Dr. Janna Deitz

Associate Professor of Political Science

Dr. Janna Deitz is Associate Professor of Political Science and has been at WIU since 2003. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with honors and distinction at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her Master of Public Administration with honors from Western Carolina University, and her PhD from the University of Georgia. She was one of seven political scientists to be named a 2011-2012 American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow and spent nine months working in the Washington, DC office of Senator Dick Durbin. Her research interests include Congress, campaign finance, women and politics, and civic engagement. Her work has been published in Political Research Quarterly, PS: Political Science and Politics, and the Journal of Political Science Education, as well as in edited volumes on congressional elections. Dr. Deitz received the 2010 College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Service Award and has served as the Vice Chair of Faculty Senate, the Secretary of WIU’s University Professionals of Illinois, and Co-President of Western Organization for Women. She is a regular participant for election coverage on WIUM/WIUW radio and has given many talks to local community groups about politics and American government. She has served on the Board of the League of Women Voters and is committed to helping students learn the importance of public service and public life. Many of her former students work in the public sector and, while she was on her fellowship, Dr. Deitz enjoyed reuniting with those who now work in Washington, DC. Growing up in western North Carolina and living for ten years in western Illinois, Dr. Deitz fully appreciates the poetic aspects of a journey that has taken her "from the mountains to the prairies."

Dr. Miriam N. Satern

Professor of Kinesiology

Dr. Miriam N. Satern earned her doctoral degree in Physical Education with a specialization in Biomechanics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Prior to joining the faculty in the Department of Physical Education (now Kinesiology) at Western Illinois University in 1995, she taught physical education and coached basketball at Texas Wesleyan College in Fort Worth; taught biomechanics, coordinated an all-university requirement in fitness, and served as the Undergraduate Coordinator for Kinesiology at Kansas State University in Manhattan; and taught biomechanics, fitness, and motor development at North Dakota State University in Fargo. At WIU, she has taught biomechanics, anatomy and physiology, motor development, assessment and skill analysis in physical education, and introduction to physical education and served as the Chair of the Department of Kinesiology from 2004 to 2009. She has served on committees at the department, College, and University levels. Professionally, she has served in leadership roles in professional organizations at the state, national, and international levels; presented papers at state, regional, national, and international conferences; published research and served as a reviewer for several professional journals; mentored master’s students’ thesis research; and served as the faculty advisor for undergraduate departmental student organizations, including serving as the current faculty advisor for Phi Epsilon Sigma, the Kinesiology department’s honor society.

ADMINISTRATIVE INITIATES
2013

Dr. Joseph Rives

Vice President for Quad Cities and Planning

Dr. Joseph (Joe) Rives is the Vice President for Quad Cities and Planning. He joined WIU’s administration in 2005 after serving at Illinois State University since 1990. Rives is the University’s point of contact for Quad Cities economic development issues, provides leadership for University-wide planning, and is responsible for institutional accreditation for the Higher Learning Commission– North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. He is on the Governors Commission for statewide volunteerism, chair of Renew Moline’s Moline Project Management Team, and serves on the Quad Cities Regional Opportunities Council for the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce. He is active in the National Association of Branch Campus Administrators, Illinois and National Association of Institutional Research, Society for College and University Planning, and the Higher Learning Commission. For the latter, he is a peer evaluator; distance, new program, and location reviewer; specialized reviewer; and was just named to a national think tank on retention and graduation rates. He also works with Illinois and Iowa community colleges to institute collaborative educational paths, and he is the Vice Chair and Chair of the Council of Member Institutions for the Quad Cities Graduate Study Center.

Dr. Ronald C. Williams  

Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dr. Ronald C. Williams is the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and an Assistant Professor of Education in the College Student Personnel program in the Department of Educational and Interdisciplinary Studies at Western Illinois University. As Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, Williams is responsible for coordinating academic programs and fostering collaborative relationships with two-year institutions; maintaining articulation agreements and 2+2 programs; overseeing the University Advising and Academic Services Center, the Office of Academic Services, and the Dissertation Fellowship program; and contributing to the plans for enrollment management and recruitment and retention of faculty and students. As a faculty member, he teaches courses that focus primarily on the organizational structures of American colleges and universities, the fiscal management of institutional resources and planning, academic units, and the historical development of higher education environments in the United States. Williams has an active research agenda that focuses on access and equity in higher education, funding models for higher education, academic program and curricula development, faculty and student recruitment and retention, degree completion, and mentoring. He has published articles/book chapters and/or presented papers at refereed regional, national, and international conferences on many of these topics. Prior to his service at WIU, Williams served in various capacities at the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, Lane College, the Los Angeles Unified School District, and California Federal Bank. A native of Inglewood, California, Williams earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Accounting from Lane College and a Master of Education and an EdD in Higher Education Administration from Tennessee State University. His personal interests include community involvement, volunteerism, spending time with family and friends, traveling, and developing and advocating for educational and professional opportunities for underrepresented student scholars.