USD welcomes host of new faculty members to staff

By Sarah Butler

This year, many USD departments are welcoming new professors to their campus teams. Some of these professors have agreed to introduce themselves to USD students, offering their background, classes they will be teaching and a bit about their personal lives.*

Saturnino Garcia, professor of computer science, graduated from UC San Diego and became a visiting assistant professor this past year. This year, he will be teaching “Computer Programming I” and “Operating Systems.”

“I’m vegan, love to cook and bake, and I’m an avid hiker,” Garcia said. “Also, please note that I go by ‘Sat’ rather than Saturnino.”

Diane Keeling, professor of communication studies, is coming from the University of Maine’s communication and journalism department She previously attended different colleges in Wisconsin and Colorado. However, Keeling is not new to the west coast: she is a California local from Grand Terrace, CA.

“I have an avid love for sports, especially college basketball, baseball and skiing,” Keeling said. “Also, I keep a cribbage board with cards in my office, if anyone cares for a game, but don’t get skunked!”

Keeling will be teaching both “Rhetorical Theory” and “Public Speaking” this semester.

Michael Kelly, professor of philosophy, left the east coast for the west. He holds a doctorate from Fordham University and bachelor degrees in both philosophy and psychology from Connecticut College.
This fall, Kelly is scheduled to be teaching the courses “Philosophy of Human Nature” and “20th Century Continental Philosophy.”

“I’m looking forward to getting into the classroom and getting to know, teach and learn from the USD students,” Kelly said.

Kelly is also excited about his work outside of the classroom.

“In addition to my teaching, I genuinely enjoy mentoring and advising students, especially first generation college students, perhaps because both I and my wife fall into that category,” Kelly said.

Rico Monge, professor of religious studies, comes from University of California at Santa Barbara’s Ph.D. program in Religious Studies. This fall he will be teaching “The Problem of God.”

“I’m a huge baseball fan and was very impressed to see that USD produced the top position player in the MLB draft this past year,” Monge said. “I look forward to watching some games.”

Greg Prieto, professor of sociology, recently graduated from UC Santa Barbara. He will be teaching two sections of quantitative methods this fall.

“I’m thrilled about working closely with undergraduates, as this is harder to do at a large research institution,” Prieto said. “I can’t wait to see what opportunities exist for research and for engaging with the broader San Diego community.”

Joseph Provost, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, is joining the department this year. After years in Minnesota completing college, conducting research and raising three children, Provost and his wife have relocated to San Diego.

“I am excited to join the chemistry and biochemistry department at USD. This is a strong and impressive group of faculty and staff who are dedicated to teaching and research in support of the University’s mission,” Provost said. “It was a very difficult decision to leave family and friends but the vision and opportunities here are impressive. I look forward to learning the culture and ways of the USD community and be able to take my place doing more of the same.”

In his spare time, Provost is working on his own book.

“Together with my coauthors, I am writing a textbook for a publisher on the Science of Food and Cooking,” Provost said. “We have over half of the book in draft and plan to get the rest to our editor soon.”

When he is not writing his book, Provost will be teaching a biochemistry lecture, biochemistry lab, and general chemistry lab and research.

Martin Repinecz, professor of Spanish, recently finished his doctorate in romance studies at Duke University. This fall, he will be teaching two sections of Spanish 301.
Repinecz is excited to be joining the staff and is passionate about his work.

“I believe that mastering another language is the only real way to engage other cultures fully, so everyone should do it!” Repinecz said.
Michael Shulman, professor of mathematics, is a southern California native and grew up in Los Angeles. After graduating from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, he received his doctorate from the University of Chicago.

“Last year I was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ, along a group working on transforming the foundations of mathematics,” Shulman said.
This year, he will be teaching two sections of Calculus I.

Other additions to this year’s faculty include Steve Tammelleo, professor of philosophy and Cid Martinez, professor of sociology, as well as three new faces in the English department: Koonyong Kim, Marcelle Maese-Cohen and Ivan Orti.

*Professor introductions are in alphabetical order by last name.