Turning Pages — I often think of semesters as chapters in a larger story. As we prepare to turn the last page of the chapter about the fall 2016 semester, I am impressed with how much happened in this chapter. We saw the debut of new characters, such as Melodye Gordon, Matthew Osborne, and Matthew Rowney. We saw established characters take on new roles, such as Sarah Minslow, Jen Munroe, and Lara Vetter. A whole new advising system came into place over the course of this chapter. For me, however, the parts of the chapter that I’ve underlined with a yellow Hi-Liter are the passages that deal with the launching of the English Honors Program. In the short span of one semester, our English Honors Program went from the glimmer of an idea to a vibrant program that has already attracted the involvement of 32 undergraduate students.
The launching of the English Honors Program could not have happened without the help of many members of the English Department. At the top of the list is Kirk Melnikoff, who is serving as the director of the program. Janaka Lewis has worked closely with Kirk to coordinate the connections between the English Honors Program and Sigma Tau Delta. Aaron Toscano taught an English Honors Seminar this semester, and Monica Alston worked with Kirk to communicate with the students in the program. Malin Pereira, the Executive Director of the Honors College, helped Kirk solve the logistical problems involved with launching our program. Finally, too many faculty members to mention by name have agreed to work with our honors students on their thesis projects. My thanks go to everyone who helped launch the English Honors Program.
Kudos — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of our department. Here is the latest news:
Sandy Govan was recently featured on a syndicated radio program about Maya Angelou. Here is the link to the radio program: withgoodreasonradio.org
Malin Pereira recently published an essay titled “Brenda Marie Osbey’s Black Internationalism” in Diasporas, Cultures of Mobilities,’Race’ 3: African Americans, ‘Race’ and Diaspora.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here is information about an upcoming event.
December 13 – The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Celebration of Faculty Achievement will take place on Tuesday, December 13, 2016, from 12:00 to 1:00 at the Harris Alumni Center.
Quirky Quiz Question — Malin Pereira is the current Executive Director of the Honors College. Does anybody remember who ran the Honors College before Malin?
Last week’s answer: First the bank was called North Carolina National Bank. Then it was called NCNB. Then it was called NationsBank, and now it is called Bank of America.
In addition to mentoring Ron Lunsford, Roy Moose was well known for teaching courses on the works of Shakespeare. In fact, he was the first member of the English Department to win the teaching award that is now known as the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence. When he won the award in 1969, however, the award reflected the name of the bank at that time. Does anybody know what Bank of America was called then?
