Dr. Linda J. Rice
Dear Friends,
Lots of good things are happening in the English Department. It was just one year ago that we celebrated the major renovation of Ellis Hall with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Students, faculty, prospective students, and visitors have all been very impressed with our new facilities that include wheeled tables and chairs that make different classroom and meeting configurations easy. The building aesthetics are quite beautiful, but even more impressive is that Ellis Hall has been awarded LEED Gold Certification for its energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. I would like to invite you to campus to see our amazing completely renovated building.
Fall semester 2019 we honored a new Notable Alumni honoree, Aaron Schwarz, at the College of Arts & Sciences Notable Alumni Awards Ceremony. We also welcomed two new faculty: Mandy Berman and David Wanczyk. Mandy is a Visiting Professor who specializes in fiction writing, and David is an Instructional Faculty who also serves as Editor of New Ohio Review and the Coordinator of Special Programs.
As you will see in this newsletter, our graduates continue to impress us with their many accomplishments from their interesting careers to their prestigious awards. Our faculty also continue to influence and inspire through their publications, presentations, service to the profession, and most importantly their ongoing serious investment in being excellent teachers.
The department continues to host four literary journals: Brevity, New Ohio Review, Quarter After Eight, and Sphere; our graduate and undergraduate students play key roles in each of these magazines. In April 2019 we celebrated the 34th Spring Literary Festival, and the 2020 Spring Literary Festival is set for March 18-20.
The opportunity to meet with alumni returning to campus is always a highlight for students and faculty alike. We have been especially grateful for the investment of time, advice, and mentoring alumni have shared with our current students looking to leverage their studies in English for career success. Building on past success, the College of Arts & Sciences is hosting its fourth annual Career and Networking Week from Jan. 27 through Feb. 1, 2020. English has two special panels of alumni guests featured for Friday, Jan. 31, and we welcome all alumni to be part of the Student-Alumni Networking event that will be held from 3:30 to 7 p.m. in Baker Ballroom on Thursday, Jan. 30. This is a wonderful time for alumni to share their expertise with current students and to enjoy being back on campus. Please consider attending, and be sure to stop by the new Ellis when you’re in town.
This newsletter will give you a good picture of the activity that’s been going on in the department. I hope you enjoy reading through it and that you’ll make plans to come back and see us. Any of these might make especially good times to visit: Arts & Sciences Alumni Networking Reception (Thursday, Jan. 30), Spring Literary Festival (March 18-20), or if you want to look further ahead Homecoming 2020 (Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020).
Warm regards,
Linda J. Rice, Professor and Chair
James S. Reid/Standard Products Company Professor of Humanities
English Department, Ohio University
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