Newsworthy: Rhonda Powers and Michael Smith Receive PETL Instructional Excellence Award

Rhonda Powers and Michael Smith are recipients of the 2007 Promotion of Excellence in Teaching and Learning Committee (PETL) Instructional Excellence Award. This award is given to outstanding part-time or affiliate faculty in any CLA department. They were both nominated by Jim Ryan.

Rhonda Powers is grateful to receive the Instructional Excellence Award. This award inspires her to continue to do good work. She finds inspiration for teaching from good teachers and students. "We all have good teachers that inspire us. My third grade teacher, Mrs. Miller fed my curiosity," she says, "Also the students inspire me. They have so much pressure on them, and I want to instill in them the same sense of learning that I have, that learning can be fun."

Powers received her M. A. from Missouri State University. She has been a part of the English Department for seven years and looks forward to receiving her Ph. D. She finds the resources that the Biggio Center provides very helpful. "I encourage people to take advantage of the opportunites the Biggio Center offers," she says, "It maintains the excitement in teaching."

Michael Smith feels it was more than an honor to be nominated, but winning it also makes him happy. It also serves as vindication for the profession he has chosen and the hard work he has put into teaching. He credits advice given to him as a graduate student as part of his inspiration in the classroom. "I was given two pieces of advice as a graduate student," he says, "One, you can't teach very far away from who you are. Be yourself; let the students see you as an individual. Two, teachers are a lot like coaches. Coaches do not treat each team member the same. They motivate different players in different ways. That's the same with teaching."

Smith has been an instructor in the English Department for four years. He received his Ph. D. in English from the University of Southern Mississippi and was a part of the Center for Writers. He has recently accepted an Assistant Professor of Fiction Writing position at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, MS.

Powers and Smith will be officially recognized at an awards ceremony to be held Friday, April 27, at the Telfair Peet Theater.

Back to Top

Trudier Harris to Present the Carl Benson Memorial Lecture March 15

Our 2007 Benson Lecturer, Professor TRUDIER HARRIS from UNC-Chapel Hill, will be on campus this THURSDAY with two plus important opportunities for faculty and students to get to meet, see and hear her.

******* more informally, at 11:30 in HC 8009, with luncheon food available

******* a little more formally: The Benson Lecture, "Seeping into the Twentieth Century: Fear of Slavery in Phyllis Alesia Perry's Stigmata " at 3 p.m. in Ballroom B of the AU Dixon Conference Center

******less formally, again: a reception (with really nice food!) immediately following the lecture

Back to Top

Wendy Perry to Have MTPC Portfolio Presentation

Wendy Perry will present her MTPC portfolio on Friday, March 16, from 1:00-2:00, in HC 3130. This presentation is open to all members of the university community.  MTPC students are particularly encouraged to attend.

Back to Top

Dissertation Organization to Sponor Workshop

The Dissertation Organization, an updated version of the ABD Colloquium, will sponsor a workshop in the upcoming week.  March 21 at 1:30 in HC 3330, they will hold a Teaching Philosophy Workshop with Karen St. Clair of the Biggio Center. Any ABD candidates interested in joining the Dissertation Organization's Writing Group should contact Adrea McDonnell for more information.

Back to Top

EGO T-Shirt Deadline Extended

The order deadline for the EGO t-shirts has been extended to Friday, March 16, until the close of business (4:45 p.m.).  To order your EGO shirt, contact Joanna Phillips before the deadline.

Back to Top

Faculty Meeting to Be Held Today

There will be a faculty meeting today, March 14, at 3 p.m. in Haley Center 3104.

Back to Top

English Channel Message

We would like to know about your current news! Please send information about awards, lectures, publications, etc. to be included in The English Channel. The deadline for submitting information is Tuesdays at 10 a. m. Check the bottom of the page for more information about submitting your news.

Back to Top

Calendar for 2006-07 Academic Year

Here is information about Departmental events for academic year 2006-07.

• March 15 - Trudier Harris (English Symposium Series)
• March 21 - Toni Bowers, "What's the Difference?: Women's Studies, Feminist Studies, Gender Studies," Auditorium of Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, 3 p.m.
• April 20 - Department Awards Ceremony (3:00 p.m.)

Here are dates for departmental faculty meetings.

Faculty Meetings

• March 14
• April 18
• April 25

Here are the important dates for the spring 2007 semester.

• March 26-31 - Spring Break
• April 30 - Last Class Day
• May 10 - Commencement

For more information on these events and more, visit the Department's Calendar page.

Back to Top

---

To include an item in The English Channel, submit text items by Tuesday at 10 AM for publication Wednesday. Submit items by email to Heather Finch or Margaret Kouidis or put the information in their mailboxes. Please check your submission for accuracy and completion—all calendar items and meeting announcements must include the date, time, and location of the event.

Email comments or questions about this page.
Last updated March 14, 2007

---

Department of English
9030 Haley Center
Auburn University, AL 36849-5203
Phone (334) 844-4620
FAX (334) 844-9027
© 2006 Department of English at Auburn University. All rights reserved.

Return to top of page