Faculty & Staff

Associate Professor
Philosophy Program Coordinator
cemiller@fhsu.edu

Carl Miller earned a B.A. in Philosophy and English from Appalachian State University, a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Georgia, and a law degree from the George Washington University Law School, in Washington, D.C.  His philosophical interests include biblical studies, Christian apologetics, ethics, Stoicism, and the theory of knowledge.  In his spare time, he enjoys hand-tool woodworking, watching old movies, reading, and exercising.  

Professor
grice@fhsu.edu

Born and raised in the Midwest, Dr. Rice completed his Ph.D. at Marquette University. Dr. Rice teaches primarily in the areas of moral philosophy, human rights, and Eastern philosophy.  He also teaches meditation. Dr. Rice and his family enjoy spending time outdoors, especially exploring the Rocky Mountains on foot, on gravel bike, and in kayak. 

Additional Resources on Mindful Meditation

Professor
ddrabkin@fhsu.edu

Douglas Drabkin graduated from the University of Virginia in 1993 with degrees in literature, education, and philosophy, and has been a member of the department since 1994. He teaches a wide range of courses including Introduction to Philosophy, Bioethics, Classical Greek Philosophy, Foundations of Modern Philosophy, and Aesthetics.  He has published articles in the philosophy of religion and has written a helpful guidebook to Plato's Republic (for a free copy: https://scholars.fhsu.edu/philosophy_oer/1/).  A pretty competent amateur violinist, he shamelessly scrapes away.

Assistant Professor
dntostenson@fhsu.edu

David Tostenson is originally from Minnesota. He graduated from the University of Florida in 2009 and joined the philosophy department at Fort Hays State University in 2010. His primary areas of philosophical interest are philosophy of mind and philosophy of psychology, and he also has an interest in ethics and philosophy of religion. He is particularly interested in the prospects and possibilities of studying the mind scientifically. Besides philosophy, David's interests include movies and music. He plays a little piano and is modestly accomplished on the bass guitar. He has also been known to write a bit of short fiction and practices the martial art Aikido.

Assistant Professor
srbyer@fhsu.edu

Sammuel (Rob) Byer was born and raised in Larned, Kansas. He earned a B.A. in English (Literature) and a B.A. in Philosophy from Fort Hays State University in 2007 and received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Oklahoma in 2012 and 2017 respectively.  His philosophical and scholarly interests include various issues in metaphysics, comparative philosophy, and philosophy of religion (including both Eastern and Western traditions), as well as interdisciplinary work with scholars and professionals in fields outside of philosophy. In addition to his interests in philosophy, Rob enjoys science fiction and fantasy media, hip hop and folk music, and spending time with his wife, family, and friends.  

Assistant Professor
phtramel@fhsu.edu

Peter Tramel was a U.S. Army medic / surgical technician before college.  He earned his B.A. in philosophy from FHSU, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  He wrote his doctoral dissertation on rationalism in moral epistemology. In 2012 he returned from teaching in New York State to teach here at his alma mater.  His areas of strongest interest are moral theory and epistemology. He also has strong interests in early modern philosophy, Kant, philosophy of religion, political philosophy, and just war theory. Besides philosophy, he enjoys cooking, literature, history, road bicycling, hiking, and most other forms of travel.

Assistant Professor
International Faculty and FHSU Online
jcdelong@fhsu.edu

Jeremy DeLong completed his graduate work at the University of Kansas in 2016, with an earned Ph.D. in Philosophy, as well as an M.A. in Classics.  He has presented his research on Parmenides at national and international conferences, as well as published in several venues.  While specializing in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, language, and culture, he also holds broad interests in many other areas of philosophy—metaphysics, philosophy of religion, free will, ethics, social/political thought, philosophy in film, etc.  Dr. DeLong is currently stationed at one of FHSU’s Chinese partner schools (Sias University), where he is teaching business ethics to Chinese students (in English).  He is also simultaneously teaching domestic online courses, in FHSU Online.  While in China, he has reported missing a few things from home—especially his daughter, his cat, and the clear Kansas skies; Nevertheless, he is thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to learn a new culture and language, meet new people, and teach and travel in Asia.  When not engrossed in teaching duties or scholarly pursuits—or awkwardly trying to learn Chinese—he still enjoys: reading novels, watching movies and TV series, listening to modern alternative music, playing video games (Zelda BOTW in China), and practicing Karate.

Administrative Assistant
Department of History and Philosophy
Food and Hunger Initiatives
jwearlei@fhsu.edu

Jodie Wear-Leiker began her career at FHSU in the summer of 2000 after leaving the field of law as a legal secretary and office manager, which she held for 14 years. She assists students and faculty in the daily functions of the office while managing departmental marketing, travel, and conferences/events.  In 2005, she was awarded the Outstanding Technical Support Award given by the Colleague-to-Colleague  organization at the Summer Institute of Distance Learning and Instructional Technology.  In October 2023, she was the recipient of FHSU's first Staff Member of the Month award.  She enjoys finding purpose in her job and is grateful being able to work with such positive and appreciative colleagues.

FHSU Online Professor
ksamidon@fhsu.edu

Kevin Amidon serves as Director of the Honors College at FHSU and teaches in the Departments of Philosophy and Modern Languages (German).  A B.A. degree in Economics from the University of Michigan and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in German Studies from Princeton (along with years working, studying, and making music in Austria and Germany) give him a breadth of knowledge and experience peculiarly suited to working with Honors College students and teaching philosophy.  He has published widely on German social philosophy, history and theory of human diversity, biological thought, literature, film, and opera.  When he is not teaching, helping students with their goals, or reading 75-letter German words for his research, he enjoys restoring vintage European gasoline and diesel engines, and – along with the wonderful colleagues of the Hays Symphony – making a joyful (musical) noise.

FHSU Online Professor
keburrows@fhsu.edu

Born and raised in Hays, Kansas, Karen Burrows holds BAs in English and philosophy and an MA in English from FHSU. She teaches junior high and high school English in Satanta, Kansas, where she also coaches junior high quiz bowl and track. In the classroom, she is passionate about encouraging young people to think carefully, critically, creatively, logically, and independently. She particularly loves teaching American literature. Outside the classroom, you'll find her running, reading, baking, chasing her two daughters, and volunteering with projects that encourage literacy and healthy living. She contributed to Teaching Hope: Stories from the Freedom Writer Teachers and Erin Gruwell; Scholastic's On the Record series for young readers; and Activating Common Core Essentials, a curriculum guide to be published in 2013.

FHSU Online Professor
jlcarlton2@fhsu.edu

Jeremy Carlton is originally from Portland, Oregon. Apart from adjunct teaching, he also serves as an administrative faculty member at Fort Hays State University. Jeremy has earned a B.A. in Theological Studies from the Baptist University of the Américas; a B.S. in Business Studies from Wayland Baptist University; an M.B.A. in Management from Marylhurst University, and an M.Div. in Historical Theology and Religion from Wake Forest University. He is also currently a Ph.D. Candidate (Specialization: Environmental Ethics) from Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. His philosophical interests include the philosophy and theology of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Applied Ethics, Religion and Ecology, and Aesthetics. In his spare time Jeremy enjoys braving the great outdoors. He particularly loves hiking and camping in and around the Oregon and Northern California coastlines. He also enjoys dabbling on the guitar, hitting up Jam Band concerts/festivals, and dreams of one day road tripping around the U.S. in a Type 2 VW Bus with lots of controversial stickers holding it together.

FHSU Online Professor
m_phoenix@fhsu.edu

Masyn Phoenix is originally from Corvallis, Oregon. He got his BS in Philosophy from Oregon State University in 2008, and his Masters in Library Science degree from the University of North Teas in 2011. He has been teaching for FHSU Online since 2015, and really enjoys being able to interact with students in ways different than as a librarian. His philosophical interests include logic and applied ethics. He currently lives on the coast of Oregon, and works as a librarian at a small community college there. In addition to Philosophy and Ethics, He is interested in books, comics, vinyl records, cheesy movies, MST3K, board games, searching, finding, traveling, adventures, and leading a well-lived life.

FHSU Online Professor
tjreilley@fhsu.edu

Tj Reilley earned her BA in Philosophy from Fort Hays State University in 1991 and enjoyed working as a grader in Philosophy Programs during her time in Hays. She went on to receive an MA in philosophy from Texas Tech University where she taught reasoning and logic for 3 years. While at TTU, Tj concentrated her graduate work on the philosophy of human nature and developed a therapeutic approach toward counseling which combines the powerful tools of active listening, philosophical reflection, and Socratic questioning.

Tj joined the FHSU Philosophy Programs as a FHSU Online instructor in 2001 and has enjoyed year-round teaching and developing online courses for FHSU ever since. When taking a break from lively DiscussionBoard forums with students and perusing writing assignments, Tj can be found writing poetry all around Albuquerque, pondering in her cozy garden, and creatively cooking for health and relaxation.

FHSU Online Professor
waschrepel@fhsu.edu

Walt Schrepel is a 1976 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He is a father of a son and two daughters and poppa of two grandsons. He served in Infantry and worked in the Multi-National Forces and Observers (MFO) which was established after the Camp David Peace Accords. Walt earned a Masters Degree in Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh and earned a Master's Degree in Adult and Continuing Education from Kansas State University. He has been teaching at FHSU for IDS 400 Bioethics and IDS 401 Ethics in the Professions and Business. He has published articles and made presentations on professional ethics. His most recent publication concerned Chinese expansion in Russian Siberia. He currently works for a simulations training and security company at Fort Leavenworth.

FHSU Online Professor
jesouthworth@fhsu.edu

Jason Southworth graduated from Elizabethtown College in 2000 with BAs in philosophy and political science. He has an MA in philosophy from the University of Oklahoma, where he is completing his doctorate, specializing in philosophy of language. He has been an online adjunct instructor for the department since 2007; he teaches General Logic, Bioethics, Introduction to Philosophy, Introduction to Liberal Studies, and Ways of Knowing in Comparative Perspectives. His philosophical interests include logic and critical reasoning, philosophy of mind, applied ethics, and philosophy of language. He has written numerous articles for pop culture and philosophy volumes, on subjects including Batman, the Walking Dead, Inception, and the Avengers.

FHSU Online Professor
rmtallman@fhsu.edu

Ruth Tallman graduated from Fort Hays State University in 2000 with a BA in philosophy. She has an MA in religious studies from the University of Kansas and an MA and a PhD in philosophy from the University of Oklahoma. Her research focuses on biomedical ethics, in particular on issues of non-compliance and shared decision making in the physician-patient relationship. Her recent publications include: “Helping Children Hurt Themselves: Why Pediatricians Ought to Support Adolescent Football Players in Their Athletic Goals,” in the Journal of Clinical Ethics, 2020, and “Promoting Racial Equity in COVID-19 Resource Allocations,” in the Journal of Medical Ethics, 2021. 

FHSU Online Professor
alwarren@fhsu.edu

Andrew L. Warren has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Kansas, an undergraduate certificate in Moral and Political Philosophy from Fort Hays State University, as well as a Master's in American History and Government, and a Juris Doctorate from Washburn University of Topeka.  He has practiced criminal defense throughout Kansas and on the Tohono O'Odham reservation in Arizona for 22 years.  He was a professor of History and Criminal Justice at Western New Mexico University for 13 years.