Central Lakes College recently announced the hiring of six full-time
instructors for the 2012-13 academic year. Scheduled to start on Aug. 22, 2012
are three English and three mathematics faculty. Selected
for the English posts were CLC adjuncts Lori-Beth Larsen and Adam Marcotte of
Brainerd and Brandon Hoffmann, a writing studies instructor at the University
of Minnesota-Duluth. Selected for the mathematics posts
were CLC adjunct Anne Nelson-Fisher of Brainerd, Mamfe Osafo of Mankato, and Deana
Bobzien of Kewanee, Ill.
Larsen has taught at
CLC for three years and has over 15 years’ experience in education. She earned
her Master of Arts in English from St. Cloud State University and a bachelor’s degree
in music from the University of Hawaii. She began her career in Minneapolis as
a teacher of English as a Second Language.
Marcotte is in his second year at
CLC. His experience includes eight years in upstate New York as a
secondary-level English teacher and six years at a U.S.-based community and
technical college for American service members in Asia. He holds a master’s in
English literature from State University of New York at Cortland. His English BA
is from Ithaca College.
Hoffmann, a Duluth resident, in 2011
earned an Outstanding Teaching Award from the UMD College of Liberal Arts. In
2005 he received a $5,000 graduate assistant fellowship based on demonstrated
talent and interest in English studies. He earned his master’s from UMD in 2005
and became a graduate instructor in the English Department. His English BA is
from the University of Minnesota-Morris.
Nelson-Fisher has been an adjunct
instructor at CLC from 1998-2005 and 2007-present. She also served as a long-term
substitute teacher for Advanced Placement calculus in the Brainerd School
District (2011) and was a University of Iowa graduate teaching assistant from
1994-97. She earned her BA in mathematics from the College of St. Benedict and
her master’s degree from the University of Iowa.
Osafo has been a math instructor in
the Mathematics and Statistics Department of Minnesota State University, Mankato,
teaching algebra and developmental mathematics. In 2006-07 he was an assistant
statistician for the Ghana Statistical Service Ministries. Osafo’s degrees are
from MSU (master’s in math, statistics option) and University of Cape Coast
Ghana (bachelor’s).
Bobzien
has been a mathematics professor at Black Hawk College in Keanee, Ill., since
2002. From 2005-10 she served as co-chair of the Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department. She has held teaching posts at Springfield College (Ill.),
Williamsville High School (Ill.), and Rochester Junior and Senior High (Ill.).
Obzien earned a master’s in math education from the University of Illinois at
Springfield and a bachelor’s from Western Illinois University.