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Ackerman,
Ondrea |
DEPARTMENT FACULTY | |||||||||
FACULTY NEWS The Department of English and Comparative Literature is deeply saddened by the death of Karl Kroeber, a colleague of many years, on Sunday, November 8, 2009. For an account of his remarkable life and career, please see the following interview that Karl granted in spring of this year.
"I begin by apologizing to the parents of today’s honorees, because some things I say may distress you. If it helps, I am a parent of three children, so I understand the financial sacrifices you have undergone for the past 4 years. I am also aware that these splendid young adults whose accomplishments we celebrate, you knew just a few years ago as adolescents – and adolescence has been described as extended familial suffering for no discernible reason. Finally, as a teacher I have one overriding commitment: to speak only the truth as I see it to your children -- and I think you deserve the same respect. To you splendid students I say: bravely done! You richly deserve the honor bestowed on you today. You have achieved more than success – you have met the highest standards of intellectual accomplishment of one of the world’s most distinguished universities. You today join in a larger fellowship with women and men of many universities and colleges bound together solely by merit of four years of outstanding intellectual performance that required more than the gift of intelligence --including the courage often to resist the seductive temptation of not doing your very best. You remind us that in any serious work of the mind only excellence is adequate." Click here to read the rest of the speech.
Joan Ferrante, Columbia professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, has received a $40,000 grant to build on Epistolae, the online database created by Ferrante and CCNMTL that showcases a collection of letters to and from women during the 4th to 13th centuries. Ferrante was recently featured in The Record for receiving an Emeritus Fellowship from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the enhancement of Epistolae and continue her research on understanding the roles of women in medieval times, which she started over 20 years ago. First released in 2000, Epistolae is a public website that offers scholars and students a repository of texts, translations, and background information about women engaged in correspondence in the Middle Ages. The letters, originally written in Latin, are translated to English and linked to biographical sketches of the women who wrote or received them. According to the article, "Retirement for These Professors Means More Work," Ferrante will use the Emeritus Fellowship to hire translators for 2,000 letters waiting to be added to the online database. Click here to read the article article, "Retirement for These Professors Means More Work."
The Phi Beta Kappa Society is pleased to announce the election of Jean E. Howard to its senate. The decision was made October 3 at the Society’s 42nd Triennial Council in Austin, Tex. Howardwill serve a six-year term. Howard is the George Delacorte Professor in the Humanities and chair of the Department of English at Columbia University where she teaches Renaissance literature, feminist studies and literary theory. A past president of the Shakespeare Association of America, Howard has also served as a Trustee of Brown University, chaired Columbia’s Institute for Research on Women and Gender and served as Columbia’s first Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives. The author and editor of numerous books, Howard is also one of the co-editors of The Norton Shakespeare. In response to her election, Howard remarked, “I am thrilled with the opportunity to work for the pre-eminent honor society in the nation, and I look forward to helping to maintain its high intellectual standards and distinguished history of service to higher education.” “Phi Beta Kappa is very fortunate to have secured the services of Jean Howard as a senator,” observed John Churchill, secretary and chief executive officer of the Society. Click here to read more about Phi Beta Kappa.
Former dean of Columbia College, Austin E. Quigley, received the annual Great Teachers Award, which is given by the Society of Columbia Graduates. Quigley, the Brander Matthews Professor of Dramatic Literature, was until earlier this year the dean of Columbia College. He established the undergraduate major in drama and theatre arts, revived the doctoral program in theater and helped reinvigorate the M.F.A. programs in theater at the School of the Arts. The Society of Columbia Graduates sponsored the awards, which also served as the organization’s centennial celebration. In commemoration of 100 years of alumni activism and 50 years of Great Teachers Awards, 33 former recipients joined the largest turnout of guests ever at a SCG event, according to publicity director Jerry Sherwin, CC ’55. Click here to read more about the awards ceremony. Click here to read more about the Society of Columbia Grauduates. |
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