UMUC Asia - Faculty Biographies

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Discipline: SOCY

Alexandra Albrecht Location: Distance Education
Dr. Albrecht holds a B.A. in Korean language from Keimyung University, a B.S. in sociology from University of Maryland University College, and an M.A. and Ph.D., both in sociology, from the University of Oklahoma. She taught for UMUC in Korea and Okinawa during academic year 1984-85 and from 1990 to 1992, offering courses in Korean language, mathematics, and sociology. She rejoined the faculty in 1996. Dr. Albrecht has additional teaching experience at the University of Oklahoma and at the secondary level. Since 1996 she has taught for UMUC throughout Korea from Pusan to the DMZ, at Misawa and Sasebo in Japan, and in the UMUC Distance Education program.

Christopher Ames Location: Japan
Dr. Ames earned his B.A. in philosophy from Allegheny College and his M.A. in East Asian studies from the University of Pittsburgh. He received his Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from the University of Michigan. Dr. Ames has completed graduate work and certificates in Japanese studies, public administration, managerial economics, and communication, and has completed professional training in a U.S. Government Public Affairs Officer's Course and a Simultaneous Interpretation Course in Okinawa. He has served for several years as Chief of Media Relations with the U.S. Air Force in Okinawa. His publications include articles on Japanese film and on Okinawan history, culture, and education. He has received various fellowships to support his research, including a Fulbright Fellowship for research in Okinawa and has served as a researcher at the Institute for Research in Humanities at Kyoto University. He joined the UMUC Asia faculty in 1999 and has taught courses in Asian studies, history, and sociology all over Okinawa, and more recently primarily in the distance education program. Dr. Ames assumed his current position as the Japan area director in July 2007.

Alexander Blonna Location: Distance Education
Mr. Blonna earned his B.A. in social Science from Montclair State College, and continued to earn an M.A. in political science and a second M.A. in English, both from California State University at Chico. He has taught at Butte Community College, King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Central Texas College, and in the PACE program aboard several different U.S. Navy vessels. In addition, Mr. Blonna has taught at the secondary level and has a variety of experience in health center administration. He joined the Asian Division faculty in 1992, teaching initially in Korea, and subsequently for eight years in Okinawa. One of UMUC's most experienced faculty members in Distance Education, he has taught continuously in that program since 1996.

Frank Concilus Location: Korea
Dr. Concilus is a veteran of the UMUC faculty in Asia, teaching for many years at locations throughout Korea, and occasionally in Japan. He earned his B.A. in anthropology, linguistics and sociology from Colgate University, his M.A. in East Asian regional studies from Harvard University, and his Ph.D. in English with a concentration in linguistics and rhetoric at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where his dissertation was about Korean identity constructions. Dr. Concilus has taught at Harvard University, Sophia University in Tokyo, and at Ajou University and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Korea. His initial experiences in Korea were with the U.S. Peace Corps, teaching at Pusan National University and at the secondary level in Pusan. He has carried out varied research in Korean culture, notably Korean Shamanism, resulting in a number of publications and presentations at professional conferences. Dr. Concilus also teaches a number of Distance Education courses. Dr. Concilus serves as FAC representative for Asia.

Stephen Garrigues Location: Korea
Dr. Garrigues holds the position of Professor at Kyungpook National University in Daegu, South Korea, where he has been teaching since 1986. He did his BA in Japanese history at Sophia University in Tokyo, and both his MA (Colorado State University) and PhD (Lucknow University, India) are in cultural anthropology. He has been teaching classes in Anthropology, Sociology, and Asian Studies for UMUC in Korea since 1985. Most of his life has been spent in the Asia-Pacific region, including 7 years in Japan, 4 years in India, 6 years in Tonga, and over 25 years in Korea. His research interests are in intercultural communication, comparative semantics, and ethnomusicology. In addition to his academic work, Dr. Garrigues is a passionate photographer.

Aleta Geib Location: Guam
Dr. Geib earned her B.S.S.W. in social work and her M.A., also in social work, from The Ohio State University. Her Ph.D. in sociology is from the University of Akron. She has taught at several institutions including The Ohio State University, Marion Technical College, The University of Akron, and the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. A veteran of service in the U.S. Army, Dr. Geib's published research and professional presentations include several studies of women in the military, including female participation in combat, and media representations of women in the military. She joined the Asian Division faculty in 1997 and has taught in Okinawa, Misawa, the Tokyo area and Guam, and in the UMUC distance education program.

Susan Hirata Location: Distance Education
Dr. Hirata received her B.S. in business and management from University of Maryland University College, her M.S.Ed. in education and counseling psychology from the University of Southern California, and her Ph.D. in educational psychology with minors in adult education and Asian studies from Cornell University. At Cornell she served as a graduate teaching assistant and as an assistant conference coordinator for the Asian American studies program. She has taught at Okinawa Christian Junior College and developed seminar courses for an evening extension division for adults, the College of International Cultural Studies of Meio University in Nago, Okinawa, and Okinawa Kokusai University. She was also a substitute teacher for the World Education Center in Naha from pre-school level to adult level and for DoDDS from K-6 in Okinawa. Dr. Hirata first taught for UMUC in 1989, and in recent years has taught primarily in the distance education program.

Jon Huer Location: Korea
Dr. Huer holds a B.A. in sociology from California State University at Los Angeles, and an M.A. and Ph.D., also in sociology, from the University of California at Los Angeles. He has taught at Indiana-Purdue University at Indianapolis, the University of Alabama, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Dr. Huer's many books and other publications cover a wide range of topics in American culture and institutions, as well as topics such as Third World development. He has taught primarily in Korea, and also in Misawa and the distance education program, since joining the UMUC faculty in 1994. Dr. Huer also served as UMUC Asia Academic Coordinator for Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology.

Gary Laugel Location: Korea
Dr. Laugel received his B.A. in psychology from Kent State University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Washington State University. He took additional graduate work in psychology at Cleveland State University. Dr. Laugel has taught at Washington State University and the University of Idaho and gained experience in areas ranging from computer-based data analysis to conducting research using animals while serving as a research assistant at Cleveland State University and Washington State University. He joined the Asian Division faculty in 1987 and has taught throughout Korea, as well as in Okinawa, Misawa, and the distance education program, and served for several years as UMUC Asia Psychology Coordinator.

Kenneth Levitt Location: Distance Education
Dr. Levitt earned his B.A. in psychology and business from the State University of New York in Oneonta, his M.A. in industrial psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Rutherford, New Jersey, and his Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology from Stevens Institute of Technology, also in New Jersey. He taught for several years at the County College of Morris in Randolph, New Jersey. Since joining the UMUC faculty in 1994 Dr. Levitt has taught a wide range of courses in psychology and in business and management, in Korea, Okinawa, Misawa, and the Tokyo area, and currently in the UMUC distance education program.

Lance Limoges Location: Distance Education
Dr. Limoges holds a B.A. in geography, geology, and anthropology from the University of South Florida, an M.A. in geography from Miami University, and a Ph.D., also in geography, from the University of Florida. He has taught at several institutions including Miami University, the University of South Florida, and Pennsylvania State University. He also taught at the University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where he developed the university's program in geography and urban-regional planning. Dr. Limoges has carried out a wide variety of research resulting in academic publications and presentations at professional conferences. He spent a number of years in private business as the owner and president of a retail philatelic corporation. He has taught in Korea and Okinawa since joining the UMUC faculty in 2002.

Larry Lustig Location: Korea
Dr. Lustig earned his B.A. in English literature from Stetson University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from Florida State University. His primary research and teaching interests are in the fields of government and politics and political philosophy. He has taught at the University of Florida, Florida State University, Florida A&M University, Auburn University, and Tougaloo College as well as with the U.S. Navy's Program for Afloat College Education (PACE) aboard Navy vessels. Dr. Lustig has lived for an extended period in Korea, including active-duty military service as an interrogator-linguist with the U.S. Army and as a TOEFL instructor with the U.S. Peace Corps. He once placed first in a Korean language speech contest for foreigners sponsored by The Korea Herald. He joined the UMUC Asia faculty in 1988 and has taught since then at Yongsan and numerous other sites in Korea.

Richard Olmo Location: Guam
Mr. Olmo received his B.S. in geology from York College of the CUNY, his M.A. in anthropology from the University of New Mexico, and a second M.A. in geology from Brooklyn College of CUNY, and took additional graduate work in anthropology at the University of Oregon. He has taught at Brooklyn College, Grossmont Community College, and the University of San Diego, and for extended periods at Southern Oregon University and the University of Guam. With teaching, research, and professional interests in both geology and anthropology, Mr. Olmo has been an exploration geologist with Phillips Uranium Corporation in New Mexico, Utah, and other western U.S. States; served as a land-use and urban planning specialist with a consulting firm; and was associated with International Archaeological Research Institute, Inc., with responsibilities ranging from office management to project management to conducting geo-archaeological investigations. He joined the UMUC faculty in Guam in 1999.

Alan Smith Location: Distance Education
Mr. Smith earned his B.S. in social science from Boise State University and his M.S. in sociology from Utah State University. He has taken additional graduate work toward a Ph.D. in sociology at Colorado State University, carrying out ethnographic research on the structural causes of overexploitation and conflict among organizations involved in small-scale marine fishing along the west-central coast of Mexico. Mr. Smith has taught at Colorado State University and at Missouri Western State College. He has a wide variety of research, consulting and cross-cultural experiences in areas ranging from irrigation management to sustainable agriculture on the Navajo Nation, Arizona, to literacy surveys in the western United States, spending extended periods in Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Nepal.

Cardale Smith Location: Japan
Mr. Smith received his B.S. and M.A., both in political science, from Eastern New Mexico University at Portales, New Mexico, and is a Ph.D. candidate at Clark Atlanta University, working on a dissertation entitled 'Public Policy of Euthanasia in America.' He has taught at Clovis Community College in New Mexico, Eastern New Mexico University, and Central Texas College in Korea. Mr. Smith has been a probation and parole officer in Hobbs, New Mexico, and has also been active in politics in New Mexico. Since joining the Asian Division faculty in 1998 he has taught in Sasebo, the Tokyo area, Okinawa and Korea, and in the distance education program.

Larry Swink Location: Korea
Mr. Swink received a B.A. in political science and criminology and an M.A. in criminology, both from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He took additional graduate work in the graduate school of business at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Mr. Swink has extensive professional experience in law enforcement, having served with the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the Office of the Wisconsin Commissioner of Securities, and for many years with the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service. He gained extensive experience teaching in-service training courses while serving with the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service. While in Japan he has interacted in various capacities with Japanese police organizations. He joined the UMUC faculty in 2005.

Janice Turner Location: Okinawa
Dr. Turner received her B.A. in history and M.A. in anthropology from San Francisco State University. Her Ph.D. in social and cultural anthropology and ethnolinguistics is from the University of Paris (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales - Sorbonne). Dr. Turner taught in UMUC's European Division from 1975 to 1977; after teaching briefly in the Asian Division, she taught again in Europe, rejoining the Asian Division in 1982. She has taught regularly since then, primarily in Okinawa. Throughout her long overseas residence Dr. Turner has remained active in anthropological research, spending over five years conducting field work in Nepal and other Himalayan regions, and publishing extensively. She has delivered numerous guest lectures and served as a consultant on various projects dealing with the Himalayan region.

Duane Vorhees Location: Japan
Dr. Vorhees holds three degrees from Bowling Green State University in Ohio: a B.S. and M.A. in American studies, and a Ph.D. in American culture. He taught at Bowling Green State, and also at numerous institutions in Korea, including King Sejong University, Korea University, Hanguk University of Foreign Studies, and Seoul National University. He has published extensively on a wide range of topics. Dr. Vorhees joined the UMUC Asia faculty in 1987, and has been teaching in Korea and Japan since then.

Discipline: SOCY

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