Yesterday I had the very special privilege of presiding over
the 2014 English and Creative Writing Convocation. Sitting together with a
couple dozen of my colleagues I watched as over 100 English and Creative
Writing majors received their diplomas and ten of our graduate students were
“hooded” by their advisors to mark the receipt of their Ph.D.s. Afterwards, we emerged out into a beautiful
sunny afternoon on the Illinois quad.
This is always a moving event, but it was especially so for
me this year since it marked the end of my first academic year as department
head (although, to be sure, many projects remain in medias res!). I am proud of our graduates, who have accomplished
so much during their four years at Illinois, and I am proud of my colleagues
who helped enable those accomplishments through their dedicated teaching and
mentoring. Not only do I believe an English degree—and more broadly a liberal
arts degree—prepares our students well for any number of future possibilities,
I also believe an English degree affords them four years of close contact with
faculty members who are dedicated to helping them become better writers,
thinkers, and ultimately citizens.
Convocation is a collective effort and I am grateful to
everyone who made it possible—not least our wonderful academic advisers Anna
Ivy and Jovaughn Barnard. I’m also grateful to Interim Associate Dean Curtis Perry (whom some of you may recognize as having occupied this blog in the years
before me!) for his remarks at the event.
And I’m especially thankful to our convocation speaker, the
writer and journalist Carol Felsenthal. Carol graduated from our department in
the early 1970s and has gone on to an illustrious career as a biographer and
political commentator known for her portraits of such figures as Bill Clinton,
Michelle Obama, and Katherine Graham of the Washington
Post. Carol gave a wonderful speech recounting her path to becoming a
writer. She told us about some of the roadblocks women faced at the time she
was starting out and also about the persistence—or chutzpah, as she put it!—needed
to break through into a writing career. It seemed like a good message for folks
about to set out on their own path towards what we hope will be similarly
successful careers.
Michael, Carol, Curtis
I’m guessing that this blog will be a little quieter over
the next couple of months as we regroup and then gear up for another year. But
before you head off for your summer vacations, let me mention a few other
pieces of good news that I haven’t had a chance to post yet.
Ramona Curry, a scholar of film studies in the department,
has received a position as Fulbright Distinguished Chair in American Studies at
Uppsala University in Sweden. Ramona will be taking up her post in spring 2015.
Charlie Wright, recently a winner of a campus-wide award for
graduate student mentoring, has also won the CARA Award for Excellence in
Teaching from the Medieval Academy.
Our writing studies graduate student Pamela Saunders was
recognized for writing one of the best papers to be presented at the upcoming
Rhetoric Society of America meeting. Katie Irwin, who is based in
Communication, but works with colleagues in English and the Center for Writing
Studies, was also chosen for this Gerard A. Hauser Award.
Congratulations to all of these colleagues and students, and best of luck to all the new graduates! We trust you will keep in touch with us as you go on your way…
Congratulations to all of these colleagues and students, and best of luck to all the new graduates! We trust you will keep in touch with us as you go on your way…