Cedar Crest College Celebrates Faculty Excellence at Promotion and Tenure Ceremony 

Cedar Crest College prides itself on academic excellence, and that starts with recognizing the dedicated faculty that make the College shine. On April 9, 2026, the College did just that–taking time to honor its accomplished faculty during the annual Promotion and Tenure Ceremony.

These faculty members are pillars of our community, representing the diversity of thought fostered across our campus. They’re more than educators–they’re trailblazers who have made lasting impacts in their fields and in the classroom. Their continued service to Cedar Crest reflects a deep commitment to empowering students, advancing knowledge, and inspiring the next generation of leaders. 

Christine Batchelor, MSN

Senior Instructor of Nursing 

Christine Batchelor, MSN, RN, CNE, has been promoted to Senior Instructor in the School of Nursing, where she has served for more than nine years. She is an accomplished nurse educator and critical care nurse with over 13 years of clinical experience. Her clinical background spans complex medical-surgical, trauma, neuroscience, neurosurgical, burn, and cardiac critical care, including frontline care during the COVID-19 pandemic at Lehigh Valley Health Network and most recently at St. Luke’s Health Network. A recipient of multiple honors—including the Distinguished Nursing Alumni Award for Nursing Education and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority “I Am Patient Safety” Poster Award—Christine is recognized for her commitment to patient safety, clinical excellence, and professional integrity.

At Cedar Crest College, Christine serves as a Senior Nursing Instructor and lead faculty member in pharmacology and acute medical-surgical nursing. She teaches across didactic, clinical, laboratory, and high-fidelity simulation environments, designing immersive learning experiences that strengthen clinical judgment and competency development. As a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE), she has played a key leadership role in preparing faculty and students for the Next Generation NCLEX, developing curricular resources, facilitating faculty development sessions, and leading initiatives that promote assessment excellence and consistency in scoring. She currently serves as Lead of the School of Nursing Testing Committee and actively contributes to curriculum evaluation and faculty mentoring.

Christine earned her Master of Science in Nursing Education from Cedar Crest College, where she received the Lillian S. Brunner Award, and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Misericordia University. Her scholarly work focuses on evidence-based practice, including research on frailty assessment to predict adverse outcomes. Christine remains dedicated to advancing nursing education, fostering professional growth, and preparing practice-ready nurses equipped to deliver safe, high-quality patient-centered care.

Ivonne Miranda, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Education 

Dr. Ivonne Miranda has been promoted to Associate Professor of Education and awarded tenure at Cedar Crest College, where she has served for seven years as a faculty member and currently as Graduate Program Director. Ivonne has 18 years of experience as an elementary teacher, an experience that continues to ground her scholarship, leadership, and mentorship of future educators.

As a scholar, Ivonne’s work centers on STEM education, teacher preparation, and equity. She is the founder of HOLA Gems, a research-based initiative designed to empower young girls in traditionally male-dominated STEM fields. Her work was supported by a competitive grant from the AAUW and culminated in the publication of her research on supporting girls in STEM. Through this work, she examines self-efficacy, identity, and the development of transformative learning experiences that position girls as capable scientists, engineers, and innovators.

At Cedar Crest College, Ivonne is known for integrating the Engineering Design Process, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and innovative STEAM practices into teacher preparation. As Graduate Program Director, she leads with vision and integrity, preparing future educators to design classrooms that are inclusive, research-informed, and forward-thinking. Her teaching and mentorship challenge preservice and graduate teachers to move beyond compliance-based instruction toward authentic, meaningful learning experiences.

Ivonne’s commitment to education is deeply personal. Proudly Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian, and raised between the Bronx and Ecuador, she brings a bilingual and bicultural lens to her work. Her life experiences shape her commitment to equity, representation, and empowerment in education. She is especially passionate about serving as a role model for her three children, and particularly for her two daughters, demonstrating through her work that innovation, leadership, and scholarship belong to women and to communities historically underrepresented in academia and STEM fields.

Joshua Harrington, Ph.D.

Professor of Mathematics 

Joshua Harrington has been promoted to the rank of Professor in the Department of Mathematics. Josh joined Cedar Crest College in August 2014 and has served as the Chair of the Mathematics Department since 2015. He earned his B.S. from Shippensburg University in 2009 and his Ph.D. in 2013 from the University of South Carolina under the advisement of Michael Filaseta.

In the classroom, Josh focuses on creating sustainable infrastructures that allow students to thrive. He is committed to course accessibility, creating zero-cost course materials, and coding custom web-based software for students to use in his classes. He fosters a culture of inquiry where students become producers of new knowledge, mentoring undergraduates through research projects that have frequently led to co-authored publications in peer-reviewed journals.

With research focused on Number Theory and Combinatorics, Josh has published 52 peer-reviewed articles in professional research journals to date. He works to build research infrastructure for the broader mathematical community, having co-founded the regional SECANT conference and the peer-reviewed journal Communications on Number Theory and Combinatorial Theory. His leadership has extended to the national level as a co-PI on two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants to support Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU). 

Scott Hoke, Ph.D.

Professor of Criminal Justice 

Scott Hoke, Ph.D., has been promoted to the rank of Professor in the Department of Forensic Science & Justice Studies. Dr. Hoke received his Ph.D. from Temple University and holds an MPA from Kutztown University. 

Dr. Hoke currently serves as the Chair of the Master of Science in Crime Science program and as the Director of the Center for Police Innovation and Community Engagement. Prior to his appointment at Cedar Crest College, Scott was a criminal justice practitioner for 20 years. He was an adult probation officer and institutional parole officer for Northampton County (PA) and served as a deputy warden and acting warden at the Northampton County Jail. Scott also served as a consultant for the National Institute of Corrections for 10 years where he specialized in teaching jails across the United States how to implement management systems that were designed to better control inmate behavior. 

As an academic, Scott’s areas of expertise are in the geographic distribution of crime and program evaluation. In 2020, along with Dr. Kerrie Baker, Professor Emerita of Psychology, Scott founded the Center for Police Innovation and Community Engagement at Cedar Crest College. The Center works with local government agencies, police departments, and non-profit organizations to assess the effectiveness of their operations and programs. 

James Scepansky, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology 

Dr. James Scepansky has been promoted to the rank of Professor in the Psychology Department. Dr. Scepansky joined the faculty of Cedar Crest College in the Fall of 2003. He received a BA in Psychology from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Kent State University.

James teaches a variety of classes at Cedar Crest, including Introduction to Psychology, Social Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, The Psychology of Stereotypes and Prejudice, Sport Psychology, Cross-cultural Psychology, and the Psychology Capstone course. One of the highlights of his career is the ongoing opportunity to travel with students abroad and share his enthusiasm about the profound impact that culture can have on how people behave and think. He has either taught courses or participated as a coordinator on all nine Sophomore Expeditions (Rio de Janeiro, Athens, London, Costa Rica, Marrakesh, Rome, Dublin, Lisbon, and Belize) and has also led his own study tour to Spain, Andorra, and France. This May he will be co-teaching a course called “Exploring Down Under,” which culminates in a trip to Australia and New Zealand.

Lindsey Welch, Ph.D.

Professor of Chemistry 

Lindsey A. Welch, Ph.D., has been promoted to the rank of Professor in the Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences. Dr. Welch earned a B.S. in chemistry from Lycoming College and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Lehigh University. 

She is currently serving as chair of the Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences and Faculty President at Cedar Crest College. Her recent service to the College includes her work on the Committee on Undergraduate Education (CUE), the Grievance Committee, the Retention and Persistence Committee, and the Promotion & Tenure Committee. She also served as co-chair of Standard V Educational Effectiveness sub-committee and a member of the Steering Committee in the Middle States Accreditation Team during the last accreditation cycle. In the American Chemical Society (ACS), she is the immediate Past Chair of the Environmental Chemistry Division, and she serves as a member of the national Committee on Science. 

In 2023, she was recognized with the Cedar Crest College Alumnae Association Excellence in Teaching Award, and in 2025 she was the recipient of the Excellence in Chemistry Teaching at Small Colleges Award from the Lehigh Valley local section of ACS. Her teaching spans from introductory chemistry to senior-level inorganic and physical chemistry courses. 

Dr. Welch has led undergraduate research in STEM while serving as principal investigator of an award funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Women’s Colleges and Universities (WCU) Tackling Obstacles for Women’s Engagement & Retention in STEM (TOWERS), which involved the study of how initiatives such as a Summer Bridge Research Program and a Peer Mentoring Program support women persisting in STEM fields. She has recent work in scholarly publications such as the Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal (as corresponding author with two undergraduate student co-authors) and Forensic Science Journal (as co-author). Her scholarly work has also included co-editing two books and authoring three book chapters since being tenured and promoted to associate professor in 2019. She has a current contract with De Gruyter Publishing for a textbook focused on historic environmental disasters.  

Jill Purdy, Ed.D.

Professor Emerita of Education 

Jill E. Purdy, Ed.D., has been awarded emeritus status at Cedar Crest College in recognition of her career and many years of service as Professor of Education. Over two decades, she has prepared future teachers and helped shape both undergraduate and graduate programs. 

Jill’s teaching has focused on literacy, English language learning, and social justice. She served in numerous leadership roles, including department chair, director of graduate programs, and faculty president. She also co-directed the Sophomore Expedition since its inception, guiding students as they connected academic learning with global travel and cross-cultural experiences.

She holds a Doctor of Education in Reading and Language Arts from Widener University. Her scholarship includes publications and invited presentations on literacy education, culturally responsive teaching, mindfulness, and online teaching.

Throughout her career, Dr. Purdy has demonstrated a deep commitment to her students and colleagues. Her work reflects her dedication to education, equity, and lifelong learning.

In her retirement, you will find Jill with her partner, Roni, and a few friends riding their bicycles somewhere in the world.

Please join us in congratulating these distinguished faculty!