From the Chair

Students arriving on campus for the 2002-2003 academic year apparently constitute the largest student body in the history of East Carolina University.  Preliminary figures indicate that the Department of English has over 6900 students occupying seats in our classrooms, while another 80 students attend classes via the internet from throughout the state and as far away as England.  These numbers indicate that the department will produce almost 21,000 student credit hours ("sch") this semester, an "sch" production that ranks third at the university.  The only two units that produce more "sch" are the entire College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Business.  The Department of English, however, produces almost 6,000 "sch" more than the most productive of the other Schools, and almost four times as many "sch" as the least productive.

The department has a number of new faculty who will help us deal with this large number of students.  Joining the department this semester are Assistant Professors Michelle Eble, Gregg Hecimovich, Donna Lillian, Ahmar Mahboob, Nicole Nolan, Maya Socolovsky, and David Wilson-Okamura.  Also, Assistant Professor Thomas Douglass has dropped "Visiting" from his title.  Lecturers new to the department this year are Christine Bates, Chandra Cerutti, Marinella Macree, Gera Miles, and Sheryll Wood.

Finally, this fall the department is pleased to host the Whichard Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Humanities, Brendan Galvin.  Dr. Galvin has published fourteen books of poetry and has well over 500 poems, critical essays, and book reviews appearing in magazines, textbooks, and anthologies.  He has received fellowships from both the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the O.B. Hardison, Jr. Poetry Prize from the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Sotheby Prize from the Arvon Foundation, and the Levinson Prize from Poetry, along with numerous other awards, grants, and citations.

These large numbers of students and new faculty colleagues are a clear indication that East Carolina University is beginning to encounter the realities of a period of unprecedented growth that has been predicted for the first decade of the new century.  During this academic year, the department will undoubtedly be adding new courses to accommodate the increased numbers of students.  To assist students in making most effective use of their time at ECU, the department has also been asked by the administration to investigate possible ways of "bundling" our programs with advanced degrees.  For example, we may be able to offer students a four-year program leading to a BA in English and a Master of Arts in Teaching that would also carry with it teacher certification.  Other possibilities include a four-year program leading to a BA in English and a Master of Business Administration.  Dealing with increased numbers of students and the curricular changes necessary to accommodate them suggests that the 2002-2003 academic year will be a very busy one.