In conjunction with the 2021-2022 academic year, Chowan University has added five new members to the faculty: Dr. Tomica Crosby, Professor Mary Earp, Professor Phillip Entzminger, Dr. Samuel Miller, and Dr. Lia Walker.  

Dr. Tomica Crosby joins the Department of Education as Assistant Professor. Dr. Crosby holds a Doctorate of Education from the University of Phoenix.  She earned her Masters of Student Affairs along with an Educational Leadership Certification, as well as her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Clemson University. She has served as a teacher 18 years in Suffolk Public Schools. Dr. Crosby has served as CAEP Site Visitor and edTPA Supervisor. While teaching, Dr. Crosby has been an adjunct instructor at the University of Maryland Global Campus, Grand Canyon University, and Tidewater Community College.  She has also served as University Supervisor at Virginia Commonwealth University and Western Governors University. 

Also joining the Department of Education as Assistant Professor of Education is Professor Mary Earp. A Roanoke Rapids native, Professor Earp will defend her Doctorate of Education degree this semester at North Carolina State University (NCSU).  Professor Earp has two Masters degrees, one from NCSU in School Administration and a Master of Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from East Carolina University. Professor Earp recently retired from North Carolina public schools after serving 27 years.   

Professor Phillip C. Entzminger, MSCJ, JD, joins the Criminal Justice Department as an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice. Professor Entzminger earned his Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Bowling Green State University and his Juris Doctor with a Certificate in Advocacy from Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. His research interests include alternative punishments for specific classes of offenders, the deconstruction of criminal recidivism, special topics in juvenile justice, and informal social control theory.  Professor Entzminger teaches criminal law, criminal procedure, criminal theory, juvenile justice, and civil law. 

Dr. Samuel Miller joins the Department of Communication Arts as Associate Professor of Mass Communications. In this role, he is tasked with laying the groundwork for this new major. Dr. Miller earned a PhD from the University of North Dakota. He holds a Master of Arts from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Science in Communication and Emerging Technology from Slippery Rock University. Dr. Miller previously taught Communication Studies at Lane College, The University of North Dakota, and Northampton Community College.    

Joining the Department of Biology is Dr. Lia Walker as Assistant Professor of Biology. Dr. Walker, a Bertie County native, studied at East Carolina, receiving her PhD in Interdisciplinary Biological Science with a concentration in biomedical sciences (virology). She also earned her Master of Science degree in Molecular Biology & Biotechnology and her Bachelor of Science degree from East Carolina University. Dr. Walker brings a wealth of teaching experience having taught and served as an advisor in the Department of Science at Edgecombe Community College (ECC). While at ECC she received the 2021 Edgecombe Community College Service Award (for 5 years of service), and she was among the college’s top representative nominees for the 2020 North Carolina Community College System Excellence in Teaching Award Competition.

Dr. Danny Moore, Provost said, “I am very pleased to have these professors join the Chowan faculty. They are a talented group, which is critical to our mission to transform the lives of students by equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and ethical values necessary to flourish in a culturally diverse, global society.”