Misericordia University Announces Faculty Promotions, Tenure and Emerita Status

Misericordia University Announces Faculty Promotions, Tenure and Emerita Status

DALLAS, PA - Misericordia University (MU) announces that one faculty member has been awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor, two faculty have been promoted to full professor, and two faculty have been made professor emerita.

Darlene Kuchinski-Donnelly, Ph.D., RNC, was promoted from full-time assistant professor to full-time associate professor of nursing and awarded tenure as she begins her 11th year of service at Misericordia University.

Brian Carso, Jr., J.D., Ph.D., was promoted to full professor in the department of history and government.

Joshua D. Winneker, J.D., was promoted to full professor in the business department.

Susan Barker, Ph.D., retired chair and associate professor of the physical therapy department, has been awarded professor emerita status in recognition of her service to Misericordia University for 22 years. 

Susan Reed Tomascik, Ph.D., retired associate professor in the teacher education department, has been awarded professor emerita status in recognition of her distinguished service to Misericordia University for over 30 years.

Kuchinski-Donnelly is certified in inpatient obstetrical nursing and began teaching as an adjunct at Misericordia University in 1999, teaching various courses within the traditional undergraduate, part-time evening program, RN to BSN program, ABSN program, and the graduate nursing program.
She is the chairperson of the undergraduate nursing program and for the past six yeas she has served as an advisor to students attending the Student Nurses Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP).

Over the last year, Donnelly presented a concept analysis at the "Revisit the Future of Nursing Report 2020-2030" conference. She was selected as a Jonas Scholar by the National League for Nursing and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing in 2016-2017.

Donnelly is a member of the American Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau International, Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), Eastern Nurses Research Society, and National League for Nursing.

She currently serves as a 4H leader and chair of the advisory board and volunteer nurse for community activities throughout Luzerne and Columbia County.

Donnelly earned a Ph.D. of nursing from Widener University, post-master’s certificate in family nurse practitioner at Misericordia University where she also earned a Master of Science in maternal child nursing and a Bachelor of Science in nursing.

Carso joined Misericordia University in 2006, having previously worked as an attorney at a large New York law firm and as a high-level administrator in New York state government. He has a Ph.D. in American Studies from Boston University, a juris doctor from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law, a Master of Arts degree in American History and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Rochester.

Carso’s most recent publication is the historical novel Gideon’s Revolution, published last year by the Three Hills imprint of Cornell University Press. Based on a true but little-known spy mission to capture Benedict Arnold, it tells an American origin story about loyalty and betrayal during the Revolutionary War. Carso is also the author of Whom Can We Trust Now? an exploration of the legal, political, and cultural history of treason in the United States, from the Revolution through the Civil War (Lexington Books, 2006).

Carso teaches a variety of history courses, including "The American Founding, 1607-1789," "The Civil War Era," "The American West," "The Explorers," and "Spies, Traitors, & Saboteurs." He also teaches law courses, including "American Constitutional Law," "Constitutional Encounters," and "The Trial in American Life.” In addition, Carso serves as co-director of MU’s Honors Program.

Winneker joined Misericordia University in 2013. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Muhlenberg College, graduating cum laude, and a juris doctor from Seton Hall University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude and serving as a member of the Seton Hall Law Review.

Winneker teaches a variety of legal courses such as the undergraduate courses of “Business Law,” “Sports Law,” “Introduction to the American Legal System,” “Healthcare Law,” and graduate courses “Law, Ethics and the Business Environment,” and “Regulation of Human Resources Management.” During the summer, he also teaches at Penn State Law.

He is director of Misericordia’s pre-law program and has held several roles at MU including member of the task force for future faculty workforce, member of the academic policy committee, and he has served as a faculty mentor to professors in and out of the business department.

He is a recognized sports law expert and is widely published in renowned law journals throughout the country including UC Berkeley, the University of Virginia, the University of Texas at Austin, Arizona State University, Villanova University, Penn State University and Marquette University, among others.

Winneker has received several awards, including the Louis and Barbara Alesi Excellence in Scholarship Award for Misericordia University in 2023 and the Judge Max and Tillie Rosenn Excellence in Teaching Award at Misericordia University in 2019. He also won the Student Choice Excellence in Teaching Award at the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics in 2013.

Before retiring in May, Barker taught full time in the physical therapy department where she also served as department chair since 2002.

Barker earned a Ph.D.in biomedical science from Drexel University, a Master of Science in physical therapy from Temple University and a Bachelor of Science in physical therapy from the University of Pennsylvania.

She authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications including her most recent in 2023, “Vestibular Rehabilitation as an Early Intervention in Athletes Who Are Post-concussion: A Systemic Review” published in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, Vol. 18, pages 577-586. She served as peer reviewer for Medical Engineering and Physics since 2010.

Barker held memberships in many professional organizations including the American Physical Therapy Association, the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy and the American Association of Clinical Anatomists. She also served as director of the Northeast District of the Pennsylvania Physical Therapy Association.

Barker made important contributions to the community providing pro bono physical therapy service to MU’s department of physical therapy pro bono clinic and she received recognition for her outstanding service to Volunteers in Medicine for providing pro bono physical therapy services for uninsured or underinsured patients.

Before retiring, Reed Tomascik taught full time in the teacher education department and served as the chair and co-chair of the department from 2005 to 2015.

Tomascik co-authored “Northeastern Pennsylvania Beginning Teachers’ Perceptions of the Efficacy of Field Experiences as Preparation for Teaching – A View from the Trenches,” published in Pennsylvania Educational Leadership.

Actively engaged in her community, Tomascik received the Good Citizenship Award from the State Street Elementary School of the Wyoming Valley West School District and established a mentoring/tutoring program with the Wyoming Valley West Middle School. She is currently the treasurer of the Courtdale United Methodist Church and a member of its Administrative Council.

She earned a Ph.D. in human development from Marywood University, a Master of Science in education with certification in special education from Misericordia University, and a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education/psychology with certification in elementary education from Wilkes University.