By Shriya Trilok, Staff Writer
This article originally appeared on pages 25 to 26 of the Sept. 2026 edition of The Gettysburgian magazine
Gettysburg College has hired four new tenure track professors who have begun teaching the fall 2026 semester.
Aaron Astor was hired with tenure as the Robert C. Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies, a position previously held by the late Professor Peter Carmichael. Before coming to Gettysburg, Astor served as a professor of history at Maryville College. He earned a Ph.D. in history from Northwestern University in 2006 and a B.A. from Hamilton College in 1995. Astor has enjoyed his experience teaching at Gettysburg College so far: “The students have been the best part. They were just very inquisitive, sharp, mature and passionate about history. That really sold me on the place,” he said. He enjoys being surrounded by people who enjoy learning about history, not just among majors and minors. Astor has published three books on the Civil War era and has written eleven articles for the award-winning New York Times Disunion series.
(Image taken from Aaron Astor’s X account)
Emily Dautenhahn is a new assistant professor in the mathematics department with undergraduate degrees in mathematics and history from the University of Kentucky and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Cornell University.
She worked as an assistant professor at Murray State University before coming to Gettysburg College. Her research focuses on solutions to the heat equation, an equation that models how heat particles diffuse in abstract spaces. She has enjoyed her time at Gettysburg College and getting to know her students. Reflecting on her experience, she said, “I look forward to learning more about the experiences of students, being inspired to improve my teaching practice, and sharing math with people across campus.”
(By John Sheesley/The Gettysburgian)
Charles McGuffey is a new assistant professor in the computer science department. Prior to coming to Gettysburg, he spent five years teaching at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. He earned his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University, specifically working on cache replacement policies and algorithm design for new memory technologies. His experience at Reed College led him to Gettysburg College.
McGuffey stated, “I learned that I really enjoy teaching a small number of dedicated students, and so far my experience has been that I will get to continue doing that here at Gettysburg.”
He has appreciated the small classes and his ability to get to know his students and looks forward to continuing to teach at Gettysburg College.
(Photo provided by Prof. McGuffey)
Alice Timken is a new assistant professor of political science focused on public law. They have studied a variety of topics, including high courts, judicial independence and judicial behavior in both North America and Europe. Their work has appeared in the journal Democratization, and they won the Doctoral Prize for originality and research quality from Syracuse University. They earned their Ph.D. in political science from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, a master’s degree from New York University and a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College. Reflecting on their experience at Gettysburg, Timken stated, “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to teach, research, and learn from the students at Gettysburg College. I feel lucky to be in a place with such engaged students and incredibly warm and supportive colleagues.” So far, Professor Timken has enjoyed both teaching and continuing their research at Gettysburg College.
(Photo provided by Prof. Timken)
