Liliya Yatsunyk, of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, whose laboratory focuses on the design, synthesis, and characterization of novel water soluble porphyrins. These molecules interact with telomeres in tumors and oncogenes promoters in a specific manner leading to cell death (tumor suppression). The long-term goal of Yatsunyk's research is to understand the mechanism of these interactions and pave a way for new and selective anticancer treatments. 

The Board also promoted two faculty members to full professor. They are:

Jean-Vincent Blanchard, of the Department of Modern Languages & Literatures and author of Éminence: Cardinal Richelieu and the Rise of France, specializes in early modern literature, philosophy, and history. He is finishing a study on the architectonics of power in 17th-century France.

Sarah Willie-LeBreton, of the Department of Sociology & Anthropology, specializes in social inequality, higher education, and work and occupations. Willie-LeBreton has been on sabbatical continuing work on a substantial project on librarians and an edited volume on the challenges diverse faculty face in predominantly white campuses.