SEPTEMBER 20, 2007 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

Five New Faculty Named At SMC 

Ryan Grover

Mark Holycross

Ani Kish

Joseph Ongeri

Kris Pratt

SPARTANBURG -- Spartanburg Methodist College is pleased to announce the recent hiring of five new faculty. 

Ryan Grover has been hired as Professor of English, and is teaching English 100, 101, and 102 this fall semester.  

Grover is a 2003 Wofford College graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in English. He received his Master’s in English from the University of South Carolina in 2005 and is currently working on a PhD in 20th Century American Literature. 

He and his wife Erin, a teacher at D.R. Hill Middle School, reside in Spartanburg. 

Mark Holycross has been given a one-year appointment as Professor of Physical Science. He is teaching Physics and Physical Science this fall semester. 

He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Findlay University in Ohio and a Master’s in Physics from the University of Toledo. 

Holycross previously worked for Mettler-Toledo. He and his wife have lived in the Spartanburg area for 15 years. They have two grown sons. 

Ani Kish has been hired as a Professor of Computer Science. She is teaching Computer Concepts, Web Design, and Algorithmic Design this fall semester. 

Kish, a Connecticut native, is currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science from the University of South Carolina. She has a Master’s in Software Engineering from USC and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Connecticut.  

She has lived in the Spartanburg area for 18 years and previously served as an independent programmer and consultant. 

Joseph Ongeri, a native of Kenya, has been hired as a Professor of Economics. He is teaching Microeconomics and Macroeconomics this fall semester.

Ongeri  possesses Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Economics from the University of Nairobi, and a second Master’s in Economics from Purdue University. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Adult and Continuing Education from Pennsylvania State University. 

He most recently worked as a financial business analyst for the Pennsylvania Correctional Industries and taught at Harrisburg Area Community College as an adjunct faculty since 2003. He and his wife have four children. 

Kris Pratt has been hired as a Professor of Religion. He is teaching Old Testament, New Testament, and Introduction to Religious Thought this fall semester. 

Pratt, a native of Cary, NC, received a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of  North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1996, a Master’s in Divinity from Gardner Webb University in 1999, and a PhD in Religion from Baylor University in 2005. He previously taught at Palm Beach Atlantic College in Florida. 

He and his wife Tara live in Asheville and have a 16-month old daughter.

Spartanburg Methodist College is in its 96th year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning. 

For more information, please contact Brian Fulkerson, Director of Public Information, at (864) 587-4254.

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