This article appears for archival purposes. Any events, programs and/or initiatives mentioned may no longer be applicable.
Four Rio Salado College faculty have received Faculty Emeritus status at the Maricopa Community Colleges’ Governing Board meeting on Jan. 24, 2023. Dr. Janine Adkins, Dr. Kirk Bowden, Bob Semmler and Dr. Kerrie Specker all served as residential faculty chairs and retired from the college in 2022.
The Governing Board may award emeritus distinction to any full-time residential faculty, chancellor, vice-chancellor, college president, or college vice president who retires from the Maricopa County Community College District.
To receive emeritus distinction, candidates must meet several requirements including having at least 20 years of full-time service in the Maricopa district with 10 of the years in the position for which emeritus distinction is recommended and having demonstrated satisfactory performance. A list of full requirements can be found here.
Dr. Janine Adkins
Dr. Janine Adkins joined Rio Salado College as faculty chair of Humanities in 2000. During that time, she made significant contributions to her discipline and to the college. In addition to providing oversight for her department, she chaired the college's Civic Participation Steering Committee and served as facilitator for Rio's New Employee Orientation.
In 2002, Adkins received the Women's Leadership Group/American Association of Women in Community Colleges of the Maricopa Community Colleges Distinguished Achievement award. Most notably, Dr. Adkins served as Rio Salado's Phi Theta Kappa Advisor and All-Academic Team Director for 15 years, during which time she won numerous awards for the college, including: 94 International awards, 53 Regional awards, 5 All-USA Academic Team awards, and 27 All-Arizona Academic Team Awards.
Dr. Kirk Bowden
Dr. Kirk Bowden contributed significantly to the field of Addictions and Substance Abuse Disorders. Dr. Bowden is past president of the Association of Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) and past chair of NASAC and the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners. He has provided expert advice and testimony about opioid use, including a 2017 Congressional briefing hosted by the American Counseling Association.
Bowden was awarded the Society for Addiction Psychology Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Public Interest at the 2020 American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Conference, an award conferred on APA members who've made distinguished and significant contributions to the advancement of public interest in the addictions field.
Bob Semmler
Bob Semmler has served as the Rio Salado College faculty chair of Biology for the past 20 years. In that time, the college and our students benefited from a number of his academic innovations. He created a virtual microscope for online students to participate in science lab simulations, bringing science to life for those who may not have been able to travel to an in-person lab. His dedication to student accessibility is also evident in his work with Rio's Textbook Savings Program.
In addition to his work with students, Semmler was recognized with the Homer Sarasohn Award for his tireless efforts to advance the work of Rio's Faculty. He was one of the founding members of the college's Academic Integrity Task Force and received a Maricopa Innovation of the Year Award for his work on Rio Salado's Peer-to-Peer Plagiarism Detection System.
Dr. Kerrie Specker
Dr. Kerrie Specker was named Rio's faculty chair of Computer Technology in 2004 after serving 13 years in various roles at the college. During that time, she made notable contributions to the discipline, college, and district. In 2006, she received the Homer Sarasohn award for her tireless efforts to advance the work of Rio faculty, including serving as Faculty Senate President, Honors Program Director, and mentor for new faculty.
Specker conducted research on the student experience with predictive analytics and helped establish a student-centered academic integrity process. In 2018, Dr. Specker received the League for Innovation's John & Suzanne Rouche Excellence Award honoring outstanding contributions and leadership by community college faculty.