Bethel Welcomes New Faculty to the College of Arts & Sciences

Bethel University’s College of Arts & Sciences welcomes eight new full-time professors to its faculty this fall. These professors bring with them a wide variety of experiences and backgrounds in social work, philosophy, engineering, chemistry, nursing, and communication studies to join Bethel’s robust faculty. Read on to meet Bethel’s newest professors.

Nick Zeimet, associate professor of social work

Nick Zeimet graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.A. in Family Social Science, and then completed an M.A. in Social Work from Augsburg University. He has served as the Minnesota Chapter President of SAMS (Syrian American Medical Society) and has led a mental health mission to Lebanon and Jordan. He holds a volunteer position with Mt. Sinai’s Human Rights Program as a remote mental health evaluator for those seeking asylum or other immigration matters.

Omar Fakhri, instructor of philosophy

Omar Fakhri graduated from Biola University with a B.A. He also received an M.A. from Texas Tech University, and a Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley, he wrote a dissertation on whether widespread moral disagreement undermines our moral knowledge. Like most dissertations, his answer is, “it depends.”

Miguel Balzan, associate professor of engineering

Miguel Balzan received his B.A. in Engineering from Simon Bolivar University, Caracas, Venezuela, then completed an M.S. degree in engineering from Simon Bolivar University. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta, Canada, specializing in experimental fluid mechanics. He conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Auckland performing experimental studies focused on understanding drop collisions in spray drying processes, a key phenomenon within the food industry. He is registered with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Association of Professional Engineers and Geologists of Alberta (AEGA-Canada) and as an Energy Manager-in-Training with the Association of Energy Engineers. Before coming to Bethel, Dr. Balzan taught at Bryan College (Tennessee), Simon Bolivar University, and St. Francis Xavier University (Canada) as a physics and engineering instructor at Red Deer College (Canada).

Betsy Anderson '96, associate professor of communication studies

Betsy graduated from Bethel University with a B.A. in Media Communication. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She stated her career working for two large public relations agencies, and has served on several committees and the board of the Minnesota Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She has spent the past 15 years as a full-time faculty member- first at University of St. Thomas, and most recently at the University of Minnesota. Betsy’s focus area is strategic communication, teaching courses such as digital strategy, digital content, writing, social media, and public relations principles.

Chris Shofner, associate professor of communication studies

Chris holds a B.A. in Mass Media from Henderson State University and an M.F.A. in Electronic Art from the University of Cincinnati. He was previously an assistant professor and program coordinator of mass communication at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma and an associate professor of media studies at the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point. He enjoys performing and recording music, cycling, espresso, and spending time with family and friends.

Aynsley Scheffert, assistant professor of social work and B.S.W. program director

Aynsley holds a B.A. in social work from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, an M.S.W. from the University of St. Thomas/St. Catherine’s University, and is completing her Ph.D. this year from Baylor University. She enjoys community theater and has acted as a composer, music director, and actor in Rochester, Minnesota.

David Tweeten '79, associate professor of chemistry

David earned his B.A. here at Bethel. After completing his bachelor’s degree, he earned a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at the University of Minnesota. After finishing his Ph.D., he worked as a research chemist at 3M. Following a corporate downsizing, he embarked on a second career as a science teacher. David did some additional work at Bethel to earn teaching licensure and then taught at the high school level for a number of years. In the last three years, he has been an adjunct professor at multiple universities, including Bethel. Besides enjoying his time with family, he is an avid reader.

Beth Anderson, associate professor of nursing

Beth received a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Capella University, an M.A. in Organizational Leadership from St. Catherine University, and a B.S. in nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Beth has three children, two cats, two dogs, and three chickens. She enjoys spending her free time at her family’s farm in Wisconsin, reading, and playing board games.

 

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