MICHELLE KOWALSK
The three new department chairs appointed by President Merrill J. Bateman want to see the programs in their areas continue to help students acquire a good education.
The new chairs are Erin D. Bigler of the Department of Psychology, Bruce A. Roundy of the Department of Botany and Range Science and George S. Tate of the Department of Humanities, Classics and Comparative Literature.
Bigler has previously taught at the University of Texas at Austin as a professor of psychology and psychiatry. He was the director of neuropsychology at the Austin Neurological Clinic and the Austin State Hospital and now directs a research study on traumatic brain injury at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City. He is also an author and editor.
Bigler looks forward to the opportunity of serving the department.
“We will continue with high-quality education for undergraduates and graduates,” he said.
Tate is a BYU graduate and received his Ph.D. in medieval studies at Cornell University in 1974. He is a Fulbright Fellow in Iceland and a Marshall Fellow in Denmark.
Tate also served as secretary and treasurer for the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study from 1992-96.
“I’m glad to be serving,” Tate said. “I would like to see all programs flourish.”
He wants to mentor the newer, younger faculty who he calls a great treasure.
Tate was named a Karl G. Maeser General Education Professor and was presented the P.A. Christensen Lecture in the College of Humanities in 1986. He has published several articles in medieval literature and culture.
Roundy, a graduate of the University of Nevada at Reno, received his Ph.D. in range management at Utah State University in 1984. According to a BYU press release, he is working to establish annual plants in the northern Negev Desert of Israel. Jaime Kaigel from Hebrew University in Jerusalem is also working on the project.
Roundy came to BYU two years ago and believes this is a unique university. He would like to encourage faculty to integrate spiritual aspects into education.
“I feel it’s important for us to see how the gospel is related to environmental stewardship,” Roundy said.
The new chairs replaced David V. Stimpson from the Department of Psychology, Bill M. Hess from the Department of Botany and Range Science and John F. Hall from the Department of Humanities, Classics and Comparative Literature. Stimpson, Hess and Hall will all return to full-time teaching and research.
