Fall 2108 PWE Poster Winners Announced

Despite the hail, 10 Professional Writing & Editing (PWE) capstone students showcased their internship work at the biannual PWE Poster Exhibit yesterday. Judges' and attendees' votes have been tallied, and the winners of the top poster awards are:

First Place: John Bonham, Mountaineer Boys & Girls Club

Second Place:  Adelaide Estep, Weelunk

Third Place:  Michaela Martin, WV Dialect Project

Congratulations to all of the interns on their accomplishments this term, including:

• Jacob Bernabe, who highlighted the expansive range of work English majors can take on via his experience at the WVU Launch Lab.
• John Bonham, who promoted Mountaineer Boys & Girls Club events via fliers and social media.
• Adelaide Estep, whose feature writing and photography are highlighted on Weelunk—Wheeling, West Virginia’s online community hangout.
• Matthew Kinder, who edited and generated newsletter content for the Association of Transcribers and Speech-to-Text Providers (ATSP).
• Michaela Martin, who worked to streamline behind-the-scenes processes of staff at the WV Dialect Project.
• Jillian Molnar, who used analytics to post perfectly timed Tweets and Instagram posts for The Tea Shoppe.
• Alexandra Nagy, who took us through the process of summarizing depositions and developing statements of fact to finally create a motion of summary judgement at Allan N. Karlin & Associates.
• Pamela Nestor, who supported student scholarship and grant-getting through her work on newsletters for the WVU ASPIRE and Pre-Health Offices.
• Brandon Ridgely, who demonstrated writing, managing, and marketing skills as a the League of Legends editor at RealSport.
• Brooklynn Weaver, who worked remotely for Meyer, Ford & Glasser, PLLC performing research, attending depositions, and writing summaries.

Thank you to everyone who supported these talented English majors by attending the poster exhibit and voting for their favorite posters. A special thanks to the events' four judges, as well: Jessica Walker, Kasey Osborne, Laura Brady, and Doug Phillips.

English Professor Named 2018 Andrew Carnegie Fellow

Congratulations, Stephanie Foote!

Professor Foote, the Jackson and Nichols Professor of English, has been named among 31 scholars as a 2018 Andrew Carnegie Fellow. The award will support Prof. Foote as she completes her third book, "The Art of Waste: Narrative, Trash, and Contemporary Culture," and works to establish a public humanities website and working group where scholars can collaborate on issues related to the environmental humanities.

See the full announcement in WVUToday.

Additional details on the Andrew Carnegie Fellows program along with a list of the 31 winners are available here. 

Spring 18 PWE Poster Winners Announced!

On Thursday, the Professional Writing and Editing (PWE) program hosted the biannual PWE Poster Exhibit, where PWE capstone students showcase their writing and editing internship work for the university community.

Judges' and attendees' votes have been tallied, and the winners of the top poster awards are:

First Place: Jadeyn Dahang-Young, WVU Libraries, Arts & Exhibits

Second Place:  Tabatha Hayes, WVU Humanities Center

Third Place:  Sara Berzingi, WVU Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Fourth Place:  Claire Zain, Allan N. Karlin & Associates

Congratulations to all of the interns on their accomplishments this term, including:

Elizabeth Boycan, who tackled research from all angles--primary and secondary, online and in person--as an intern for the WVU University Relations.
Meaghan Donnelly, who “FiT” right in at FiT Publishing while developing supplementary material for sport science textbooks and promoting those publications and other journals via social media.

Allysa Gaither, who honed her design skills as an intern for the WVU’s Eberly Writing Studio.

Kody Goff, who edited and generated newsletter content for the Association of Transcribers and Speech-to-Text Providers (ATSP).

Jackson Jacobs, who practiced wearing many hats at the nonprofit Literacy Volunteers of Monongalia & Preston Counties.

Jacob Long, who always put the reader first when creating an index or designing a spec sheet at FiT Publishing..

Maria Krutko, who taught us all about dog clamps and product marketing as an intern for Media Foundations.

Ashley Reynolds, whose passion for her work was apparent in her event coordination and promotion for the WVU Title IX, Office of Equity Assurance.

McKenzie Robinson, whose job as an intern for the WVU Libraries included transcribing conversations between Steve Allen and Don Knotts.

Zack Smith, who—through his work as an intern for the Association of Transcribers and Speech-to-Text Providers (ATSP)—introduced us all to one professional organization’s digital landscape.

Thank you to everyone who supported these talented English majors by attending the poster exhibit and voting for their favorite posters. A special thanks to the events' four judges, as well: Sarah Morris, Doug Phillips, Laura Brady and Abigail Humphreys.

English Department Faculty Honored by University and College for Outstanding Work

Every day Department of English faculty significantly impact the university through their hard work and dedication. And now, just weeks into 2018, the university has recognized two of our best and brightest. Congratulations to Professor Kirk Hazen, who was presented with one of WVU's 150th anniversary coins in recognition for his many achievements, and Professor Gwen Bergner, one of four recipient's of the Eberly College's 2017-18 Outstanding Teacher Award!

Kirk Hazen

Way to go, Kirk!

To mark WVU's 150th anniversary, Professor Hazen was presented with a Celebration Coin to recognize his representation of the core Mountaineer values of service, curiosity, respect, accountability, and appreciation. Only 150 coins are being presented to faculty and staff across the university, placing Professor Hazen in truly elite company.

In presenting Professor Hazen with the coin, Eberly College Dean Gregory Dunaway stated, "Service, curiosity, respect, accountability, and appreciation--these are the values that define us as one West Virginia University family, committed to creating a diverse and inclusive culture that advances education, healthcare, and prosperity for all. And we're proud to recognize our faculty and staff who exemplify these traits and further this mission. That's why we've created the 150 Celebration Coin, as a token of appreciation to those hardworking employees at all levels who go above and beyond to help make our University community a better place every day."

In the past year alone, Professor Hazen, who is also the director of the West Virginia Dialect Project, was in the news for his work on WVU Voices, a mini-documentary to celebrate the dialectical diversity that converges here in Appalachia, and received the 2017 Faculty Award for Distinction in Undergraduate Research Mentoring.

Gwen Bergner

Congratulations, Gwen!

It's no secret around the department that Professor Bergner is a model educator. Her work engages issues of race, gender, and inequality, and her classroom challenges students to think about how these issues span their daily lives and the world beyond. Professor Bergner's dedication to helping her students navigate complex topics and finding their voice and purpose inspires her students and colleagues alike and makes Outstanding Teacher sound like an understatement.   

"A truly great teacher will inspire introspection, creativity, discovery and innovation. (Bergner) has greatly enriched my analytical ability, as well as expanded my willingness to take risks and believe in myself," said Hannah Jack, an undergraduate student studying anthropology. "She has inspired me to explore authenticity and identity. Ultimately, these studies led me to switch my major from occupational therapy to sociology. Prior to her course, I did not have the courage to change to a 'risky' major. Without her influence, I am sure I would still be in a major that goes against my abilities and passions."

In addition to her work in the classroom, Professor Bergner has published in leading journals such as American Literary History, and recently became interim Associate Chair of the English department.