Dr. Deborah Hazelbaker
Chair, Department of Natural Sciences & Mathematics
Professor of Science and Mathematics
Email Professor Hazelbaker

AA in liberal arts, Hillsborough Community College
BA in geology, University of South Florida
MS in mathematics, Nova Southeastern University
PhD in higher education with specializations in mathematics and earth science, Union University and Institute

Biography
After graduating from the University of South Florida with a degree in Geology, Dr. Deborah Hazelbaker was asked by the dean of (then) Southeastern College to be a substitute teacher for a geology class. It was in that experience that she found her calling and the school where she would be living that calling out. Dr. Hazelbaker has been an integral part of Southeastern's faculty since 1991 and has served, also, as the chair of the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics for over a decade. In that capacity, she has overseen the creation of new science labs for Southeastern and has been involved in community research, including statistical analysis for the Polk County Family Caregivers association.

Dr. Hazelbaker has presented at numerous workshops on women's issues, astronomy, technology in the classroom, and educational effectiveness. The titles of some of these workshops include: Issues on Women's Health; Women's Changing Roles in the Workplace and Home; Women's Lives: The Seasons of Change; Bulletin Board Systems and Other Online Services; Locating Stars in the Night Sky and Lunar Features; Meteor Showers; Learning Disabilities and Learning Styles; and Interprofessional Collaboration, Testing, and Measurement. In Spring 1994, with several other professors, she published "Educating Preservice Teachers: The Use of Technology in Teaching" in the Florida Technology in Education Quarterly.

Dr. Hazelbaker, a life-long member of the Assemblies of God, has been involved in various forms of ministry most of her life, including as a Sunday school teacher, Missionette leader, Y-leader, sectional Y-Leader, youth pastor, back-up singer, and church janitor. She has also traveled and ministered with her husband, Dr. Larry Hazelbaker, who chairs Southeastern's Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences.

Dr. Hazelbaker teaches the following courses: Liberal Arts Math I and II, College Algebra, Calculus I, II, & III, Life Science, Astronomy, Astronomy & Earth Science, and Geology. Her research interests include the effective uses of technology in the classroom, women's roles in society, and educational strategies in science and math.