CSU’s Frazier, Ruehl Take On New Leadership Roles in Department of Biology

May 10, 2021

Columbus State University’s College of Letters and Sciences announced the appointment of Dr. Monica Frazier as chair of the Department of Biology, and Dr. Clifton Ruehl as the department’s assistant chair.

“Dr. Frazier brings leadership experience, a strong record of successful teaching and collaborative research, grant writing and management experience to this leadership role,” said Dr. Annice Yarber-Allen, the college’s dean. “Dr. Ruehl has a strong student-centered teaching and research record in the areas of population, community, and evolutionary ecology.”

A CSU faculty member since 2006, Frazier has served as the department’s interim chair since January 2021. She also serves as the director of the Southwest Georgia Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, where she advocates for underrepresented students. Recently, Frazier was named to the 2020 list of 1,000 Inspiring Black Scientists by the Community of Scholars.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Alabama State University, and a Ph.D. in microbiology and virology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

“I want to make biology at CSU a destination and not a layover for both students and faculty,” she said of her vision for the department. “I want to continue the groundwork laid by my predecessors by ensuring that our curriculum remains current and relevant in a manner that graduates have the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in their careers and make an impact in our society.”

Dr. Ruehl has worked at CSU since 2012. Students in Ruehl’s lab focus on freshwater ecosystems, including studying predator-prey interactions in ponds and the effects of center-pivot irrigation on freshwater mussels in coastal plain streams.

Through his leadership role, Ruehl wants to “focus on facilitating success by improving student retention, expanding shared knowledge of departmental organization, and building greater experiential teaching and learning opportunities for our faculty and students.”

He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Trinity University, a master’s degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences from Texas A&M University, and a Ph.D. in biological sciences from Florida International University.

The department offers undergraduate degrees in biology, with concentrations in pre-veterinary, pre-forestry, and pre-pharmacy, as well as a master’s degree in natural science. Faculty in the department represent a wide range of biological subfields and research interests. More information about the department is available online at biology.columbusstate.edu.