St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) has named three faculty members to endowed positions recognizing excellence in teaching, scholarship and academic leadership.
Associate Professor of Neuroscience Liz Leininger and Associate Professor of History Sarah Malena have been named Aldom-Plansoen Honors College Professors for 2026-28. Professor of History Chuck Holden has been named the George B. and Willma Reeves Endowed Chair in the Liberal Arts for 2026-29.
“It’s a pleasure to recognize the achievements of these exceptional faculty. Endowed awards like the Aldom-Plansoen and the Reeves help highlight one of the defining features of the honors college experience: our students work closely with exceptional scholars, artists, and researchers. The generosity of our donors makes it possible to continue the College’s enduring commitment to academic distinction and collaborative student research,” said Katie Gantz, Ph.D., provost and dean of faculty.
The Aldom-Plansoen Endowed Fund supports professorships recognizing accomplished mid-career faculty members. Leininger and Malena began their two-year appointments Aug. 1.
Leininger, who chairs the Department of Neuroscience, is a neuroscientist and STEM education researcher. Her scholarship includes research on the neural mechanisms underlying vocalization as well as neuroscience education, including how students learn through neurophysiology simulations. Her neuroethology research has received support from the National Science Foundation.
Malena is an ancient historian and archaeologist specializing in the cultures of the eastern Mediterranean and is the coordinator of SMCM’s Museum Studies Program. Her research focuses on intercultural relations in the ancient world and their influence on social and ideological change. Her most recent book, “Fertile Crossroads: Elites and Exchange in the Southern Levant’s Early Iron Age,” was published in 2025.
Established in 1997, the George B. and Willma Reeves Endowed Chair in the Liberal Arts recognizes a distinguished scholar and gifted teacher who provides academic leadership and contributes to the enrichment of the College’s humanities curriculum.
Holden has taught at SMCM since 1999 and specializes in 19th- and 20th-century U.S. history, the American South and the history of academic freedom. He is the author or co-author of several books, including “The New Southern University: Academic Freedom and Liberalism at UNC” and “Republican Populist: Spiro Agnew and the Origins of Donald Trump’s America.” His three-year Reeves Chair appointment begins Sept. 30.
