Four long-time Chapman University faculty in Wilkinson College announced their retirement last spring and the  Voice of Wilkinson would like to celebrate and recognize these individuals for their dedication, hard work, and commitment to Wilkinson College, the heart and soul of Chapman University.

Thank you and good luck in your next chapter!

Dr. Paul Apodaca Associate Professor

Department of Sociology Paul Apodaca joined Chapman as a full-time faculty member after serving 15 years as an adjunct faculty member. A member of the American Indian Hall of Fame and voted one of the 150 Faces of Chapman in 2011, Dr. Apodaca initiated the American Studies and Cultural Anthropology Minor Degree programs. He worked with the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana as curator in charge of the California History, American Indian Art, and Folkart, and was the Editor of the Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology for 15 years. He was awarded a Fellowship with the Smithsonian Institution and consulted on the creation and design of the Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC. He served as Board Member for the California Council for Humanities, the Malki Museum Press, and as a grant reader for many private and public agencies. Dr. Apodaca also works with numerous film and television production companies and was a part of a team that won the Academy Award in 1985 for Best Feature Documentary “Broken Rainbow.” He holds the Mary Smith Lockwood National Medal for Education from the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Miriam Hill, Instructor, Department of World Languages and Cultures

Miriam Hill is an outstanding educator and wonderful colleague. Students and faculty truly appreciated her dedication and passion for teaching, and she provided every student with a personalized education. She was always the first person to arrive in the main office each day, allowing so many students with busy schedules to meet with her when they needed extra help. She never missed a department meeting and always made meaningful and positive contributions to both the Spanish program and the Department of World Languages and Cultures. Miriam is thoughtful and engaging, and her smile will light up a room. Anyone who took the time to engage with Miriam will miss her warmness and her smile. We all wish her the best in all of her future endeavors. She will be missed by all.

Dr. Tekle M. Woldemikael, Professor, Department of Sociology

Tekle M. Woldemikael is a Professor of Sociology and International Studies who defines his mission in teaching and research as encouraging students to develop critical perspectives through active learning about contemporary social issues. He has conducted research in the US, the Caribbean, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea with projects on Haitian immigrants, Ethiopian and Eritrean refugees in the US, southern Sudanese migrants in northern Sudanese towns, and the role of ethnicity in nationalist movements and nation-building in the Horn of Africa. Among his published works are the books Belonging: Maintenance, change, and Status Within the Haitian Community in Evanston, Illinois (Shorefront Press), Postliberation Eritrea (Indiana University Press), and the volume New Conversations in Public Sociology (Rowman and Littlefield) co-edited with Chapman colleagues. He published numerous academic papers and edited special issues for academic journals including the Journal of Eastern African Studies, Africa Today Journal, and The American Sociologist. Dr. Woldemikael came to Chapman to serve as chair of sociology after serving at several universities in the US and Sudan. He presided over a period of expansion in the faculty, scholarly production, and programs offered by the department.

Dr. Myron Yeager, Professor Emeritus, Department of English

An extraordinary teacher, scholar, mentor, and colleague, Dr. Yeager began his distinguished career at Chapman University in 1984 earning promotion to Full Professor of English in 2000. After a long, illustrious career, Dr. Yeager was awarded the honor of Professor Emeritus of English. Dr. Yeager excelled as an administrator during his years at Chapman University, serving as Chair of the Department of English (1990-1993); as the founding Director of the Gay and Lesbian Studies Program (1996-2001); and as Interim Director of LGBTQ Studies in Spring 2014 and Spring 2018. Dr. Yeager served with great distinction as Dean of the School of Communication Arts (2001-2007). Generously serving on many councils and committees throughout his years at Chapman University, Dr. Yeager has also devoted himself to the larger profession. He has held leadership positions within the Samuel Johnson Society of the West, serving as president (2005-06) and secretary (2003 to present), and, for the Western Society for Eighteenth Century Studies, serving on the Executive Board (2000 to 2017) and as co-president (2001-2002). A truly superior and beloved teacher, Dr. Yeager won the Chapman University Excellence in Teaching Award (2015) and the Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award (2013). Students routinely marveled at Dr. Yeager’s knowledge, passion, energy, and enthusiasm. Dr. Yeager has earned the utmost respect and admiration of his colleagues and students.