Faculty held a joint meeting before the start of the current spring semester in early January.
In response to a surge in enrollment and the introduction of new majors, minors and academic certificates, the Japan campus of Temple University (TUJ) has bolstered its faculty by creating new full-time positions. Over the two past years, TUJ’s full-time undergraduate faculty body has surged to 67 in the current spring semester from 38.
TUJ has actively recruited accomplished professionals in various fields, reinforcing its commitment to meeting student needs and solidifying its position as an academic leader. Fortunately for TUJ, an artificial intelligence expert was one of the hires in the spring semester of 2023 at a time when every university was seeking to bring in AI expertise after a year of experiencing the impact of AI.
In addition, TUJ has hosted five visiting faculty members from the main campus in Philadelphia since the program was revived last summer. This program allows faculty at the main campus to benefit from teaching and living in Japan for a semester or year. It also allows TUJ students to leverage the different areas of expertise of the main campus faculty, including advertising/public relations and tourism and hospitality management.
Looking ahead, TUJ plans to host at least six more visiting professors from the main campus next academic year. The university is also currently advertising openings for six assistant professor positions, as well as three academic division chairs.
Recent hires at TUJ include faculty members with research specialties in cutting-edge areas such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and language pedagogy. TUJ has actively recruited full-time faculty renowned for their expertise across a diverse spectrum of academic disciplines, aiming to deliver a world-class education to its expanding student body. The undergraduate enrollment advanced to a historic high of over 2,200 students this spring semester.
Last fall semester, TUJ initiated the bachelor’s degree in Tourism & Hospitality Management (THM), responding to both strong student interest in the area and the ongoing evolution of the travel and hospitality industry in Japan. The TUJ degree is identical to the THM degree in the main campus, which is ranked ninth worldwide by Shanghai Ranking (ARWU) for the subject. The university recognizes the necessity of providing students with the skills and knowledge to excel in this dynamic sector. It also introduced the esports certificate program last year, placing TUJ at the forefront of esports academic education in Japan.
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Yasuko Taoka said: “At a time when so many institutions are downsizing their instructional staff, it is an absolute delight and gift to be able to add so many to our faculty ranks in such a short time span. This group of faculty hires also includes many longtime adjuncts of TUJ. The demand for courses in their areas of expertise has grown so much that we have needed to schedule additional courses and sections. Our new faculty range from practicing filmmakers to art gallery owners to researchers in artificial intelligence and clinical psychology, but they all share an absolute devotion to educating our unique student body of globally minded citizens and leaders of tomorrow.”
The list of the new full-time faculty since the spring semester of 2023 is as follows:
New full-time faculty at TUJ:
David Broekema: First Year Writing Program
Matthew Chozick: Asian Studies
Henry Curtley: First Year Writing Program
Nick Giarratani: Bridge Program
Benoit Hardy-Chartrand: International Affairs/Political Science
Beryl Hawkins: Communication Studies
Yuko Hishiyama: Art
Karin Keefe: First Year Writing Program
Joel Kirkham: Art
Yoshimi Machida: Japanese (World Languages)
Michael McGehee: First Year Writing Program/Intellectual Heritage FYWP
Farid Nakhle: Computer Science
Sam Ofori: Economics
Yukiko Oki: First Year Writing Program
Chiho Okada: Japanese (World Languages)
Kyohee Park: Korean (World Languages)
Misaki Saito: Psychological Studies
Morgan Schulz: Intellectual Heritage
Vasileios Tserolas: Computer Science
Shan Shan Sun: Chinese (World Languages)
Hana Stone: First Year Writing Program/Intellectual Heritage
Kazumi Wilds: Art
Darryl Wharton-Rigby: Communication Studies
Matthew Williams: Asian Studies
Visiting faculty from the main campus:
Benjamin Altschuler, Associate Professor of Instruction (School of Sports, Tourism and Hospitality Management)
Ryan Eanes, Associate Professor of Instruction (Klein College of Media and Communication)
Sheri Lambert, Associate Professor of Practice (Fox School of Business)
Andrew Rosen, Associate Professor of Instruction (Department of College of Science and Information Sciences)
Michael Sheridan, Associate Professor of Practice (School of Sports, Tourism and Hospitality Management)
Other related stories
- Delegation of Five U.S. Universities Strengthens Academic Collaboration with Temple University, Japan Campus (July 7, 2023)
- Astellas Pharma’s Naoki Okamura Gives Lecture on Corporate Financing to TUJ Students of International Business Studies (May 30, 2023)
- TUJ Hires Five Assistant Professors to Enhance Academic Excellence and Student Educational Experience (August 30, 2022)