Lawrenceburg, In. — Ivy Tech Community College Lawrenceburg officials have introduced five new full-time faculty members with substantial experience in nursing, communication, biology and education.
- Lori Grubbs of Moores Hill is an Assistant Professor of Nursing. She previously worked as an adjunct nursing faculty member for Gateway Community College, Indiana University East and Ivy Tech Richmond. She has nursing experience as a Registered Nurse at St. Elizabeth Health Care and Community Mental Health. She also has worked as a home healthcare provider. She is a Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse and has Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support certification. She earned her master’s degree in nursing from Indiana University Richmond, her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Indiana University East and her associate degree in nursing from Ivy Tech Community College.
- Susanne Hamner of Madison is an Assistant Professor of Communication. She previously served as an Ivy Tech adjunct faculty member and online technology coordinator and provided learning center educational generalist support for College Cooperative Southeast. She also worked as marketing director for Trammel Grow Residential Development in its Houston, Texas, Southern California and Indianapolis offices. She earned master’s degrees in communication from Purdue University and human resource development from Indiana State University. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism/public relations from Ball State University.
- Andrew Higginbotham of Cincinnati is an Assistant Professor of Physical Science. He previously taught as part of a fellowship at the University of Dayton and was a teaching apprentice at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. He has experience as an adjunct biology instructor at Ivy Tech Lawrenceburg; Midlands Technical College in Columbus, South Carolina; Longview Community College in Lee’s Summit, Missouri; and Georgia Perimeter College in Covington, Georgia. He is pursuing his doctorate in history of biblical interpretation specializing in early rabbinic thought at Hebrew Unio College-Jewish Institute of Region. He holds a master’s degree in teaching from University of South Carolina, and a master’s in biblical languages and a Master of Divinity from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of South Carolina.
- Shelby Hochstrasser of Greendale is an Assistant Professor of Nursing. She has seven years of patient care experience, including as an Emergency Department Registered Nurse and a Vascular Access Registered Nurse at St. Elizabeth Hospital and as a Humana Cares Manager Registered Nurse. She earned her master’s degree in nursing leadership and management and bachelor’s degree in nursing, both from Western Governors University, and an associate degree in nursing from Beckfield College.
- Amanda Purcell of Aurora is an Assistant Professor and Program Chair of Education. She previously taught language arts at Lawrenceburg High School and was an early College Instructor for the high school and Vincennes University. She received the Philip B. Daghlian High School Teacher of English Award from Indiana University in 2014 and was the Lawrenceburg High School Teacher of the Year the past four years and in 2007. She also received the Lawrenceburg High School Jack Anderson Award in 2010 and 2013. She earned a master’s degree in education from Xavier University and a bachelor’s degree in English from College of Mount St. Joseph. She also completed journalism licensing for the state of Indiana.
“Our faculty members have an immense amount of experience and talent to provide Ivy Tech students with a high-quality education that will help them be successful,” said Matthew Probst, Ivy Tech Lawrenceburg Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. “We welcome the new faculty members and look forward to their contributions to our campus and our students’ education.”
