Briar Cliff Welcomes New Talent

February 8, 2022

Briar Cliff University is pleased to welcome new faculty and staff to serve our campus community. 

 

Timothy Click comes to the Cliff as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. His education includes Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from Northwestern Oklahoma State University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Oklahoma. 

Prior to Briar Cliff, Click was a postdoctoral researcher at Oklahoma State University – Stillwater and National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan. He has also previously taught at Tabor College in Kansas.

 

 

Stephen Clar comes to Briar Cliff as an Assistant Professor of Business Administration – Sports Management. He received his Bachelor of Art in Government from the University of Notre Dame and went on to earn his J.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law. 

He also earned his Master of Sport Administration from Canisius College, where he was an adjunct professor. Clar’s other experience includes Associate Director of Academic and Membership Affairs for the NCAA, implementing the first NCAA Data Summit for campus leaders to discuss how to use data analytics to support decision-making for intercollegiate athletics.

  

Devan Eiten joins the Cliff as an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator for the recently announced Doctor of Occupational Therapy program. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Midland University and Doctor of Occupational Therapy from Creighton University. 

Prior to Briar Cliff, Eiten worked at Creighton University Medical Center and Bergan Mercy Medical Center in Omaha as an acute care therapist. During this time, she was also a teaching assistant in Kinesiology at Creighton for the occupational therapy program.

 

Julius Fink joins Briar Cliff as a Visiting Professor of Kinesiology. He received his Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Bern and his Master of Art in Economics from Yokohama National University. He then went on to earn his Ph.D. in Health and Sport Science from Nippon Sport Science University. 

Most recently, Fink was an Assistant Professor for the Urology Department Juntendo University’s Graduate School of Medicine. He has been published in multiple journals including The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 

 

Heather Fitch joins Briar Cliff as the Business Services Coordinator. She will soon receive her Bachelor of Art in Business Administration from Briar Cliff. Previous experience includes working in education, health care, accounting, and insurance. 

Scott Griffith joins BCU as an Assistant Professor of Business Administration – Marketing. He received his Bachelor of Art in Russian History from Northwestern University and his Master of Art in Russian, East European Area Studies with a business and economics concentration from Indiana University – Bloomington. He then went on to earn his MBA from Duke University. 

Prior to the Cliff, Griffith was a brand marketing executive for over 20 years, overseeing global marketing for a division of Pentair, LLC and Cardiac Science. He has also worked as a brand marketing executive in prominent consumer brand companies including Newell Rubbermaid, Nautilus, Inc., Bush Brothers & Co., and more. 

Sonu Jose comes to Briar Cliff as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science. She received her Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology from Cochin University of Science and Technology and her Master of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from Anna University in India. Most recently, she earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering, specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Human-Computer Interaction from the University of Nevada – Reno. 

Her research includes creating a simulation-based tutoring system, structure learning of Bayesian networks, and creating a new game user interface for K-16 and lay audiences. Prior to Briar Cliff, Jose taught at the University of Nevada – Reno.

Bodhisattwa Mondal joins BCU as an Assistant Professor of Biology. He received his Bachelor of Science in Physiology from Presidency College in India and Master of Science in Biochemistry from All India Institute of Medical Sciences. 

Most recently, he earned his Ph.D. in Public Health – Toxicology from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Mondal has 10+ years of multidisciplinary research experience and has been published in multiple research journals, including PNAS.

 

 

Sarah Nussbaum comes to Briar Cliff as the newest Instructor of Nursing. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from South Dakota State University and her Master of Science in Nursing with a focus on Nursing Education from Walden University. 

Starting out her nursing career with Avera, Nussbaum became a travel nurse working in various specialties such as medical surgery, intensive care, and the emergency department. 

 

  

Theresa Vandenberg joins BCU as the new Human Resources Manager. An alumna, Vandenberg received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Briar Cliff University. 

With 25 years of diverse experience in Human Resources, she is a member of the National Society for Human Resource Management as well as the Siouxland chapter.