Two university professors have been granted three-year appointments as Honors Faculty Fellows bringing their years of experience to the Honors College.

“[The] John V. Roach Honors College has over 1,000 students and is indeed in need of faculty. As the newest college on campus in its infancy, it has not had the time to grow faculty yet,” Beata Jones, a professor at the Neeley School of Business and a recipient of the three-year appointment as a Faculty Fellow, said.

Darren Middleton of the religion department has also been appointed as a Honors Faculty Fellow.

Peggy Watson, dean of the Honors College, said that being given these three-year appointments as a Faculty Fellow means that these professors will leave their home departments for three years in order to bring expertise and research to the Honors College.

The Honors College is continuing to grow, so the addition of these Fellows will help the college thrive academically, Watson said. She said that the Honors program is growing in diversity and now has honors students in every major.

Middleton said the appointment allows the Fellows to move away from their home academic unit and concentrate on helping the Honors College flourish academically.

Middleton also said that the Fellows receive a full-time lecturer to take their place while they are concentrating on helping the Honors College.

Jones said, “An Honors Faculty Fellow teaches upper-division Honors Colloquia classes and has service and research responsibilities within the Honors College that are the same as he or she would have in the home college.”

Middleton said he hopes to take advantage of this grant by teaching new courses, strengthening existing classes, taking students to West Africa and ultimately helping Honors students.

Middleton explained that he has done work on everything from Jesus films to Rastafari reggae music.

“I see myself as a teacher-scholar,” Middleton said. ”I am keen to fold my own research into the classroom.”

Jones also hopes to take advantage of her appointment to the Honors College.

“It is certainly an opportunity to grow professionally,” she said.