FLORENCE, SC –  Francis Marion University welcomed 25 new faculty members to campus as the 2016-17 academic year began this week.

The class of new faculty is one of the largest at FMU in recent years, reflecting the accelerating pace of new programs coming on line at the university. Two of the new faculty members will teach in FMU’s brand new Physician Assistant program, and another is a third faculty member hired for FMU’s fast-growing Industrial Engineering program.

The new faculty members will teach in 13 different departments. They come from an array of academic backgrounds, and hold terminal degrees from 19 different universities including Penn, Texas Tech, George Washington, Florida, Indiana, Harvard and Colorado.

A list of this year’s new faculty is below.New faculty at FMU for 2016-17

Dr. Enoch Agbesi Adogla, Assistant Professor of Chemistry. B.S. from University of Ghana, M.S. from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from University of South Carolina.

Dr. Brittany B. Baker, Assistant Professor of Physics. B.S. from Northern Michigan University, M.S. from Texas Tech, Ph.D. in Physics from Texas Tech University.

Dr. Suzanne L. Barnett, Assistant Professor of English. B.A. from Hunter College of the City University of New York, Ph.D. in English from University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. David Baxley, Assistant Professor of Mass Communication. A.S. from Central Alabama Community College, B.S. from Mississippi State University, M.A. in Journalism from Mississippi State University.

Mr. Joseph Kennedy Bethle, Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Studies. B.S. from Slippery Rock University, M.S. in Sports Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Capt. Christian Bonno, Instructor of Military Science. U.S. Army.

Mr. Michael L. Del Vecchio, Instructor of Mathematics. B.A. from Rutgers University, M.S. in Mathematics from College of Charleston.

Mr. Joseph Arthur Kennedy, Assistant Professor of English. B.A. from Duke University, M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education, M.A. in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University.

Dr. Zilola Khashimova, MD, Assistant Professor of Health Sciences PA Program.