The Guilford College Board of Trustees has approved the promotions of three faculty members — Chafic Bou-Saba, Jill Peterfeso and Zhihong Chen — to the rank of full professor. The promotions were approved at the Board’s May meeting.

Chafic, who joined Guilford in 2016, was previously an Associate Professor in the Computer Technology and Information Systems Department. In April, he received the College’s prestigious Bruce B. Stewart ’61 Award for Teaching Excellence. Chafic earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Notre Dame in Lebanon. He later completed both a master’s degree in Computer Science and a Ph.D. in Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering at N.C. A&T State University. Chafic has helped lead the way for several federal and state grants to the College including most recently a grant to help create robotic cleaners for the state’s beaches.

Jill has been a faculty member in the Religious Studies Department since 2012. She served as department chair from 2015-22 and was named the Eli Franklin and Minnie Phipps Craven Associate Professor of Religious Studies in 2021. Jill holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from Rhodes College and a master’s in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. In 2008, she earned a second master’s — this time in Religious Studies — followed by a Ph.D. in the same field, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Jill is the author of Womanpriest: Transgression and Tradition in the Contemporary Roman Catholic Church in 2020.

Zhihong joined Guilford in 2008 as an Assistant Professor of History and was the 2020 recipient of the Bruce B. Stewart ’61 Award for Teaching Excellence. She served as Chair of the International Studies Program from 2019-20 before becoming Chair of the HistoryDepartment, a position she held until 2023. She has served as Director of Faculty Development since 2023. Zhihong holds bachelor’s and a master’s degrees in Philosophy from Peking University, with a minor in Chinese Language and Literature. She also earned a master’s in Asian History and a Ph.D. in East Asian History from the University of Oregon. Her doctoral dissertation, titled “Stretching the Skin of the Nation: Chinese Intellectuals, the State, and the Frontiers in the Nanjing Decade (1927–1937),” was completed in 2008. She was also a Research Fellow at the Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica in Taiwan.

Acting Provost Kami Rowan expressed her enthusiasm in recommending all three faculty members for promotion. “I was proud to recommend Chafic, Jill and Zhihong for promotion,” says Kami. “Their dedication to teaching and their impact on students exemplify what makes Guilford such a transformative place. These promotions are a reflection of their exceptional contributions to our community.”