Information about the English Department Spring 2012 Commencement on June 18, 2012.

Students, alumni, friends, and colleagues were saddened this year by the passing of three beloved emeritus faculty members, Kingsley Weatherhead, John Haislip, and Don Taylor,. We send our best wishes and support to all their families, friends, and former colleagues and students.

The English Department is pleased to welcome three new colleagues this academic year. Professor Mark Whalan, who holds the Robert D. and Eve E. Horn Endowed Chair in English, arrives from the University of Exeter in England. Professor Whalan’s specialty is American modernism, and he has written extensively on the fiction and poetry of the Harlem Renaissance era. Also arriving this fall is Assistant Professor Stephanie Clark, a recent Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, whose research and teaching focus on Old and Middle English. Joining the faculty as a Career Instructor is Dr. Lee Rumbarger, a modernist and an experienced teacher of writing. We are delighted to welcome Mark, Stephanie, and Lee to the faculty!