Awards & Appointments

Shawn P. McCauley has been selected as the outstanding graduate student for the spring 2003 commencement. Shawn has recently completed a thesis titled "Fluid Bodies and Bodily Fluids: Reading the Humoral Body in Coriolanus." He completed his comprehensive exams with distinction. Shawn has presented papers at two academic conferences, worked as a graduate teaching assistant and graduate research assistant, and has been an active member of the English Graduate Student Organization, serving as president in the 2002-2003 academic year. Shawn looks forward to continuing his studies at the doctoral level, specializing in 17th century British literature.

Nathan Bennett Maxwell was selected as the English Department 2002-2003 outstanding graduating senior.  Nathan Maxwell is completing a major in English literature and a minor in Anthropology. He plays viola in the ECU Symphony Orchestra and other ensembles. He sings, plays viola, guitar, and percussion in his band, "Read Palms," and has composed works for solo flute, two pianos and cello, and for string quartet. Nathan is a member of Golden Key Honor Society and Lambda Alpha, the anthropology honor society; he is a recipient of the East Carolina University Scholars scholarship and an ECU School of Music scholarship. He has also, as he puts it, "read countless books, watched countless films, attended courses, and tried to stay busy being born."

Leanne Smith has been selected as the 2003-2004 recipient of the Russell Christman Memorial Scholarship. Leanne has participated in the Emerging Leaders Program, worked as an orientation assistant, and hosts a Ska show on WZBM. She is the president of the ECU Poetry Forum and secretary of the International Language Organization. Leanne is also an active participant in the ECU Folk and Country Dancers, the Folk Arts Society of Greenville, and plays violin. She is a participant in the ECU Honors program and a member of many honors organizations.

Sandra Sue Carawan has received the 2002-2003 Farr Memorial Essay Award for her essay on Thomas Hardy's "The Ruined Maid: An Examination of the Words." The Paul Farr Memorial Essay Award is given in honor of a former faculty member of the English Department. The contest was established by Paul and Marie Farr before Paul's death in 1976 and encourages excellence in undergraduate expository writing, particularly emphasizing clarity and elegance in prose. Essays from English and Women's Studies courses and essays written in honors seminars taught by English faculty are also eligible. The amount of the award is $100.

Philip Rubens has been appointed to chair the IEEE Web Education Committee. The primary task of the committee is to design online courses. That effort will begin with the design of a template, delivery methodology, and organizational plan. The first course is being designed with the help of IEEE members from the US, the EU, and the Russian Academy of Science, and will offer ESL support for engineers and scientists.

Ahmar Mahboob was elected as the chair of the NNEST caucus of TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages). The NNEST (Non-Native English Speakers in TESOL) caucus has over 500 members. Its aim is to create a nondiscriminatory professional environment for all TESOL members regardless of native language and place of birth, to encourage the formal and informal gatherings of non-native speakers at TESOL and affiliate conferences, to encourage research and publications on the role of non-native speaker teachers in ESL and EFL contexts, and to promote the role of non-native speaker members in TESOL and affiliate leadership positions.More information about the NNEST caucus is available from http://nnest.moussu.net.

At the Faculty Senate meeting on April 29, Jan Tovey was elected Secretary of the Faculty for the 2003-04 academic year. Rick Niswander, Business, was elected to Chair the Faculty Senate, and Cathy Rigsby in Geography will serve as Vice Chair.

Stephanie Hall has been elected President of the North Carolina Association for Developmental Education, an association of over 150 teaching professionals whose members serve underprepared students at post-secondary institutions throughout North Carolina.