Commencement — Last Saturday the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences held its first stand-alone commencement ceremony, and for nearly 90 of our students, this ceremony marked their transition from current students to graduates. A total of 14 of our graduate students are listed in the commencement program, and 74 undergraduate students are listed.
I was especially impressed with how many of our BA students fall under the heading of “Graduation with Distinction.” Of the 74 students, 15 earned the distinction of Cum Laude (GPA between 3.4-3.7), 7 earned the distinction of Magna Cum Laude (GPA between 3.7-3.9), and 5 earned the distinction of Summa Cum Laude (GPA between 3.9-4.0). This total comes to 27 students, which means that 36.5% of our graduate seniors earned this special distinction. I am very proud of all of our graduating students, but I want to mention by name the 5 students who earned the distinction of Summa Cum Laude. Their names are Kristin Nichole Brown, Yekaterina N. Dolmatova, Mary-Elizabeth Greene, Sarah Elizabeth Story, and Breanne Elaine Weber.
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:
Monica Alston recently completed all of the training workshops to earn certification in the Grants and Contract Administration Program. She will receive her certificate this afternoon during a special ceremony for the staff who have completed this rigorous training program.
Ron Lunsford recently learned that a book he co-edited some years ago titled Linguistic Perspectives on Literature has just been re-released by Routledge Library Editions.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here are some dates to keep in mind:
May 19 — Classes for the first summer session begin on May 19.
May 20 — Last day to add or drop a class with no grade.
Quirky Quiz Question — The recent re-release on Ron Lunsford’s book Linguistic Perspectives on Literature underscores for me many ways in which members of our department combine linguistics and literature. Another example of this approach is the recent publication of a special issue of the Southern Journal of Linguistics on “Linguistics and Child Literature.” Who is the member of our department who served as the guest editor of this issue?