Three faculty members are awarded tenure

Three Cincinnati State faculty members from the Health & Public Safety Divison were awarded tenure by a unanimous vote of the College Board of Trustees at the January 23, 2024, Board meeting.

Provost Robbin Hoopes said the three tenure candidates demonstrated “absolutely excellent” work in their faculty roles, and made many significant contributions to the College community.

President Monica Posey said the College is proud of these faculty members who “have contributed to the College in so many different ways.”

The newly-tenured faculty members are:

Patricia Christos – Program Chair, Medical Assistant Certificate (center of photo)

• Patricia successfully brought the Medical Assisting program into full compliance with requirements of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board, while also streamlining the curriculum.
• She was a key consultant for program design, curriculum development, and instructor training for the Medical Assisting Apprenticeship program offered through the College’s Workforce Development Center.
• She represented Cincinnati State in numerous community outreach activities including health fairs and speaking engagements at local high schools.
• Patricia served on several divisional and College-wide committees, including serving as chair of the Cooperative Education and Experiential Learning Committee.
• Her professional experience includes a variety of programs at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Group Health Associates.
• Patricia holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Cincinnati and is credentialed by the American Association of Medical Assistants as a Certified Medical Assistant.

Milene Donlin – Biology Department & Coordinator, Bioscience Certificate (on right in photo)

• Milene developed hybrid and LiveWeb versions of the courses Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2, and developed curriculum and standard assessments for in-person sections of these courses. She also revised curriculum for the online Pathophysiology course to focus on critical thinking and content application, and redeveloped the Human Geneticsonline course to meet needs of entry-level students who are not science majors.
• Milene is currently President of the Faculty Senate, and previously served as Vice President.
• She is co-director for Cincinnati State’s Academic Quiz Leagues, and organizes outreach/service events for College students and employees in partnership with Great Parks of Hamilton County.
• Milene previously served as a research assistant and a laboratory manager at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and other organizations, and was an assistant professor at Christ College of Nursing & Health Sciences.
• Milene holds a Bachelor of Arts in Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology from the University of California, a Master of Science in Biology from Temple University, and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Dr. Jennifer Tyler, RN – Practical Nursing Certificate (on left in photo)

• Jennifer restructured and redesigned portions of the curriculum for the Practical Nursing Concepts 1 course to increase course rigor, give students more opportunities to learn clinical judgement skills, and help students prepare for success on their credentialing exam.
•  She also developed an obstetric simulation to meet Ohio Board of Nursing requirements for practical nursing curricula, and she is currently developing a new course that will be part of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
• Jennifer serves on programmatic and College-wide committees, and is the co-advisor for the Nursing Student Organization.
• As a Registered Nurse, Jennifer has extensive clinical experience in varied healthcare settings.
• Jennifer has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Indiana University, and a Master of Science in Nursing with focus on Healthcare Education from the University of Phoenix. She earned the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Northern Kentucky University.

How tenure is achieved:

To be eligible for tenure, a Cincinnati State faculty member must complete five years of full-time service.

Then, eligible faculty members complete a five-month review process. During that time their qualifications and contributions to the College are examined by the Faculty Tenure Committee, the division Dean, the Provost, and the President. The Board’s vote is the final step in the review process.

The process steps leading to tenure are defined in the Cincinnati State AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement, which states that tenure is awarded in recognition of “demonstrated excellence and consistent contributions” to the College. Following the award of tenure, a faculty member may use the title “Professor.”