Adjunct Chemistry Professor, Oxford Middle School Principal Join Mississippi College Faculty

Alex Facundus has joined the Department of Biological Sciences, while Dr. Audra Rester has joined the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership at MC.

Mississippi College executive leaders are proud to welcome two valuable additions to the Christian University’s faculty and administrative staff.

Edward “Alex” Facundus, M.S.

Edward “Alex” Facundus, a Mississippi College graduate and a former emergency room technician at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, has joined the MC faculty as a professor of anatomy.

“We know Alex well and we think highly of him,” said Dr. Beth Barlow, professor and chair of biological sciences at MC. “He taught in the Chemistry Department last spring and we are excited that he will join the biology faculty this year.

“Alex will be teaching human gross anatomy. His expertise and enthusiasm will benefit our students greatly. He seems excited to get started working in the Gross Lab.”

After attending Tulane University in New Orleans and obtaining his B.S. in physics from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Facundus earned his Master of Medical Sciences at MC. He served as a tutor in human neuroanatomy and medical physiology at MC and was an adjunct professor of chemistry before joining the full-time faculty in May.

“Having the opportunity to work alongside the professors that taught my classmates and I is an honor and a blessing,” Facundus said.

An inductee of the Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Honor Society and the Phi Sigma Theta National Honor Society, Facundus is a member of the Society of Collegiate Leadership and Achievement. At MC, he was an Academic Council graduate representative.

A Collegiate Baseball Magazine freshman All-American at Tulane, where he went 11-4 with 1 save in 54 relief appearances spanning two seasons, Facundus also participated on the rowing team at LSU.

Audra Ann Rester, Ph.D.

Dr. Audra Ann Rester, a recent retiree after 28 years in K-12 education, most recently as principal at Oxford Middle School, has joined the Mississippi College faculty as an assistant professor of teacher education and leadership.

“We are so excited for Dr. Rester to join the School of Education,” said Dr. Jennifer Stafford, chair of the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership at MC. “She will be teaching courses in secondary education, curriculum development, special education, technology, and assessment.”

After receiving her B.A. in English from the University of Mississippi, Rester obtained her Master of Education in educational leadership and her Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Southern Mississippi. She spent 17 years in the Petal School District, including stints as assistant principal of Petal Middle School, director of student assessment for the district, and principal of Petal Upper Elementary School.

A member of Phi Delta Kappa International, Rester was named the Oxford School District Administrator of the Year in 2021 and the Petal School District Teacher of the Year in 1999.

She and her husband, Eddie, a senior pastor at Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson, have two girls: Sydney, a senior at Ole Miss, and Ann Claire, a sophomore at Ole Miss.

“I am thrilled to join the Mississippi College Teacher Education and Leadership Family, where I will be surrounded by others who share my love of teaching and learning,” she said.