Signum University

Departments: The Board

  • Alex is in a library, need we say more? He's a man of European descent with dark short hair, dark-rimmed glasses, an open necked button down shirt and a rather nice grey jacket. He's got a smile on and is looking directly at you with a pleased expression in his eyes as though he just found the book he was searching for and wants to tell you about it.

    Alexander Petrov

    Alexander “Alex” Petrov joined Signum’s Board of Visitors in Fall 2024 as an at-large Board Member. He has a strong interest in innovative approaches to higher education which improve the sustainability of the university sector while making it more accessible to a broader range of students. Alex has a BSc from the University of London…

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  • A white haired woman with a smile and glasses and a flowered shirt is clearly excited to invite us to see her beautiful lilacs.

    Lynn Schlesinger

    Lynn earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Brandeis University and taught for 20+ years at SUNY Plattsburgh in upstate New York. She started taking Signum courses in 2013. With a research focus on material culture of Middle-earth, Lynn has completed two graduate diplomas at Signum. She currently serves on the Board of Visitors as Elected…

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  • Sparrow is a euro-looking woman with hazel eyes and salt-and-pepper hair. She's smiling, looking directly at you, and sitting in front of a poster which is a graphic blues and greens depiction of the Julia Set, a numerical concept related to fractals. Her shawl is hand-knit in the shape of a maple leaf, and if you'd like a link to the pattern, I'd be happy to share that with you.

    Sparrow F. Alden

    Sparrow graduated from Bowdoin College in 1986 with a BA in English Literature and Psychology and from Signum University in 2015 with an MA in Language and Literature.  She is co-owner/builder of a straw bale cabin in the New Hampshire woods with her wife Grace; they are grateful for the technology which keeps them in touch…

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  • Peter Rybski is a man of European descent posed in front of a black background and dressed professionally in a dark suit, cheery red tie, and a blue shirt that matches his twinkly eyes!

    Peter Rybski

    Peter is a lifelong Tolkien fan who has spent more than twenty years in the U.S. Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer and Nuclear Engineer. Peter is a graduate of the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Power Program and has a BS in Economics from the United States Naval Academy, a Masters in Engineering Management from Old…

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  • Dr. Matt DeForrest is sitting for a formal portrait, but that doesn't stop him from wearing a purple shirt and tie to remind us that he's not just a professor and Board member, he's an author, husband, mentor, and sweet guy. He's bearded, bespectacled, and of European ancestory.

    Matthew M. DeForrest

    Dr. Matthew M. DeForrest is Interim Director of the Edward E. Crutchfield Center for Integrated Studies and Professor of English at Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU). His recent published works have appeared in The Yeats Journal of Korea, The Yeats Annual, W. B. Yeats’s A Vision: Explications and Contexts, and Tolkien Studies. His recent presentations…

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  • Dr. Liza Gold (pronounced LEE-za) has a broad smile and dark hair swept back. She is somewhere in front of a bookcase, guarding her books like a dragon with its hoard.

    Liza H. Gold

    Liza H. Gold, MD is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. Gold has a private practice in general and forensic psychiatry in Arlington, Virginia and is an award winning author and editor. Most recently, Dr. Gold edited and contributed to Gun Violence and Mental Illness (American Psychiatric Publishing,…

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  • Dr. Larry Swain has clearly got Hobbit ancestry. His round cheeks, curly dark grey hair, and wire rimmed spectacles speak of jovial nights sitting up with philosophy flowing.

    Larry Swain

    Larry Swain used to work in IT and libraries after receiving his B.A. in Religion-Greek and Linguistics. After 15 years, he earned an M.A. in Medieval Studies at the Medieval Institute at Western Michigan University and then a Ph.D. at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His academic work focuses on early medieval preservation and…

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  • Corey Olsen's snow white beard and glasses might hint at his serious academic standing... but there's no way to hide that grin of delight, discovery and adventure. He's clad in dark colors before a dark background, but his eyes are shining.

    Corey Olsen

    Dr. Corey Olsen is the President of Signum University and Mythgard Institute. In addition to teaching classes on J.R.R. Tolkien, Chaucer, and modern fantasy literature for Signum, Dr. Olsen has extended the concept of the digital classroom to include non-traditional outlets. Through the Mythgard Academy, he offers free weekly lectures on works of speculative fiction…

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