Ablovatski, Hedeen, Jones, Millin-Lipnos granted tenure

Four Kenyon assistant professors have recently received tenure: Eliza Ablovatski, assistant professor of history; Katherine Hedeen, assistant professor of Spanish; Brian Jones, assistant professor of mathematics and Paula Millin-Lipnos, assistant professor of psychology.

On Their Promotion

Millin-Lipnos, who has been teaching at Kenyon for six years, said "receiving tenure is one of the highlights of an academic career. It feels great."

Ablovatski said that receiving tenure "is a nice feeling of accomplishment, and it has been wonderful to hear the kind words and good wishes of so many Kenyon friends this week."

"I'm relieved that the review process is over and had a successful conclusion. My wife and daughters are extremely relieved," Jones said. "When I told my eight-year-old daughter that I was awarded tenure, she jumped up and down, then hugged me tight as tears rolled down her face. That's a moment I'll never forget."

Past Experience

Ablovatski, who got her M.A. and Ph.D. at Columbia University, said she became interested in Central European history as a student at Amherst College. "I started college in the fall of 1989, so East Europe was on all of our minds," she said. "My professor of Russian history that fall would show us the news from the Soviet Union and E.E. during class and help us make connections to the past history of the region."

"When I was a high school student, I really enjoyed math and chemistry, so I studied chemical engineering as an undergraduate, with a technical elective program in applied mathematics," Jones said. After working a short time in industry as a process engineer, Jones went back to graduate school, where he studied applied mathematics, probability and statistics. "In 1987, I was a teaching assistant at Ohio State [University] for the first time, and that's where I found my love of teaching."

Hedeen received her doctorate in Hispanic literatures from the University of Texas at Austin in 2003. Her dissertation, entitled Cuba: Poesía, Género y Revolución, is a "study of three contemporary Cuban women poets and how gender representation relates to revolutionary ideals in their work," Hedeen said." Ever since high school, I have been interested in the Spanish language, the social transformations carried out in Latin America … particularly in Cuba and feminism," Hedeen said. "All of these came together in my doctoral work."

Millin-Lipnos has a Ph.D. in biopsychology and her current research specialty is behavioral pharmacology with a focus on learning and memory. "I did an undergraduate honors thesis in the area of animal learning and just kept going in that area," she said.

Why Kenyon?

Ablovatski said that she chose to work at Kenyon because of her fondness for the liberal arts education. "I loved my time at Amherst and I really believe in the liberal arts college. Students can get so much out of their education in a setting like this."

"It's not just about me choosing Kenyon; Kenyon also chose me. I think we are a good fit," Hedeen said. "I enjoy the high caliber of the students I have in my courses and the relationship I cultivate with them inside and outside of class." Hedeen, who has been teaching full-time since 2003, said she appreciates "being part of a community that encourages intellectual discourse, honors artistic creativity and appreciates critical thinking." She said she is "happy and relieved" to receive tenure at Kenyon.

"When I interviewed for jobs, I could see immediately that Kenyon was a special place," Millin-Lipnos said. "The students here just amaze me. They do things I didn't dream of doing at their age. They have such a well-defined sense of purpose in the world-it is really very unique. Working with such great people, the students and faculty, is what keeps me at Kenyon."

"Kenyon has excellent students and talented faculty who have made teaching their life's passion," Jones said. "That's exactly the environment I want to be a part of."

Inspirations

"I would say I really became interested in my area as an undergraduate at Kent State University when I took a Learning & Motivation class with an exceptional instructor (who was a grad student herself at the time)," said Millin-Lipnos, who remembers a paper she wrote for the class based on an experiment with rats that done in the laboratory portion of the course. Her instructor wrote, "You're a really good technical writer. You seem to really get this stuff."

"Her encouragement helped me to see that I did have a special affinity for animal learning and it persuaded me to pursue an honors project in that area and later attend graduate school," Millin-Lipnos said. "I have stayed in touch with that teacher, and I still think of her as a mentor."

Hedeen said it is difficult to name one thing that inspired her to become a professor. "I come from a family of public middle and high school educators, so teaching has always been an important part of my life," she said. "Specifically, my high school Spanish teacher, Bertha Mansker, shared her passion for the Spanish language with me. She, along with my family, taught me about dedication to students as well as to the profession."

"I've been very fortunate to have many excellent teachers over the years. They have influenced nearly every aspect of my academic career," Jones said. "I am indebted to them to an extent that I can never repay."

"But by far the most influential person in my life is my father, who taught me the importance of kindness, patience and understanding when teaching, whether it be in a mathematics classroom or on the ballfield," Jones said.

Ablovatski also said her main inspiration was also her father. "My father is also a history professor-maybe it's the family business."

Hobbies

"Beyond my work as a literary translator, I am passionate about music, books and social activism," Hedeen said. "I also enjoy international travel and being with my family."