Clockwise from left are member of CSM’s newest faculty Beth Caruso, Dr. Brent Alan Ferguson, Pamela Burkett Jones, Amy Spitz and Dr. Seth Wright.
The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) welcomed several new faculty members last fall, all of whom have already made their mark on students and the campuses.
Beth Caruso is a new assistant professor of English at CSM’s La Plata Campus. Caruso earned her bachelor’s in English Language and Literature from the University of Georgia, and she holds a master’s in the Teaching of English from Loyola University Maryland. Prior to her arrival at CSM, Caruso taught first-year composition at Howard Community College along with literature and composition classes at Stevenson University. Caruso brings a wealth of curriculum development experience and e-learning design expertise with her to CSM.
“What I’m most looking forward to about teaching at CSM is getting to know the diverse student body,” Caruso said.
Dr. Brent Alan Ferguson recently came on board as an assistant professor of Music at the La Plata campus. He earned his bachelor’s in Music Composition at the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2007; master’s in Music Theory at Texas State University in 2011, and doctorate in Music Theory and Composition at the University of Kansas in 2020. Ferguson is a seasoned instrumentalist, a composer for music in the concert hall and for video games, and a published scholar on music and multimedia. He has taught for 15 years and serves on the committees for the Ludo musicology and Global East Asian Music Research study groups for the American Musicological Society.
“I have already worked with some great thinkers and scholars wanting to expand their knowledge and impact their fields,” Ferguson said, adding that he is excited to watch his students continue to grow over the next year.
Pamela Burkett Jones recently joined the Prince Frederick Campus as an assistant professor of criminal justice. She is a former criminal justice professional with 32 years of experience in the field, including 27 as a law enforcement officer. She said she is looking forward to educating students in the criminal justice field as they seek to maximize their professional potential.
Amy Spitz is a new instruction librarian for CSM, based primarily on the Prince Frederick campus. Spitz received her bachelor’s in English from Grand Valley State University in 2015 and her master’s in Library and Information Science from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in 2020. She her worked in public libraries and nonprofits, and as a graduate assistant in the undergraduate library at UIUC. Spitz’s research interests include information behavior, Fan Studies, inclusive cataloging/metadata practices, and information literacy pedagogy.
Dr. Seth Wright is an associate professor of sociology at the La Plata campus. He obtained his doctorate in Sociology from the University of Arizona in Tucson, as well as a master’s in Education from Northern Arizona University. Wright is committed to a learner-centered and inclusive teaching style, and actively integrates technology into the classroom. He said he is excited to help CSM develop its concentration in Sociology and ensure that students maximally benefit from this new opportunity.
“In my short time at CSM, I’ve been most excited by the community of teachers, and how dedicated the faculty and staff are to equity and student success,” he said.
CSM is a regionally-accredited community college serving credit and continuing education students at its campuses located in Hughesville, La Plata, Leonardtown, and Prince Frederick, as well as the CSM Velocity Center in Indian Head and a Center for Transportation Training in La Plata. For information on employment at CSM and to browse career opportunities, visit www.csmd.edu/employment. For information about CSM’s faculty excellence, visit www.csmd.edu/about/faculty-excellence-awards.
Clockwise from left are member of CSM’s newest faculty Beth Caruso, Dr. Brent Alan Ferguson, Pamela Burkett Jones, Amy Spitz and Dr. Seth Wright.
