New Faculty Members Welcomed to Campus

Missouri Valley College has seven new faculty members on campus preparing for the first day of classes on August 22. Vice President of Academic Affairs Elizabeth Bellamy said she is excited for students who will have the chance to learn from such a highly qualified group.

The new faculty members are:

Nancy Wiseman

• Nancy Wiseman, from Slater, Mo., will tutor at Missouri Valley College in addition to her teaching role in the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. She attended MVC  before earning a BSN at Central Methodist University. Wiseman obtained her MSN at the University of Central Missouri.  Her academic experiences include teaching at the Saline County Career Center LPN Program and teaching online and in-person at MVC. With two grandchildren to follow from dance, to basketball, golf, track, baseball and softball, Wiseman loves her “Grandma Adventures.”

Linze Hawkins

• Linze (Leimkuehler) Hawkins, from Marshall, graduated from Missouri Valley College in 2008 and earned her master’s in education administration in 2021. She entered the Missouri Valley College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018 and now serves on the school’s Hall of Fame Board. Since 2016, she has held positions at MVC in financial aid and academic affairs.  In 2021, she joined the School of Education and Social Science as an adjunct instructor. She is married to women’s soccer and Esports coach Drew Hawkins ‘06.

Christina Wilson

• Christina Wilson is a new/returning faculty member in the School of Business and Technology.. She is a Missouri Valley College alumna with a B.S. in accounting and an MBA. She is a licensed CPA in the state of Missouri. Her professional experience includes public accounting, management, and 12 years of teaching accounting in-seat and online. She resides in Marshall, Mo., with her husband, Chris, and three children.

Dr. Katie Armstrong

• Katie Armstrong, PhD joins Missouri Valley College as an assistant professor of communication studies in the School of Arts and Humanities. She earned a BA in communication from the University of Missouri-Columbia, a master’s in communication studies from Texas Christian University, and a doctorate in communication studies from West Virginia University. While at West Virginia, Armstrong was winner of the 2022 Patricia Kearney Doctoral Student Teaching Award as well as having her work designated Top 4 Student Paper by the Instructional Communication Division of the National Communication Association.

Dr. Gerald Baygents

• Dr. Gerald Baygents is a new faculty member in the School of Science and Agriculture.  He graduated from Georgia Southern University with his bachelor’s, and then attended the University of South Carolina to earn his master’s in Mathematics.  He earned his PhD in applied mathematics/statistics from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.  Most recently, Dr. Baygents has been a faculty member at Trinidad State College and Adams State University in Colorado.  Aside from his love of teaching, he is also an avid board game fan and travels the country helping with gaming demonstrations at a variety of events.

Dr. Joseph Bernstein

• Dr. Joseph Bernstein is a new faculty member in the School of Science and Agriculture.  He graduated from Augustana College in South Dakota with his bachelor’s in mathematics and economics, and then attended North Dakota State University for his master’s and PhD in mathematics.  Most recently, Dr. Bernstein has served on the faculty at Augustana University.  He is a dedicated instructor who values the opportunities a liberal arts education can provide and is looking forward to working with the students, faculty, and staff of Missouri Valley College.

Stephen Murrell

• Stephen Murrell brings 30 years of experience in the criminal justice system to his classrooms in the School of Education and Social Science. He has served as an elected prosecuting attorney, public defender, private defense attorney, and as a prison administrator. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia and his BA in education and psychology from Central Methodist College. His teaching philosophy is simple and student-centered. His goal is to motivate students to work hard, push beyond their comfort zone, think critically, earn their degree, and to be prepared to carve out a career for themselves.