Endowed Professorships and Lectureships are selected from full-time senior faculty who demonstrate effective teaching and relations with students, extensive scholarship and professional activities and service to Hastings College. Endowed professorships and lectureships are established by alumni and friends who wish to make a significant and long lasting impact on academics at Hastings College. The following are currently endowed professorships and lectureships at Hastings College.

Dorothy Weyer Creigh Distinguished Professorship in History
Rob Babcock

Professor of history and chair of the department, Dr. Rob Babcock received his doctoral degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, his master of arts degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and his bachelor of arts from Beloit College. Babcock began his tenure at Hastings College in 1992.

Babcock was named the Distinguished Senior Faculty award winner in May 2008, recipient of the Hastings College Faculty Achievement Award for 1998, Hastings College Alpha Chi Honors Society Outstanding Teacher in 1994 and received a Fulbright Grant to University College (Aberystwyth, Wales) in 1990-91.  Babcock teaches nearly all aspects of European history and has a particular interest in eleventh and twelfth century Welsh history.

Elvena and Hattie Holling Distinguished Professorship in Science

Jim Dugan

Dr. James Dugan, professor of physics and chair of the department, completed his doctoral work at the University of Arizona and received his master of science and bachelor of science degrees from Northern Illinois University.

Prior to coming to Hastings College in 1995, Dugan taught  at Rock Valley College and the University of Arizona. He spent four years at the White Sands Test Facility working for Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Company, under contract with NASA. Dugan has been selected as an invited lecturer on several occasions, including being selected twice to give the ALS Invited Faculty Lecture at Hastings College.

Lawrence and Jeannette James Distinguished Professorship
in Communication Arts, Business and Economics

Jack Kramer

Professor of business administration and economics and chair of the communications arts, business and economics (CABE) department, Jack Kramer began his career at Hastings College in 1978. Kramer received his master of business administration from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, his bachelor of arts from Hastings College and is also a certified public accountant.

Kramer has been the recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award at Hastings Colllege, has been initiated into both Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honorary and Alpha Chi National Honor Society and served as the Hastings College ALS Invited Faculty Lecturer in 1985.

Edgar and Frances Reynolds Distinguished Lectureship
in Communication Arts, Business and Economics

Sharon Behl Brooks 

Associate Professor of communication arts and English, Sharon Behl Brooks began teaching at Hastings College in 1979. Brooks has completed masters work at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and the University of Leicester in Great Britain and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree from Hastings College.

While at Hastings, Brooks has been named Outstanding Student Advisor, been initiated into Sigma Tau Delta English Honorary, been named an honorary member of Pi Kappa Delta, served on the Hastings College Alumni Board of Directors; and serves as an advisor for KFKX-FM Radio, the Society of Collegiate Journalist and Alpha Chi National Honor Society.

Morton and Ella S. Steinhart Distinguished Professorship in Art
Tom Kreager

Tom Kreager, professor of art, received his master of fine arts from the University of Illinois and his bachelor of fine arts from The Ohio State University. He began teaching at Hastings College in 1990.

Kreager currently teaches glass art, sculpture, and 3-dimensional design. He has taught art to the post-graduate class at the Tokyo Glass Art Institute and has been a visiting artist at many schools including Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin, University of Nebraska at Kearney and Chadron State College. Kreager is serving his second term on the Board of Directors of the International Glass Art Society. He has also assisted for artists with Dale Chihuly, William Morris, Richard Marquis, Richard Harned and others.

Richard B. and Dorothy K. Tickler Distinguished Professorship in Science 
Dr. David Cooke

Professor of mathematics and computer science and chair of the department, Dr. David Cooke came to Hastings College in 1989. Cooke received his doctorate from the University of Minnesota and his bachelor of science from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Cooke has been named the Alpha Chi Outstanding Faculty Member, Elvena and Hattie Holling Distinguished Professors in Science, Hastings College Distinguished Senior Faculty and recipient of the Mathematics Association of America Distinguished Teaching Award. While at Hastings, Cooke has chaired the Academic Programs Assesment Committee, served as the faculty advisor for the Artist Lecture Series Student Committee, co-directed/initiated the Hastings College Math Invite and is a charter member of the Hastings College circle of Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honorary.