Faculty — H
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Hand, Jacqueline P.
Jacqueline P. Hand
Professor of Law, focuses on connecting her teaching and research interests in environmental, international and American Indian law. In 1996, she founded the American Indian Law Center at UDM and continues to serve as the Center’s director. She is also active in numerous organizations in her field, including the Academy of the IUCN (World Conservation Union) and the Environmental and Indian Law sections of the State Bar of Michigan. She previously served as chair of the Environmental, Property and Agricultural Law sections of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS). In addition, she serves as the Secretary and Member of the Board of Directors of the Ecology Center Ann Arbor and as Co-Chair of the Southeast Michigan Fulbright Association. She joined the University in 1980.
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Harris, Karen D.
Karen D. Harris
Assistant Professor, McAuley School of Nursing, teaches in the BSN completion program. She earned her MSN from University of Detroit Mercy and is a certified adult health nurse practitioner.
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Harris, Troy L.
Troy Harris
Associate Professor of Law, teaches International Commercial Arbitration, Sales, Contracts, Construction Law, and Alternative Dispute Resolution. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and serves on the International, Commercial, and Construction Panels of Arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association, on the Approved Faculty List for the Chartered Institute, and on the roster of the United States Department of State’s Fulbright Specialist Program, in the area of international arbitration. Harris earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, and a Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration from the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in London. He joined the University in 2010.
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Harrison, Mary-Catherine
Mary-Catherine Harrison
Associate Professor of English and Co-Director of the University Honors Program. Mary-Catherine Harrison has been on the faculty of UDM since 2008. She received her Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan and her Bachelor of Arts. from Rutgers University. Harrison specializes in Victorian literature, narrative theory and the psychology of reading. Her research has appeared in Narrative, Poetics Today, Journal of Victorian Culture, Studies in the Novel, Journal of Family Theory and Review and Rethinking Empathy Through Literature. Her teaching at UDM includes genre courses in poetry and fiction, surveys in nineteenth-century British literature and seminars on the history of the novel and Victorian literature and culture. She is the Executive Secretary and member of the Executive Board of the Midwest Victorian Studies Association. She is also the founder and director of RX for Reading Detroit, a literacy initiative that works to expand access to books for children in the Detroit community (http://rxreading.org). Previously, she served as director of UDM's Academic Exploration Program. Harrison received UDM’s Agere ex Missione Award in 2012 and the Faculty Achievement Award in 2013.
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Heidgerken, Tadd
Tadd Heidgerken
Assistant Professor of Architecture, is the coordinator of the second-year foundational design studio and teaches Adv. Graphic Design and Computer Graphics. He is one of the faculty advisers for the Dichotomy Architectural Journal. Heidgerken creates environments that bring people closer together. He integrates techniques from a broad range of media to create experiences of intimacy and comfort. Heidgerken earned his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Detroit Mercy and a Master of Architecture from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. A registered architect, Heidgerken is a Principal and founder of Et al. Collaborative, a Detroit-Brooklyn based architecture firm. He also serves as a visiting critic at universities throughout Detroit, the United States, and internationally. In addition, he sits on the board of several Detroit-area cultural non-profit organizations. Heidgerken joined the University in 2015.
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Hendry S.J., Simon J.
Simon Hendry, S.J.
Director, Catholic Studies Program, and the Superior of the Jesuit Residence at UDM. His research interests include spirituality and social justice. He joined the University in 2007.
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Henning, Karen M.
Karen McDonald Henning
Associate Professor of Law, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served as an Executive Editor of the Law Review and was a member of the Order of the Coif. Henning teaches Applied Legal Theory and Analysis, Advanced Advocacy, Federal Jurisdiction and a Judicial Clerkship seminar. She coordinates the Writing for Publication Program at the Law School, as well as coaching national Moot Court teams. She joined the University in 2007.
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Henze, Erin
Erin Henze
Associate Professor, Psychology Department. Erin Henze is a licensed psychologist as well as a State of Michigan and nationally certified school psychologist. She teaches courses in assessment and intervention for school psychologists, role and function of the school psychologist, systems-level consultation, developmental psychopathology in the school-aged child and introductory psychology. She also supervises the first year practicum in School Psychology. Henze holds a Bachelor of Science from Western Michigan University and a doctorate from the University of Tennessee. Henze has worked in school and clinical settings with children and families. She practiced as a school psychologist in the metro Detroit area before coming to UDM in the Fall of 2011. Her areas of interest and research include the development and validation of academic interventions for students with disabilities, school-based functioning of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and supervision and training issues in school psychology.
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Hetsler-Parr, Judith A.
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Hibbard, Todd
Todd Hibbard
Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Co-Director of the University Honors Program. Todd Hibbard teaches courses in the area of biblical studies, including both Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and New Testament. In addition, his courses regularly examine religious texts and practices from the ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman worlds. His courses are also interested in interpretive questions raised by the reader's social location. He serves on a national steering committee for the Society of Biblical Literature and frequently teaches the Bible in local congregations. Prior to joining UDM in 2011, he taught at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the University of Notre Dame. Hibbard's research focuses on the formation of the prophetic literature of the Hebrew Bible and its role in the development of early Second Temple Judaism; early biblical interpretation, especially in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint; and the narrative literature of the Pentateuch. In 2006, he published Intertextuality in Isaiah 24-27 (Mohr Siebeck), an examination of the latter stages of the formation of the book of Isaiah. He is currently co-editing two volumes that will be published in 2013 and is working on a book examining the idea of salvation in Isaiah as an key to understanding the book's development and meaning. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Lee University, Tennessee, an Master of Arts in Theological Studies, Reformed Theological Seminary, Florida, and Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from the University of Notre Name. His doctorate, in Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity, was also earned at the University of Notre Dame.
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Hiber, Amanda J.
Amanda J. Hiber
Lecturer in English. Amanda Hiber received a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and History from Beloit College in 1996 and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Non-Fiction Writing from the University of Arizona in 2000. Her work has appeared in In These Times magazine and Clackamas Literary Review. She has taught at UDM since 2001.
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Higby, Mary A.
Mary A. Higby
Professor of Marketing, teaches marketing management and planning, marketing strategy, product development and retailing. She is Director of Assurance of Learning. Her research has been published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, The Journal of Marketing Management, Management Review. Her research interests include new product development, marketing strategy, and team effectiveness. Her current research involves team effectiveness and marketing strategy. She received the President’s Award for Faculty Excellence in 1995. Higby worked at Amway Corporation, Sears Roebuck & Company, and AT & T before coming to UDM. She holds a Ph.D., M.B.A., M.A. and B.S. from Michigan State University. She joined the University in 1989.
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Hightower, Renady
Renady Hightower
Chair, Health Services Administration, Dr. Renady Hightower joined University of Detroit Mercy in August 2014 as Administrative Chair for the Health Services Administration Program. She received her faculty appointment in January 2016. Dr. Hightower oversees both the undergraduate and graduate programs at the McNichols Campus and Macomb University Center. Dr. Hightower teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses and supports interdisciplinary learning in the Health Services Administration Program.
In 2016 Dr. Hightower became a Fulbright Scholar along with several other UDM faculty studying the African Diaspora in Northern Brazil. The inter-collaborative cultural and scholar experience culminated into a project focused on the relationship between race, environment and health outcomes in Northern Brazil.
Dr. Hightower's research interest is in the study of health disparities, environmental racism, social justice and equity in medicine, and race and its effect on healthcare for African Americans and people of color.
Dr. Hightower holds the following degrees: PhD in Medical Anthropology along with a Master Public Administration from Wayne State University: the Masters Health Services Administration and Masters Business Administration from University of Detroit Mercy. Dr. Hightower earned her Bachelors of Science from University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana.
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Hill, Elizabeth
Elizabeth Hill
Professor of Psychology and Chair, Institutional Review Board, teaches courses related to psychobiology, statistics, and research methods. Her scientific research investigates the interaction between biological and environmental factors in risk-taking behavior. In this research, she uses evolutionary theory related to parental investment and life history strategies to conceptualize environmental factors in a novel way. The impact on risk taking of an unpredictable family environment has been of primary interest.
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Hill, Richard
Richard Hill, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, teaches courses in controls, dynamics, and instrumentation. His research interests are in discrete-event system modeling and control, nonlinear control, and vehicle and manufacturing applications. Dr. Hill holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California. Prior to joining the UDM faculty, Dr. Hill worked at Lockheed Martin Corporation on satellite attitude reference and control and was a high school math and science teacher. He joined the University in 2008.
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Hillebrand, Gary P.
Gary P. Hillebrand
Lecturer in Physics, teaches general physics courses and laboratories for engineering, life science & architecture students. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and an MBA from the University of Detroit. He joined the university in 2008 after almost 30 years of engineering and management experience in the automotive industry.
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Hill-Vasquez, Heather L.
Heather L. Hill-Vasquez
Professor of English, Heather Hill-Vasquez received a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Holyoke College and a Master of Arts and Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle. She joined the University in 2003. Her research focuses on issues of performance, spirituality and gender in medieval texts, and her early literature courses consistently explore these topics. Her scholarly work includes Sacred Players: The Politics of Response in the Middle English Religious Drama (Catholic University Press) and a variety of articles including work on the symbolic and political meaning of the spinning woman in fifteenth-century England, the role of pilgrimage in the medieval drama and a critical edition of a late medieval Nativity play. Hill-Vasquez served as associate dean of academic affairs for the College of Liberal Arts and Education for three years and returned to the faculty full-time in Fall 2013.
Hill-Vasquez has previously directed the women's & gender studies program and received University of Detroit Mercy's Faculty Achievement Award in 2007.
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Hoback, Alan S.
Alan S. Hoback
Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, teaches a range of design courses related to civil and architectural engineering. Hoback’s publications have dealt with structures, foundations, transportation, economics, pedestrians, and computer aided design. Hoback holds a B.A. degree from Hastings College and B.S., M.S., and Sc.D. degrees from Washington University. He joined the University in 1994.
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Hollier, Saran T.
Saran T. Hollier
Associate Professor, McAuley School of Nursing, teaches in the undergraduate nursing program. She earned her BSN from the University of Michigan, MSN from Madonna University, and her PhD from Wayne State University.
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Homant, Robert J.
Robert J. Homant
Professor and Department Chair of Criminal Justice Studies. Robert Homant specializes in courses involving the nexus between psychology and criminal justice, such as psychology and law, deviant behavior, victimology and justice seminar. He has published more than 100 articles and book chapters concerning law enforcement and corrections issues. He received his doctorate from Michigan State University. His current research interests involve the relationship between risky altruism and criminal victimization and counter-terrorism issues.
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Howard, Terry L.
Terry L. Howard
Lecturer of Decision and Information Sciences, teaches information systems and technology, decision sciences, operations management, and e-business. Howard’s publications and professional presentations deal with managerial and technical aspects of the decision sciences and information systems fields. He has engaged in numerous professional activities in small business, workforce development, and strategic management, including lectures nationally and internationally. Howard has been recognized with various professional and civic awards. He is extensively involved in education and community organizations. He serves in Alpha Iota Delta, the international honor society in decision sciences, and is a member of the board of directors. He is actively involved with the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools (IAJBS). Howard holds a B.S. from University of Detroit Mercy and M.B.A., M.S.C.I.S., and M.S.I.A. degrees from University of Detroit Mercy.
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Hu, Hsiao-Lan
Hsiao-Lan Hu
Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Women's and Gender Studies. Hsiao-Lan Hu taught at Temple University before joining the University in 2008. She teaches broadly in Asian religions and women and gender issues in religions, and quite a few of the courses she designed after joining Detroit Mercy have won awards and grants. Her research on Buddhist social ethics under globalization won the Mellon Funds for Humanistic Studies from the College of Liberal Arts & Education at Detroit Mercy in 2009. In 2012, she received the Feminist Scholarship Grants from Women's & Gender Studies Program at University of Detroit Mercy for her research on “Identity and Unhappiness”. Hu has published a monograph "This-Worldly Nibbāna: A Buddhist-Feminist Social Ethics for Peacemaking in the Global Community" and many book chapters.
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Huprich, Steven
Steven Huprich
Professor of Psychology. Steven Huprich, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at University of Detroit Mercy. He is also the editor of the Journal of Personality Assessment and president-elect of the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders. Huprich has held faculty appointments at Wichita State University (as director of clinical training), University of Kansas School of Medicine (adjunct professor in psychiatry & behavioral sciences and internal medicine), Eastern Michigan University and Baylor University. He is the winner of the 2013 Theodore Millon Award, given by the American Psychological Association and American Psychological Foundation for mid-career excellence in personality research and scholarship.
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Hurt, Petra D.
Petra D. Hurt
Assistant Director and Affiliate Clinical Coordinator, Nurse Anesthesia. Petra is senior Assistant Director and backup to the director. She is responsible for admissions, the first year clinical curriculum, the Basic Principles of Anesthesia course, the student schedule, and rotation schedule. She serves her profession as a team reviewer for the Council on Accreditation.