Included in the new faculty members for 2014- 15 are Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Nicholaus Pumphrey and Assistant Professor of Marketing Nadia Novotorova.

Both Pumphrey and Novotorova said they hope to be able to take students overseas with them to experience cultures and abolish stereotypes. They especially like the opportunities Baker offers to students who wish to travel abroad.

Each July, Pumphrey travels to Akko, Israel, to work on an archaeological excavation of an ancient city. While there, he acts as an area supervisor and oversees the excavation of at least two squares.

Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Nicholaus Pumphrey

“It is the perfect site for studying politics, religion, ancient history, and archaeology of the Middle East and Israel,” Pumphrey said. “It is a great experience and I hope to bring Baker students one day.”

Novotorova, who is originally from Russia, has taken students to Russia before and would love to do the same with Baker students. She recently returned from such a trip with some of her students.

Assistant Professor of Marketing Nadia Novotorova

“They absolutely loved it,” Novotorova said. “My students were really impressed and surprised. We were happy to see that all the stereotypes were broken. People over there and here are the same. I am looking forward to offer a class or short program to Baker students, because I enjoy the overseas component.”

Both Pumphrey and Novotorova like Baker’s reputation as a liberal arts school along with the intimate class sizes.

“I felt that Baker was a perfect fit for me.” Pumphrey said in an e-mail interview, “Also, I am very interested in working in the Quayle Bible Collection and teaching classes where students get better acquainted with the resources at Baker.”

With both positions being vacant for a while, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Brian Posler thinks Novotorova and Pumphrey will bring new expertise to their departments.

“It was a hardship to have this religious studies position vacant for the two years since (George) Wiley retired,” Posler said. “I am so pleased that we were able to recruit such a large pool of applicants, and then able to hire our first choice. Professor Pumphrey will bring high energy and fabulous expertise to our faculty.”

Posler also has high expectaions for Novotorova.

“Dr. Novotorova brings amazing experience to Baker, having previously taught a number of desirable courses in marketing and management, as well as bringing her extensive experience leading student trips abroad,” Posler said. “This faculty position has been vacant for a while, so I am very pleased that our students will be able to take advantage of her expertise.”

Novotorova hopes to meet not only Posler’s expectations, but hopes that Baker will meet her own as well.

“I look forward to offering my students something unique and hopefully exciting,” Novotorova said. “I am very excited! How could you not be excited about this awesome campus?”