Faculty Achievement — The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences annual Celebration of 
Faculty Achievement took place on December 18, 2014, and the achievements of many members of the English Department were recognized. The event celebrated faculty who published books in 2014 or who received external funding for research projects between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014. A total of fourteen English faculty members were recognized at this event—eight for publishing books and six for receiving external funding. During the ceremony, the English Department was singled out as the department the produced the most books in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2014. The faculty who were recognized for publishing books are JuliAnna Ávila, Pilar Blitvich, Aaron Gwyn, Cy Knoblauch, Jeffrey Leak, Ron Lunsford, Elizabeth Miller, and Lara Vetter. The faculty who were recognized for their sponsored research projects are Balaka Basu, Lil Brannon, Paula Connolly, Boyd Davis, Paula Eckard and Aimee Parkison.
Our friend and colleague Jim McGavran attended this event. He and I stood together during the ceremony, and he mentioned to me how proud he was of the accomplishments of his colleagues. The very next day he had his stroke. It seems somehow fitting to me that the last time Jim set foot on our campus was to help celebrate the achievements of his colleagues. His devotion to the English Department, his pride in the successes of his colleagues, and his generous and collegial approach to life are all reflected in his decision to attend this event even though he was not one of the faculty who was being recognized. In my view, Jim’s steadfast support of his colleagues is a special achievement itself and is one of the reasons why we will always honor Jim in our department.
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:
JuliAnna Ávila received the 2014 Edward B. Fry Book Award from the Literacy Research Association at the association’s annual conference on December 5, 2014. She received this award for her book Critical Digital Literacies as Social Praxis, which she co-edited with Jessica Zacher Pandya. For more information about this award, please click on the following link: https://exchange.uncc.edu/english-faculty-receives-prestitious-award-for-book-on-critical-digital-literacies/
Susan Gardner recently published an article titled “Subverting the Rhetoric of Assimilation: Ella Cara Deloria’s Writing in the 1920s” in Hecate: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Women’s Liberation.
Angie Williams was recently promoted to Business Services Coordinator. This new title recognizes the level of work she performs for the English Department.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here is a date to keep in mind:
January 7 — First day of classes.
January 16 — Last day for students to add courses or drop courses with no grade.
January 19 – Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. Day – University Closed.
January 23 — The first department meeting of the spring semester will take place from 12:00-1:30 in the English Conference room. Please note that this meeting will take place an hour later than our customary start time for department meetings.