nursing

Deonna is a life long resident of Georgia. She has been a registered nurse for 21 years. Her area of expertise is emergency nursing and adult health. She finished her PhD in Nursing in 2012 from Georgia State University. Tanner has been teaching nursing full time for 13 years. Her areas of research interest include older adults delay in seeking treatment when having symptoms of myocardial infarction and peer mentoring in nursing education to support undergraduate nursing students. "I chose Wesleyan because of the small class sizes and the individual attention that I am now able to give my nursing students. Wesleyan also has an excellent reputation in the community and I wanted to be a part of a school which values its students and faculty/staff" said Tanner.

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