2021 Emeritus Recognition

The following faculty members earned the honorary title of Emeritus in 2021 in recognition of their distinguished service to the University of North Texas.

Mickey Abel
Professor Emerita, Art History

Dr. Mickey Abel joined UNT in 2003 as a visiting professor and worked her way up to full professor. A scholar of Medieval architecture and art, Dr. Abel has an exemplary record of rigorous scholarship and a strong history of securing external funding. At UNT, she was widely respected by her peers and students as an excellent teacher and mentor. She routinely involved students in her research, including taking them to Europe to conduct fieldwork. The resulting work was broadly published in books such as Mapping Maillezais: Monastic Architecture, Hydraulic Engineering, and Political Economics; Open Access: Contextualizing the Archivolted Portals of Northern Spain and Western France within the Theology and Politics of Entry; and Medieval Urban Planning: The Monastery and Beyond. Scholar. She was a frequent contributor to the work of the college through committee membership and service as department chair.

Jay Allison
Associate Professor Emeritus, Communication Studies

Dr. Jay Allison's career at UNT began in 1989. Over the years, he emerged as one of the most renowned and influential scholars of performance studies in the United States. Dr. Allison wrote directed, and performed in over 28 performances, published more than a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and advanced performance studies at the national, regional, and local level through many leadership roles. In 2019, Dr. Allison received the Leslie Irene Coger Award for Distinguished Performance form the National Communication Association (NCA), an award honoring scholars who have contributed an outstanding body of live performances over the course of their careers. One year prior, he received the Distinguished Service Award from NCA's Performance Study Division for his dedication to the continuance of performance festivals, his editorial services for the division's National Review Board, and his varied service roles within the performance studies division. In 2017, the leadership of UNT's Equity and Diversity Conference invited Dr. Allison and his faculty and student collaborators to perform their co-authored performance, "What we Talk About When We Talk About Race," to conclude the conference. Additionally, from 2006 to 2015, Dr. Allison served as chair of the Department of Communication Studies. His leadership throughout his career at UNT facilitated the department's growth, visibility, and national reputation.

Sheri Broyles
Professor Emerita, Mayborn School of Journalism

Dr. Broyles' commitment to student success extended far beyond the classroom and into the extracurricular — the “extra” needed for UNT students to land jobs and launch careers. In the Mayborn School of Journalism, Dr. Broyles and Principal Lecturer Bill Ford created the student-managed advertising agency SWOOP and the National Student Advertising Competition Team Gravitas. She mentored countless students informally and formally, supervising almost 400 internships in organizations from coast to coast. In her popular Maymester class, The Advertising Industry in New York, she took a group of students on agency visits in the ad epicenter of the world. The class provided an affordable, immersive experience in the ever-evolving industry that is part of every single business around the world. Dr. Broyles served six years on the UNT Faculty Senate Executive Committee, including stints as vice chair and chair. Prior to that, she served four years as the strategic communications area head. For 11 years, she organized and was a part of an Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) pre-conference workshop that focused on increasing the teaching skills and professional contacts of new faculty from universities across the world. She also served on the organization's standing committee on teaching, including as chair. 

V. Barbara Bush
Professor Emerita, Counseling and Higher Education

Dr. V. Barbara Bush served on the UNT faculty from 2002 to 2020. She also served as the UNT Faculty Senate chair from 2016 to 2018, having previously served as secretary and vice chair. During her tenure in the Senate, Dr. Bush initiated the establishment of an ad hoc committee for non-tenured faculty, resulting in broader representation of non-tenure track faculty. She also chaired the academic policy review committee and co-chaired the policy oversight committee, establishing academic policies, including those for reappointment, promotion, and tenure. She also provided leadership at the national level, serving as vice chair for the Council for the Advancement of Higher Education Programs (CAHEP) as part of the Association of the Study of Higher Education. Dr. Bush also made an impact through her research, serving as PI for the North Texas Early College Consortium Texas Early High School Project. Dr. Bush published numerous articles and book chapters, as well as the influential book From diplomas to doctorates: The success of Black women in higher education and its implications for equal educational opportunities for all. She chaired over 28 dissertations and served on committees for 27 dissertations. In 2020, Dr. Bush earned the prestigious UNT Foundation Faculty Leadership Award, which recognizes a faculty member who has significantly enriched the university through leadership and service.

Vicki Campbell
Professor Emerita, Psychology

Dr. Vicki Campbell joined the UNT Department of Psychology in 1982 as an assistant professor. As a scholar, Dr. Campbell engaged in research demonstrating the importance of using assessment instruments in counseling practices. She published widely in well‐respected peer‐reviewed journals in the field, guest edited a special issue of The Counseling Psychologist that set a direction for research into assessment in the counseling practice, and co‐edited two important books in the field. She was also a leader within her department. From 2003 to 2009, Dr. Campbell served as co‐director of the counseling psychology program and became chair of the department in 2009, a role she held until her retirement. 

Perinkolam ‘Chandy' Chandrasekaran
Professor Emeritus, Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, and Law

Dr. Perinkolam Chandrasekaran (“Chandy”) joined the UNT faculty in 1981 as an assistant professor of finance and retired as full professor in August 2020. He was awarded the Regents Professorship in 2000. During his long tenure, Dr. Chandy published about 110 journal articles in prestigious academic journals in finance, management, business law, real estate, and risk management. His publications in the field of investments and portfolio management have been cited by many scholars. His work has also been cited in the Wall Street Journal, Dallas Morning News, Time magazine, the New York Times and others. He was an outstanding teacher and researcher and received honors and awards from UNT and external sources such as Best Paper from the American Business Law Journal, President's Council Teaching Award, Toulouse Scholar Award, J.H. Shelton Excellence in Teaching Award, and PDI Fellowship, and she was nominated for the state-wide Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award. He was program advisor for the B.B.A. in finance program and mentored Ph.D. students in finance for many years, chairing doctoral dissertations and serving on dissertation committees. He also served on many university, college and departmental committees and was sought after by many for his advice and counsel.

Donna Emmanuel
Associate Professor Emerita, Music Education

Dr. Emmanuel taught courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including Introduction to Music Education, Elementary Methods, and Philosophy of Music Education. She also served ably as a student teaching supervisor, with students describing her classes as “life-changing” and “eye-opening.” In 2016, she was a finalist for the ‘Fessor Graham Teaching Award, the highest faculty award given by the UNT student body. She was also nominated for the Grammy Music Educator award on several occasions. She was co-instructor of the study abroad course for music education majors, one of the only such courses in the United States. Dr. Emmanuel produced several peer-reviewed and invited articles and book chapters, and her early work on field experience and urban music education is still frequently cited by scholars. Her work on community engagement and mariachi education has been recognized as authoritative. Dr. Emmanuel also established an especially notable service record marked by community outreach and a leadership role as director of service learning and community engagement for UNT. In recognition of her work in this area, she was selected by her professional peers as chair of the Committee on Community Engagement for the College Music Society. Dr. Emmanuel was the founder and director of Mariachi Águilas, an important, high-profile outreach initiative as well as valuable educational experience for UNT students. She led the way as the College of Music made early strides in serving the Latinx student community. She also served as program chair for the 2017 College Music Society National Conference and hosted the Biennial Symposium on Research in Music Teaching and Learning on the UNT campus. Dr. Emmanuel served as member or chair of countless college and university committees, most notably serving as chair of the UNT Faculty Senate from 2009 to 2013.

Don Finn
Professor Emeritus, Accounting

Dr. Don Finn joined the UNT faculty in 2009 as the chair of the Department of Accounting and served in that role until 2015. He then served as a professor of accounting  until his retirement in August 2020. Throughout his tenure at UNT, Dr. Finn demonstrated uncompromising support for the Department of Accounting and the university. At the department level, he was instrumental in building relationships and support from the professional accounting, auditing, and tax communities of UNT alumni and supporters. Some of his notable accomplishments while at UNT include the Emerald Literati Network 2011 Outstanding Author Contribution Award for his article, "Moral Intensity, Ethical Reasoning, and Equitable Relief Judgments," in Research in Professional Responsibility and Ethics in Accounting (2010); editorial board member of Elsevier B.V., Research on Professional Responsibility and Ethics in Accounting (2010-2018); serving as a reviewer for the Journal of Business Ethics (2009-2019); and serving on the American Accounting Association's Professionalism and Ethics Committee (2009-2015). His administrative accomplishments include building up the department's M.S. in Accounting and M.S. in Taxation programs. As part of his service to the academic community, Dr. Finn participated as a team member or chair of several AACSB accreditation visits and served on numerous departmental and college committees.

Pamela Esprivalo Harrell
Professor Emerita, Teacher Education and Administration

Dr. Harrell came to UNT as an assistant professor in 2000 after nine years of teaching in public and private schools. During her tenure at UNT, she worked with colleagues to launch one of the first three online teacher certification programs in the U.S., which continues to enroll and graduate a high number of master's students. Her research agenda demonstrated a continued focus on teacher quality, especially within her formal expertise of science education. Dr. Harrell published 57 articles and presented at over 100 conferences in national, international, state, and proceedings venues. While at UNT, she received 32 grants totaling over $10 million and served as PI or co-PI for over $8 million of grant funding. She created The Simply Outrageous Science Professional Development Program that served over 400 middle school science teachers, increasing their pedagogical knowledge and raising student achievement in high-need schools. Alongside these grants, in 2013, she was selected as co-director for the Teach North Texas Program, which has grown into a nationally recognized program and a top producer of science and mathematics teachers in Texas. Over her career, she received teaching and research awards from UNT including the COE Faculty Research Excellence Award, the UNT Teacher Scholar Award (2011) and the UNT President's Council Teaching Award (2009). Dr. Harrell served three years as an associate dean in the College of Education, focusing on assessment and administration within the college. Two of her most memorable accomplishments included a 2018, #4 ranking for Online Graduate Programs from U.S. News & World Report and working with college administrators in early 2019 to develop and implement the first comprehensive assessment plan for the College of Education.

Michael Impson
Professor Emeritus, Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, and Law

Dr. Michael Impson joined the UNT faculty in 1987 following a career as an engineer in the petrochemical industry. He chaired four Ph.D. dissertation committees and served as a member on numerous others. His research focused on finance topics such as dividend policy and stock splits with publications in journals including the Financial Review, the Journal of Financial Research, and the Journal of Futures Markets. Dr. Impson taught several courses for the department in corporate finance, investments, and financial markets, at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He also developed several online courses in investments and corporate finance for the master's and undergraduate programs and was the department mainstay for online teaching. Dr. Impson served the college as a member and chair of the undergraduate program committee and served for many years as the FIREL department master's program advisor. He also served as a member, and at times chair, of the master's program committee. He served as chair of the AACSB Reaccreditation Task Force Review Committee on Intellectual Contributions from 1996 to 1998. He served numerous times as member, and several times as chair, of the department's annual review committees. Dr. Impson also served the university as a College of Business senator on the Faculty Senate from 1995 to 2000 and served on the Faculty Senate Executive Committee from 1997 to 2000. He was a Beta Gamma Sigma advisor from 1993-1998.

George James
Professor Emeritus, Philosophy and Religion

Dr. George James is an internationally recognized scholar in the field of phenomenological approaches to religion. His contributions to this field were developed most thoroughly in his book Interpreting Religion: The Phenomenological Approaches of Pierre Daniël Chantepie de la Saussaye, W. Brede Kristensen, and Gerardus van der Leeuw, (Catholic University of America Press, 1995, 2017). Given the environmental focus of the department, he began to also study environmental issues in India. His work resulted in the publication of Ethical Perspectives on Environmental Issues in India (New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation, 1999). In fall 2017, through an endowment of $500,000 from the Jain Research and Education Foundation, Dr. James was appointed the first Endowed Professor of Jain Studies at UNT. He is still an active researcher and working on the philosophy and religious viewpoint behind an environmental movement in the South Indian state of Karnataka known as the Appiko movement.

Robert R. Kallman
Professor Emeritus, Mathematics

After receiving his Ph.D. from MIT in 1968, Dr. Robert Kallman held postdoctoral positions at MIT, Yale, and UC Berkeley, as well as consulting positions at NASA and Los Alamos National Labs. He started his 40-year career at UNT as a full professor in 1979 and went on to direct 12 Ph.D. students and seven master's students. In 1989, he earned the Decker Scholar Award, which recognizes research excellence and science and technology at the University of North Texas. Unlike most mathematicians, Dr. Kallman worked both in abstract pure mathematics as well as highly applied fields such as signal processing and optical engineering. In pure math he published 48 journal articles and conference proceedings, and in the applied sciences he published 24 articles and proceedings, 11 technical reports, and one patent. His highly regarded work, often appearing in prestigious journals, has been cited 875 times since 1980. Early in his career, his research in pure mathematics was regularly supported by the NSF. While at UNT he received over $2 million dollars of funding, approximately $1.7 million of it through U.S. Air Force contracts between 1985 and 1995. He was also awarded large grants from the Air Force Research Lab and the Texas Advanced Technology Program.

Annette Lawrence
Professor Emerita, Studio Art

Professor Annette Lawrence is an artist/scholar who taught undergraduate and graduate level courses for 24 years in the Department of Studio Art. She was constantly active in her service to the community, serving for 10 years on the Nasher Sculpture Center Program Advisory Committee and five years as the visual arts director for the Denton Black Film Festival, among other activities. Lawrence was awarded a competitive Moss/Chumley Award from the Meadows Museum in 2015 in recognition of her active role as a community advocate for the visual arts in North Texas. Exhibitions at prestigious museums, fellowships and residencies, all on an international stage, were a result of a highly productive studio practice. This, in turn, provided significant value to the college through committee work, student mentorship, advocacy for peers, and tenure as department chair. 

Don MacDonald
Professor Emeritus, Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, and Law

Dr. Don N. MacDonald first came to UNT as a freshman in the fall of 1973 and graduated cum laude in 1977. He taught his first courses at North Texas in 1977-78 as a graduate student and rejoined the faculty as a tenure-track assistant professor in August 1989. Over the course of his career, he would distinguish himself as a teacher, scholar, and university citizen. Dr. MacDonald retired as a tenured associate professor of finance in August 2020, having published numerous articles in prestigious journals such as the American Economic Review, Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Economic Journal, Journal of Risk and Insurance, Review of Futures Markets, and more than 25 related peer-reviewed articles in finance and economics. Dr. MacDonald mentored and directed finance students at all levels including undergraduate, master's, and doctoral. In addition to teaching and research, Dr. MacDonald was widely regarded as an excellent colleague who contributed to the department, the college, and the university through his distinguished service. 

Timothy Montler
Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus, Technical Communication

Dr. Timothy Montler served as a faculty member of the University of North Texas for over 35 years. Arriving at UNT in 1984 as an assistant professor, he was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 1990, professor in 1996, and Distinguished Research Professor in 2008. His career was devoted to the documentation and preservation of Native American languages. He has published in many international linguistics journals and has authored several books — amounting to over 4,000 pages — published by the University of Montana, University of Texas Press, Canadian Museum of Civilization, and University of Washington Press. His research was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Science Foundation, Administration for Native Americans, National Park Service, National Research Council Canada, American Philosophical Society, and Whatcom Museum, bringing over $1.4 million in federal grants to UNT. After retirement from UNT, Dr. Montler's scholarly work continued, along with continued service as the digital lexicography advisor to an international group of scholars organized at the University of Alaska; thesis and dissertation committee membership at the University of Victoria in Canada; and consultancy on issues of language revitalization with several Native American tribes and Canadian First Nations.

Bruce Nacke
Associate Professor Emeritus, Design

In his 33 years of service, Associate Professor Bruce Nacke was devoted to the College of Visual Arts and Design Interior Design program. He ensured program continuity, coursework relevance, accredited degree excellence, and a sustained career path for graduates entering the design field. The combination of these activities resulted in the consistent success of students entering interior design practice in a variety of specialties including commercial office planning, healthcare facilities, hospitality design, residential design, sales and marketing, and real estate. Many alumni continue to achieve additional credentials, win awards, and make meaningful contributions to the design field. Professor Nacke engaged with the local community, the university, and the professional design community in multiple capacities. He guided his students through service-learning activities benefitting non-profit organizations, taught continuing education lighting design courses to design professionals, served as an advisor to regional design programs, and coordinated environmental education exhibits for one of the largest annual sustainability expositions in the world. In addition to his teaching career, Professor Nacke maintained his residential design practice since 1986.

Stephen Poe
Professor Emeritus, Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, and Law

Dr. Stephen L. Poe joined the faculty at UNT in 1989 as an assistant professor. He retired as a full professor in 2020 having published over 25 articles in high quality journals in the areas of legal studies, ethics, real estate, and life insurance. For over 25 years, he served as a staff editor of a top academic journal. He received several best paper awards from academic journals, including a prestigious national award, the Ralph C. Hoeber Award for Excellence in Research. He taught several courses in two different disciplines, and as academic and internship advisor he mentored financial planning and insurance students on both academic issues and career opportunities. He served as a founding faculty advisor in the UNT Professional Leadership Program. Dr. Poe enjoyed mentoring junior faculty and served on two dissertations committees. He served as coordinator of the UNT Financial Planning program from 2010 to 2020, growing student enrollment and enhancing the reputation of the program. Over the course of his career, he received his department's Outstanding Teaching Award 11 times, the Outstanding Research Award five times, and the Outstanding Service Award three times. He also received a teaching award and a research award from the university and the College of Business, respectively, and a Service Recognition Award from the UNT student chapter of Beta Alpha Psi accounting fraternity.

Kathleen Reynolds
Assistant Professor Emerita, Instrumental Studies

Professor Reynolds had a distinguished career as a music educator. Her students occupy positions as band members with all branches of the United States Military including the U.S. Navy Band, Air Force Band of the Golden West, U.S. Navy Fleet Bands, and the U.S. Marine Band. Her students have won positions with major orchestras including the Dallas Opera Orchestra, librarian at the Boston Symphony/Tanglewood Music Center and guest librarian at the Metropolitan Opera. In addition, Professor Reynolds has placed numerous students in university teaching positions throughout the United States. Professor Reynolds continues to perform as principal bassoon with the Dallas Opera Orchestra. She performs each summer at the Fredericksburg Music Festival and the Montana Chamber Music Festival. Professor Reynolds performs regularly with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at the Meyerson Symphony and on their last European tour. Professor Reynolds was the Woodwind Area Coordinator and Wind Chamber Music Coordinator at the time of her retirement. She was also a member of the Chamber Music Task Force and chaired the Faculty Welfare Committee. She served on numerous successful search committees in the College of Music.

Janie Stidham
Professor Emerita, Design

Professor Janie Stidham provided critical leadership and focus as program coordinator for the Fashion Design program from 2003 to 2018, and graduate program coordinator from 2018 to 2020. When senior colleague Marian O'Rourke Kaplan assumed a leadership position as interim associate dean for academic affairs from 2006 to 2007, Professor Stidham became instrumental in ensuring that the CVAD Fashion Program fulfilled its requirements for CVAD's National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) accreditation. Additionally, Professor Stidham produced the CVAD senior fashion show Artwear exhibition from 1997 to 2017. Professor Stidham served on numerous faculty search committees from 2001 to 2017, as well as the RPT, executive, academic, and budget committees from 1998 to 2020, including a position as chair of the RPT committee from 2018 to 2020. Professor Stidham is a recognized leader in the international community of Fashion Design, working with the International Textile & Apparel Association, Fashion Group International, and the Master Sewing and Design Professionals, and served on the task force which organized the renowned Jean-Paul Gaultier Exhibition for the Dallas Museum of Art in 2011-2012.

Barney Venables
Professor Emeritus, Biological Sciences

Dr. Barney Venables has been a faculty member at UNT since 2003. He earned his Ph.D. at UNT in 1976 and is a retired captain in the U.S. Air Force. In 2011, he was promoted to the rank of full Professor. Dr. Venables' research primarily focused on the toxicology of industrial chemicals and covered a range of topics including studies on the uptake and depuration of chemicals, life history effects, and, most importantly, analytical chemistry techniques for determining concentrations of these chemicals in various environmental media. Dr. Venables led a large study at UNT funded by an industry trade group (Soap and Detergent Manufacturers Association) that, for the first time, studied the distribution and uptake of surfactants used in personal care products in the Trinity River. This was groundbreaking work as environmental toxicologists were just beginning to study the effects of pharmaceuticals and personal care products from wastewater treatment plants in aquatic systems. His expertise in analytical techniques led him to not only collaborate with faculty in toxicology but also make significant contributions to the research of faculty in other areas including those in the Advanced Environmental Research Institute (AERI), the BioDiscovery Institute (BDI), environmental physiology, and archaeology. In fact, his expertise in analytical techniques led to long-term NSF funding in archaeology for the identification of proteins in ancient pottery with co-PI Dr. Steve Wolverton. His collaborative efforts with Dr. Jyoti Shah led to the discovery of a novel metabolite ‘dehydroabietinal', which is a natural booster of immunity in plants that has practical applications to sustainable agriculture. Dr. Venables published more than 100 peer reviewed papers in highly ranked journals, a milestone for the field, and his work was funded by state, federal, and private sources over his career.