James Reitter

B.A. – SUNY Oswego
M.F.A. – CUNY Brooklyn
Ph.D. – University of Louisiana Lafayette

Professor Reitter has been teaching in higher education for over two decades, specializing in Creative Writing, 19th Century Literature, Folklore, and Film Studies. He has published articles and/or chapters on Charles Dickens, Civil War poets, human/animal interaction and symbolism, and zombies in film. He is also the author of Scratched Records, an ekphrastic book of poetry and art, and co-author of Speculative Modernism: How Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Conceived the 20th Century. In addition, he actively publishes poems ina variety of print and online publications and is currently Editor-In-Chief for Masque and Spectacle, a biannual arts and literature online journal.

Outside of his academic interests, he is an avid birder and naturalist, enjoys listening to and playing a diverse array of music, and regularly watches cartoons.   

Tanya Radford

B.A. – English: University of Utah
M.A. – English: University of Utah
Ph.D – English: City University of New York – Graduate Center

Tanya Radford is Assistant Professor of English and Co-Director of Honors at Dominican University, where she teaches beginning and advanced writing courses, early American literature, Enlightenment literature, and children’s and young adult literature.  She completed her B.A. and M.A. degrees at the University of Utah and then earned a Ph.D. in English from the City University of New York’s Graduate Center. Her doctoral research focused on affective response in 18th Century literature, and her current research continues that work by considering the cognitive and social benefits of leisure reading and the representation of reading, books, and libraries in works for young readers. She has published on Laurence Sterne’s A Sentimental Journey. In addition to her role as co-director of honors at DUNY, Dr. Radford serves on the executive board of the Northeast Regional Honors Council as well as the NRHC’s student journal – Illuminate – as part of its editorial team.

Robert Stauffer, Ph.D.

B.A. – New York University (English)
M.A. – Brooklyn College (English Education)
Ph.D. – Arizona State University (Medieval Literature)

Robert Stauffer began working at Dominican University in 2012. His research and teaching interests are in medieval and Renaissance literature, postcolonial studies, science fiction and fantasy literature, and early 20th century writers. He is currently working on editing and writing for a volume for Brill Publishing entitled A Marguerite Porete Companion focusing on Marguerite Porete, a thirteenth-fourteenth century beguine, and her book The Mirror of Simple Souls. His publications include fantasy short stories and baseball biography. He has given several papers at the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Thomas Nowak

Thomas Nowak earned his Ph.D. in English Language & Literature from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, specializing in Renaissance and 17th-Century Literature, Medieval Literature, Composition, and Rhetorical Theory. His doctoral research focused on early modern religious and political discourse, culminating in his dissertation, “The English Gunpowder Plot Sermons, 1605–1651.”

Dr. Nowak recently concluded 18 years of service as Dominican University New York’s Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean, leadership roles he held from 2007 to 2025. With 30+ years at the University, he has served in multiple capacities and remains a valued member of the English faculty (Associate Professor rank). Thom previously served as Department Chair from August 1995 through December 2005.

In 2006, Dr. Nowak was appointed Director of the Arts & Sciences Division. In the fall of 2007, he stepped in as Interim Academic Dean for a semester and was subsequently appointed to the role on a permanent basis in the spring of 2008.

Beyond his senior administrative leadership, Dr. Nowak directed the University’s Honors Program from 1994 to 2001, completed three separate year-long terms as Director of the University’s Writing Center, and chaired multiple faculty committees, including Academic Standards, Faculty Affairs, and Rank & Tenure.

He has played a key role in institutional accreditation efforts, serving as a writer for two Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) accreditation reports and co-chairing three others. As Academic Dean, he oversaw self-study reports and site visits for seven professional program reaccreditations, primarily in health-related fields.

Before joining Dominican University, Dr. Nowak held a full Teaching Fellowship at SUNY Stony Brook for four years, taught composition under the mentorship of Peter Elbow, and tutored in the University’s Writing Center. He also taught as an adjunct at Hofstra University and SUNY College at Old Westbury. He earned his B.A. in Rhetoric and Literature with a Minor Certificate in Medieval Studies from SUNY Binghamton.

Dr. Nowak resides in Orange County, New York, with his wife and children, Ruth and Max, along with their many pets, including three cats, a dog, two fish tanks, and a snake.