Three, Two, One, Blast Off — The fall 2014 semester has cleared the launch pad, and we are heading into orbit. The preliminary enrollment numbers are looking very good for the English Department. As of last Friday, 2,066 seats were filled in our undergraduate courses. Last fall there were 1,919 seats filled. This fall 40 freshmen declared English as their major whereas last fall 22 freshmen declared English as their major. This fall 22 students signed up for our English Learning Community whereas last fall there were 12 ELC students. Pilar Blitvich reports that this year we have 22 incoming graduate students for a total of 82 students in our MA program. Last fall we had a total of 73 students in our MA program. These are all preliminary numbers, but these enrollment figures indicate that we are growing at every level.
Welcome Aboard — This semester we have several new part-time faculty members. Robert Arnold will be teaching ENGL 2116 (Introduction to Technical Communication) as will Connie Douglas and Laura Erturk. Saxby Chaplin and Bonnie Shishko will both be teaching ENGL 2100 (Writing about Literature). Finally, Abby Marie Mueller Dobs will be teaching ENGL 2161 (Grammar for Writing). I welcome all of these new part-time faculty members to the English Department. Also, my appreciation goes to Kirk Melnikoff for managing the process of hiring these part-time faculty members.
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:
Aaron Gwyn just published an essay on NPR’s website about his interest in Albert Camus. Here is the link: http://www.npr.org/2014/08/10/336823512/albert-camus-poker-faced-stranger-became-a-much-needed-friend?utm_source=npr_email_a_friend&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20
Sandy Govan has a chapter in the recently published anthology titled 27 Views of Charlotte: The Queen in Prose and Poetry.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here are some dates to keep in mind:
August 19 — Convocation will take place at 9:30 in McKnight Hall.
August 22 — The All-College Faculty meeting will take place at 9:00 in CHHS 155.
August 22 — The first English Department meeting will take place from 11:00-12:30 in 290B Fretwell.
August 27 — Last day to add or drop a course with no record.
Quirky Quiz Question — With the increase in our enrollment figures, it seems to me that our English Department is far from the current stereotype of moribund humanities departments. I am reminded of the following quotation: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Can you name the person who made this statement?
Last week’s Quirky Quiz answer – The Dog Star is Sirius