Honors Transfer Program

Meet the HTP Faculty

Faculty Contact Quick List

Honors Transfer Program Faculty Contact Information+-

Anthropology

Dr. Jennifer Miller-Thayer
Ph.D., University of California, Riverside
(626) 852-8086
jmillerthayer@citruscollege.edu

Arts

Dr. Cathrine Besancon
B.A., University of California, Los Angeles
M.A., Ph.D., University of Southern California
(626) 914-4118
cbesancon@citruscollege.edu
Lori F. Rusch
B.A., M.A., California State University, Los Angeles
(626) 914-4118
lrusch@citruscollege.edu

Astronomy

Dave Kary
B.S., University of British Columbia
Ph.D., State University New York at Stony Brook
(626) 852-8031
dkary@citruscollege.edu

English

Carsten Dau
B.A., M.A., Louisiana State University
(626) 852-8091
cdau@citruscollege.edu
Tom Eiland
B.A., M.A., California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
(626) 852-8089
englitguy@earthlink.net
Rebecca Rudd
B.A., M.A., California State University, San Bernardino
(626) 857-4056
rrudd@citruscollege.edu
Dr. Dale Salwak
B.A., M.A., Purdue University
Ph.D., University of Southern California
(626) 914-8859
dsalwak@citruscollege.edu

History

Senya Lubisich
B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Riverside
(626) 857-4106
slubisich@citruscollege.edu
Areej Qasqas
B.A., University of California, Riverside
M.A., California State University, San Bernardino
aqasqas@citruscollege.edu
Michael Ray
B.A., Loyola Marymount University
M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
(626) 914-8864
mray@citruscollege.edu

Philosophy

Jamie Love
B.A., Pitzer College, Claremont
M.A., California State University, Dominquez Hills
(626) 852-8013
jlove@citruscollege.edu

Physics

Lucia Riderer
B.S., Physics, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania
M.A., Mathematics, California State University, San Bernardino
Ed.D., Organizational Leadership, Brandman University
(626) 914-8763
lriderer@citruscollege.edu

Political Science

Gerhard Peters
B.A., Georgetown University
M.A., University of San Diego
M.A., C.Phil., University of California, Santa Barbara
(626) 914-8866
gpeters@citruscollege.edu

Psychology

Cristina Gómez
B.S., University of La Verne
M.A., PsyD, California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, Los Angeles
cgomez@citruscollege.edu
Erin Tate
B.A., Pepperdine University
M.A., Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology
(626) 914-8867
etate@citruscollege.edu

Sociology

Eric Lopez
B.A., California State University, Pomona
M.A., California State University, Los Angeles
elopez@citruscollege.edu

Speech

Nichole Ary
B.A., M.A., California State University, Fullerton
(626) 852-8005
nary@citruscollege.edu
Katherine Culliver
B.A., M.A., Hawaii Pacific University
Ed.D., University of La Verne
kculliver@citruscollege.edu

Theatre Arts

Joseph Holbrook
B.A., M.F.A., California State University, Fullerton
(626) 857-4030
jholbrook@citruscollege.edu

updated November 14, 2023

Anthropology

Dr. Jennifer Miller-Thayer+-

Anthropology Faculty and Honors Transfer Program Coordinator
B.A., M.A., California State University, Los Angeles
Ph.D., University of California, Riverside
jmillerthayer@citruscollege.edu
(626) 852-8086
CI 247

Dr. Jennifer Miller-Thayer is a four-field trained anthropologist (cultural, biological, and linguistic anthropology and archaeology) focusing on cultural and medical subfields, with training and experience in applied anthropology. She began her college career at Pasadena City College, then transferred to California State University, Los Angeles, where she completed her bachelor of arts and master of arts in cultural anthropology. Her master's thesis explored Chinese American elder care in the San Gabriel Valley to understand the challenges faced by the Chinese American community in providing safe, good-quality care for their aging family members. She attended a joint medical anthropology program for a year at the University of California, San Francisco/University of California, Berkeley. She trained in theory and methods for medical anthropology, then transferred to the University of California, Riverside, where she graduated with her Ph.D. in December 2010. Her dissertation topic was cross-border healthcare at the United States-Mexican border, where she examined the practice of U.S. residents going to Mexico for various types of medical and dental care they could not access in the U.S.

After teaching honors courses for nearing two decades and serving as the Honors Transfer Program Advisory Committee chair for three years, she became the honors transfer program coordinator in fall 2021.

revised July 6, 2023

Art

Dr. Cathrine ‘Catie’ Besancon+-

Art History Faculty
B.A., University of California, Los Angeles
M.A. Ph.D., University of Southern California
cbesancon@citruscollege.edu
(626) 914-4118
VA 126

I'm Dr. Cathrine 'Catie' Besancon. Since 2016, I've taught in the arts program at Citrus College and since 2019 for the honors transfer program. A Southern California native, I received my bachelor of arts from UCLA and my master's and Ph.D. in art history from USC.

I have taught extensively at various schools (universities, liberal arts, and community colleges), which informs my honors curriculum. I want to ensure my students have the necessary skills to transition from Citrus College to a four-year university.

In my classes, I try to expose students to various approaches to art history — covering topics including culture, gender, politics, race, and religion — and challenge students to engage with the materials. For my honors classes, I "flip" the classroom experience, where lectures are viewed online, and while in the physical classroom, we focus on developing skills and group discussions. Please email me if you have any questions about my honors classes or art history!

updated July 6, 2023

Astronomy

Dr. Dave Kary+-

Astronomy Faculty
B.S., University of British Columbia
Ph.D., State University New York at Stony Brook
dkary@citruscollege.edu
(626) 852-8031

I'm Dave Kary, and I've been teaching at Citrus College since 1999 and teaching honors classes since 2008. My wife also teaches astronomy at Chaffey Community College, so we work together on our class materials.

I'm originally from British Columbia, Canada, a first-generation college goer, and I have a doctorate in astrophysics from SUNY Stony Brook in New York. My research was in celestial mechanics ("I'm afraid your rings are out of alignment – that will be $2,000 for parts and $10,000,000,000 for travel and labor costs."). I've also taught at UCSB, and I ran the planetarium in Santa Barbara for a couple of years.

I like to run my classes in a "flipped" format, so I don't do much lecturing. Instead, I prefer class time centered on student discussion and group problem-solving. My goal is for the class to be an opportunity for students to practice what it means to think like a scientist in an environment where they have plenty of support from me and their classmates. In the honors classes, students work together to develop plans for a spacecraft to explore another world in our solar system.

revised July 6, 2023

English/Language Arts

Carsten Dau+-

Language Arts Faculty and Honors Transfer Program Committee Chair
B.A., M.A., Louisiana State University
cdau@citruscollege.edu
(626) 852-8091
CI 213

My name is Carsten Dau. I began teaching English courses at Citrus College in the early 1990s; I became a full-time Citrus College Language Arts Department member in 1997.

My master's degree is in literature, earned at Louisiana State University. Although I grew up in Southern California, I spent several years in Louisiana (high school and college), mostly sticking around for the music and food. Before becoming a full-time instructor, I worked as a sports journalist in Texas, a handyman in Maine, and a copy editor in Rancho Cucamonga. (Yes, teaching at a community college is much better than all those things.)

When I teach a class in the honors transfer program, I automatically know it will be my 'fun' class for that semester. Of course, I expect more work in that class from myself and the students, but our work is more involving and (hopefully) more mind-stretching than what I expect from my other courses. In my honors-level classes, students work together as a community, and I often solicit student input to determine the direction of our semester's goals.

revised July 6, 2023

Rebecca (Becky) Rudd+-

English Faculty
B.A., M.A., California State University, San Bernardino
rrudd@citruscollege.edu
(626) 857-4056

I am Becky Rudd, and I have been teaching English at Citrus College since 2006. I have a bachelor of arts in English and a master of arts in English composition with an emphasis in TESL (teaching English as a second language), both from California State University, San Bernardino.

My passion as a teacher is helping students develop their own approach to writing and become critical readers, thinkers, and writers. In my honors program classes, I enjoy hearing from my students as they transition from viewing writing as a way to show what they know (or have read) to writing as a way to share what they think!

I am a former California community college student, having attended both Orange Coast College and Chaffey College. My husband and two children also started their college education at community colleges.

I am a native Californian and grew up in Orange County. Since 1993, I have lived in the Inland Empire, which has become home. I enjoy reading a variety of genres, including mystery, legal thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction.

revised July 6, 2023

Dr. Dale Salwak+-

English Faculty
B.A., M.A., Purdue University
Ph.D., University of Southern California
dsalwak@citruscollege.edu
(626) 914-8859

Dr. Dale Salwak is a professor of English at Citrus College, where he teaches literature of the Bible, Shakespeare, English literature, and various writing courses. He earned his bachelor of arts in English, with a minor in science and mathematics, from Purdue University and his master of arts and Ph.D. in English from the University of Southern California.

He is a published author of some 28 books, including Living with a Writer (2004), Teaching Life: Letters from a Life in Literature (2008), Writers and Their Mothers (2018), The Life of the Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne (2023), and studies of Kingsley Amis, John Braine, A.J. Cronin, Philip Larkin, Barbara Pym, Carl Sandburg, Anne Tyler, and John Wain, amongst others.

A Purdue University Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, Dr. Salwak has also received a research grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Dr. Salwak frequently contributes to the London Times Higher Education magazine and the Times Educational Supplement.

revised July 6, 2023

History

Areej Qasqas+-

History Faculty
B.A., University of California, Riverside
M.A., California State University, San Bernardino
aqasqas@citruscollege.edu
TC 123

My name is Areej Qasqas, and I teach honors United States history (HIST 107 and 108) and honors world history (HIST 103).

I was born in the Middle East and immigrated to the United States in 1995, where I found my new home in the Glendora/Covina area of California. I graduated from Charter Oak High School before earning my associate of arts in social and behavioral science from Mt. San Antonio College. I later transferred to the University of California, Riverside, graduating with two bachelor of arts degrees. My first bachelor's degree was in United States history, where I wrote my senior thesis on the Zoot Suit Riots. My second bachelor's degree was in political science, with a concentration in international relations).

At California States University, San Bernardino, I continued my studies, earning a master of arts in social science with a concentration in political violence and terrorism. I wrote my thesis on the mobilization tactic of non-state actors.

Teaching students and helping them learn and understand history brings me joy. Education has opened many opportunities for me, and I want to expose students to the same options. I believe in the power of education, and how it can lead to social and political progress in society, and at the end of the day, we are all students of life.

While at Citrus, I have become one of the advisors for Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), one of the honor societies offered at Citrus College. Additionally, I helped establish the Model United Nations (MUN) club. As a graduate student at CSUSB, I was part of the award-winning MUN program, which changed my life. I want to expose students to the same fabulous experience.

On a personal note, I am a nerd, a geek, and socially awkward. I listen to 1990s/2000s hip hop, 1980s rock, 1990s/2000s Arabic music, Bad Bunny, Maluma, and Bollywood. Moreover, I am flamboyantly Palestinian. I collect coffee memes to justify my coffee addiction. I love cats, Harry Potter, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and Star Wars.

updated July 6, 2023

Psychology

Dr. Cristina Gómez+-

Psychology Faculty
B.S., University of La Verne
M.A., PsyD, California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, Los Angeles
cgomez@citruscollege.edu
LH 103

Dr. Cristina Gómez is the most recent addition to honors transfer program faculty. She is a Citrus College alum, and as a student, years ago, she realized that becoming a psychologist was her calling. Dr. Gómez continued her education at the University of La Verne, completing a degree in behavioral science. She then attended Alliant International University, receiving a master's and a doctorate in clinical psychology.

A licensed clinical psychologist with an established private practice serving a diverse patient population, Dr. Gómez's clinical experience is varied and expansive, including community clinics serving the underserved and treating individuals of the senior population. Also, she spent almost two years working at a California men's prison, treating individuals with significant mental health conditions. She brings that unique knowledge and experience into the classroom through her lectures and presentations.

Along with operating a successful private practice, Dr. Gómez works for a cancer support center, facilitating groups of cancer survivors and their families. She is passionate about supporting the Latinx community as a clinician or instructor and creating an inclusive environment for individuals from the BIPOC community. In addition, she is zealous about teaching her students and hopes that some will follow the professional path of psychology or at least apply some of what they learn to help improve their daily lives. Therefore, she creates a safe and encouraging classroom environment where she invites her students to be engaged in lectures to get the most out of their experience. Dr. Gómez believes that students get from their experience what they are willing to invest in their education.

Dr. Gómez is the first in her family to achieve the highest level of education. In addition to her professional accomplishments, she loves spending time with family and friends, staying active, enjoying her pets, and connecting with nature.

revised July 6, 2023

Honors Transfer Program

Meet the HTP Faculty

​Faculty Contact Quick List

Anthropology

Arts

Astronomy

English

History

Philosophy

Physics

Political Science

Psychology

Sociology

Speech

Theatre Arts

​Anthropology

Art

​Astronomy

​English/Language Arts

History

Psychology

Faculty Contact Quick List

Anthropology

Astronomy

English/Language Arts