LEAD Honors Faculty

Patrick Cottrell

LEAD Honors Program Director

Elizabeth and Morris Glicksman Chair of Political Science

Education:

• Ph.D., Political Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• M.A., International Relations, Johns Hopkins School of International Studies
• B.A., Political Science and History, University of California, Davis

Some Courses I Teach:

• Current Debates in US Foreign Policy (Public debate course with "celebrity" judges)
• International Law, Ethics, and Global Governance
• Sports and Politics
• Leadership and Ethics Across Disciplines
• The Forests and Politics of Middle Earth (January Term travel course to New Zealand)

Academic Interests:

My research explores when and under what conditions we see major changes in laws and institutions. I examine the sources of political will at local, national, and global levels, and consider how power is exercised and whether it is done justly.

What I'm Excited About for LEAD Scholars:

I’m looking forward to working with our cohorts to design and implement community-based projects that create positive change, learning from the students’ different backgrounds and perspectives, and doing something fun like holding a karaoke night!

Fun Facts:

• I won a Chevy Cavalier at Disneyland when I was 12.
• I began my career working as a diplomat at the US Department of State. 
• I love Italy, playing and watching almost any sport with a ball, exploring new places by foot, and cooking.

Lindsey Mantoan

Ronni Lacroute Chair in Theatre Arts

Education:

• Ph.D., Theatre and Performance Studies, Stanford University
• M.A., Performance as Public Practice, University of Texas at Austin
• B.A., Architecture and Urban Planning, Princeton University

Some Courses I Teach:

• INQS: Witches, Big Bad Wolves, and Reimagined Fairy Tales
• The History of the Broadway Musical
• Queer Theory and Performativity
• Contemporary Arts in Portland
• Connecting Story to Land: Experiences in Australia and New Zealand

Academic Interests:

I’m fascinated by why humans create art—whether painting our feelings, singing our stories, or performing acts of resistance. I explore how the arts influence our worldviews.

What I'm Excited About for LEAD Scholars:

I’m excited to take a cohort of LEAD Scholars to Portland to explore its vibrant arts scene and its connections to the local community.

Fun Facts:

• I play piano and double bass.

Rachel Schley

Associate Professor, History

Education:

• B.A., M.A., Ph.D., History, UCLA

Some Courses I Teach:

• Europe in the Age of the French Revolution
• World War I: Identity, Politics, and Memory in the Modern World
• Fascism and the Holocaust in Europe and North Africa

Academic Interests:

I am interested in how democratic freedoms—like individual rights, freedom of conscience, and equality before the law—were reconciled with the structural inequality and violence of European colonialism, especially in the context of French North Africa.

What I'm Excited About for LEAD Scholars:

I’m excited to tackle historical problems like inequality, scarcity, and war in an evidence-based way with LEAD scholars so that we can not only come up with critical solutions, but also a greater sense of our own agency as individuals and as a collective.

Fun Facts:

• In grad school, I co-owned a biodiesel-powered 1979 Mercedes Benz with a friend. Unfortunately, the LAPD impounded it during our research trips!
• I love hiking in Oregon, visiting family in Japan, and doing research in France.

John Syring

Professor of Biology

Education:

• Ph.D., Plant Biology, Oregon State University
• B.S., University of Michigan

Some Courses I Teach:

I teach a variety of biology courses, but my favorite experiences are field-based. Students join me on weekend trips to the Cascades, Oregon coast, and the Siskiyou mountains. I also lead study abroad courses to New Zealand and Patagonia.

Academic Interests:

I study plant diversity and how plants adapt to different environments. Students can work in my lab regardless of their major.

What I'm Excited About for LEAD Scholars:

I'm thrilled to guide students in field-based inquiry, where they can experience ecological phenomena firsthand.

Fun Fact:

• I enjoy playing noon hoops at Linfield, getting out in nature as much as possible, and playing music.

Joe Wilkins

Professor of English and Environmental Studies, Director of Creative Writing

Education:

• M.F.A, Creative Writing, University of Idaho
• B.S, Computer Engineering, Gonzaga University

Some Courses I Teach:

• Poetry Writing
• Northwest Ecology and Environmental Writing
• Introduction to Creative Writing
• Rural America in Contemporary Literature, Film, and Song

Academic Interests:

I teach creative writing, environmental studies, and inquiry seminar. My interests include writing across genres, environmental writing, and literature from rural America.

What I'm Excited About for LEAD Scholars:

I’m passionate about using writing as a tool to help us understand ourselves, others, and the world. I’m excited to explore how we can connect creative writing and environmental studies in meaningful ways for LEAD Scholars.

Fun Fact:

I’m the author of multiple books, including a novel, memoir, and collections of poetry. I live a ten minute bike ride north of campus and enjoy exploring Oregon's beautiful rivers, coastlines, and mountains with my family.

Sandra Elena Terra

Associate Professor of Spanish

Education:

• Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Second Language Acquisition
• M.A. University of Oregon, Spanish
• B.A. Oregon State University, French

Some Courses I Teach:

I teach all levels of Spanish courses for second language learners as well as bilingual and heritage speakers. Additionally, I lead specialized courses in medical Spanish and on the diverse dialectal varieties found in the U.S. and throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

• Spanish for Bilingual/Heritage Speakers
• Spanish for Health Professions
• Spanish in the U.S.
• Spanish Language and Culture

Academic Interests:

I have two areas of interest: one researches the language and identity of bilingual/multilingual learners, and the other investigates best teaching practices, including service-learning, study abroad and assessments.

What I'm Excited About for LEAD Scholars:

I’m passionate about teaching languages and exploring cultures. I’m excited to see how learning languages and understanding different cultures can help us discover who we are and who we can become.

Fun Facts:

• I was born in Chile and grew up in Brazil, but I have also lived in Ecuador, France, Mozambique, and Spain for more than a year each.
• At 40 I did my first pull-up; it is never too late to try something new. 

Jennifer Williams Eblen

Associate Professor of Religious Studies

Education:

• Ph.D. Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel, Vanderbilt University
• M.A. Religion, Vanderbilt University
• M.Div. Lancaster Theological Seminary
• B.A. Religion, Southwestern University

Some Courses I Teach:

I am the Abrahamic Religions professor, and I primarily teach courses in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I am trained as a biblical scholar, which means that my focus is on the sacred texts of Judaism and Christianity, the TaNaK/Old Testament and the New Testament. I also teach a course that surveys all of the major world religions.

• RELS 110: Approaches to Religion
• RELS 111: Judaism, Christianity and Islam
• RELS 120: Old Testament
• RELS 130: New Testament
• RELS 342/GENS 342: Women in Religion

Academic Interests:

My areas of interest focus on the Christian Old Testament/Jewish TaNaK, namely in the prophetic books, Ruth and Judges. I am most interested in utilizing feminist and queer approaches to the texts and considering issues of gender and power, both in the ancient world and in contemporary interpretations of biblical materials.

What I'm Excited About for LEAD Scholars:

Whether students are religious or not, I’m passionate about encouraging students to delve into the big “ultimate” questions of life, the kinds of questions that humans have been asking for millenia: who are we…why are we here…what is life about…what else, if anything, is there?

Fun Facts:

• I am getting married to Tim in August of 2025! And along with being a mom to my two kids, Parker and Sybil, I will become a bonus mom for Lily and Tommy!
• Even though I’ve lived in VA, PA, TN, SC, London, and France, I am definitely a Texan. And I believe that one can never have too much brisket or queso (but not necessarily together).