Provost Office Staff
Jay Howard is Professor of Sociology and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University in Indianapolis. For two years (August 2017-May 2019), he simultaneously served as Acting Dean of the College of Communication. Prior to coming to Butler, he served as Interim Vice Chancellor and Dean (2007-09), Assistant Dean for Budget and Planning(1999-2002), Head of the Division of Liberal Arts, and Professor of Sociology at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC). He earned a BA in Sociology from Indiana University South Bend (1988), and an MA (1990) and PhD (1992) in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame.
Research
Dr. Howard’s research interests range from the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning to religion and popular culture. His most recent book, Discussion in the College Classroom: Getting Your Students Engaged and Participating in Person and Online, was published by Jossey-Bass (2015). His Advice Guide, "How to Hold a Better Class Discussion," in The Chronicle of Higher Education is available online. https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-hold-a-better-class-discussion
First Contact: Teaching and Learning in Introductory Sociology, co-authored with Nancy Greenwood, was published by Rowman and Littlefield in 2011. Other publications in the scholarship of teaching and learning include: "The Sociology Literacy Framework and Students’ Views of Learning in Introductory Sociology," Teaching Sociology (with Jess Butler, 2018), "Student Reading Compliance and Learning in the Social Sciences" in Learning from Each Other (2018), “The John F. Schnabel Lecture ‘Sociology’s Special Pedagogical Challenge,” Sociological Focus (2015), “Where Are We and How Did We Get Here? A Brief Examination of the Past, Present, and Future of the Teaching and Learning Movement in Sociology,” Teaching Sociology (2010), “Teaching and Learning and the Culture of the Regional Association in American Sociology,” Sociological Focus(2007), “The Role of the Introductory Sociology Course on Students’ Perceptions of Achievement of General Education Goals” Teaching Sociology (2007), and “Just-in-Time Teaching in Sociology or How I Convinced My Students to Actually Read the Textbook,” Teaching Sociology (2004). He is editor of Discussion in the College Classroom: Applications for Sociology Instruction (2004) published by the American Sociological Association Teaching Resources Center.
His book, co-authored with John M. Streck, Apostles of Rock: The Splintered World of Contemporary Christian Music (University Press of Kentucky,1999) was named a 2000 Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Title.
Professional Roles
Dr. Howard served as Deputy Editor of the American Sociological Association journal, Teaching Sociology (2003-09). He is a Fellow of the P.A. Mack Center at Indiana University for Inquiry on Teaching and Learning. He served as the 2006-07 President of the North Central Sociological Association and as an elected member of the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation Board of Trustees (2004-2010).
Nii Kpakpo Abrahams serves as the the inaugural Senior Director of the Office of Student Experience and Engagement. The office sits between university divisions to partner with and collaborate across campus to cultivate a relationship-rich, high-quality, and seamless student experience that fosters a sense of belonging for all students. He is extremely passionate about helping college students discover, develop, and deploy their giftings and passions.
Prior to his work at Butler, Nii was the Director of Orientation and First Year Experience at Anderson University (IN) and has held other roles in higher education including Asst. Director of Admissions at Anderson, and COM adjunct faculty at Ivy Tech, SNHU, and Missouri State University. In addition to his work in higher education, he has experience as a Communication and Content Strategist for a national non-profit, a Digital Marketing Manager for an east coast branding agency, and currently serves as a volunteer staff pastor at a local church. He holds both his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Communication from Missouri State. His thesis work centered on organizational assimilation on a city-wide scale and how municipalities can aid in creating the best environments for young professionals to live and thrive. In his downtime, you can find him spending time with his wife and daughter, playing Monopoly Deal, and searching for the best donut shops in Indianapolis.
Carol manages platforms associated with student success management, faculty activity reporting, student course surveys, and more.
- EAB Navigate360
- Class Climate
- Interfolio Faculty Activity Reporting
- Modern Campus Curriculum (aka Curriculog)
Education:
- Bachelor of Music Education, University of Louisville
- Master of Public Affairs, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Certifications:
- Project Management Professional (PMP)®
Outside Butler:
- Singer; Teaching Artist; Arts Curriculum Writer; Non-Profit Consultant (Marketing, Program Development/Assessment, Systems Design, etc.)
Travis Ryan is a Professor of Biological Sciences with expertise in urban ecology and conservation biology, and he is one of the founding faculty of the Center for Urban Ecology at Butler University. He teaches an introductory course in the biology major curriculum (BI 230 Ecology and Evolutionary Biology – Fundamentals), organizes the sophomore seminar (BI 299 – Biology Seminar), and teaches upper level electives in Advanced Ecology (BI 418) and Conservation Biology (BI 419). Dr. Ryan also collaborates with Dr. Phil Villani to offer Tropical Terrestrial Biology (BI 417), an intensive field course taught over the course of two weeks in Panama, every other summer. Dr. Ryan’s past research focused on the conservation of amphibians and reptiles, evolutionary ecology of amphibians and the evolution of life histories, and the ecology of turtle assemblages and the spatial ecology of turtles within urban aquatic habitats. Working with colleagues Drs. Carmen Salsbury and Julia Angstmann, he helps run Indy Wildlife Watch (Instagram: @indywildwatch), which documents the density, diversity, and distribution of of wildlife throughout the greater Indianapolis region. This is part of a nationwide research project, the Urban Wildlife Information Network. He is the author of more than 40 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, is a former Associate Editor of the Journal of Herpetology, and is a member of the Board of Editors for Urban Naturalist. Dr. Ryan served as chair of the Department of Biological Sciences (2013-2019), was twice elected vice chair of Faculty Senate (2016-2020), and was the faculty director of the Core Curriculum (2020-2021). He was appointed Associate Provost beginning July 2021.