July 7, 2023
English department honors faculty with awards
The Department of English in the College of Arts and Sciences recognizes three faculty members with awards.
Theresa Merrick, senior instructor in English, has received the department's annual Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Merrick teaches courses in professional and technical writing, predominately ENGL 415 Written Communication for Engineers, to students who are often initially reluctant to be in the classroom but who soon appreciate Merrick's pedagogy and the course content. As Merrick explains in her statement of teaching philosophy, her goal is to help students to see "writing skills as integral to their disciplinary ambitions, and to acknowledge that communication is central to their professional identity."
Merrick draws on several teaching strategies to engage students so they can find their professional voice as they practice workplace writing. These strategies range from case studies from recent national events like the water crisis in Flint, Michigan to experiments with AI-generated text to collaborations with faculty in engineering and other colleges. As Jacob Decker, an undergraduate student in engineering, observed, "Not only does Professor Merrick want her students to succeed, but she has created a learning environment that allows them to explore and learn in dynamic ways." Student comments on evaluations and peer observations of Merrick's teaching document her award-winning success with students.
Merrick's success with teaching extends beyond undergraduate writing courses to include her contributions as an assistant director for outreach for the Writing Center. In this role, Merrick has provided in the past two years more than 140 workshops and reached 3,500 students each year on a range of topics, including: "Guide to Graduate Level Writing," "Grant Writing Workshop" for the Office of Research Development, "Posters 101" and "Presentations 101" for the Graduate School Professional Development Series, and "Acclimating to Graduate Level Writing in American English" for the International Student Center.
Naomi Wood, professor of English, has received the department's annual Award for Excellence in Advising.
A part of the department's advising team for many years and the department's inaugural director of undergraduate studies from 2017-2022, Wood balances affirmation with pragmatism to help students succeed. As Wood explains in her statement of advising philosophy, "My goal is simple: to help students navigate the complex requirements and opportunities the university offers and to finish with a degree they're proud of and confidence about their next steps."
Wood is particularly attentive to conversations about post-graduation plans, investing students with agency while also recognizing that advisees may not know the questions to ask, the options available, or the value their experiences can bring to others. Acclaim from Wood's advisees and faculty colleagues testify to her award-winning advising practice. As English major Thai Lopez, Bachelor of Arts '22, reflects, Wood "managed to recognize my potential even when I couldn't see it for myself." English minor Kristin Chaney, Bachelor of Science in social work '21, adds, "Dr. Wood brings insightful knowledge and patient understanding to every encounter. She is a passionate steward of her craft, and students grow exponentially when they get the chance to work with her."
Traci Brimhall, professor of English and current poet laureate of Kansas, 2023-2026, has received the Donnelly Faculty Award in English for 2023-2025.
The award, created by donors Michelle Munson and Serban Simu, Berkeley, California, honors English professor emeritus Michael Donnelly and the impact he had on numerous students. Munson graduated from K-State in 1996 with degrees in physics and electrical engineering. An English class taught by Michael Donnelly greatly influenced her, leading to this gift.
The Donnelly award is given to an outstanding faculty member in the department of English in recognition of their contributions to teaching, research/creative activity, and service. Each recipient holds the award for two years. A new recipient is named each year, allowing the award to be held by two faculty members at a time. An interdisciplinary committee of faculty and alumni, including Donnelly himself, select each year's recipient.
Brimhall joins eight previous winners of the Donnelly Award: Greg Eiselein, 2015-2017; Don Hedrick, 2016-2018; Elizabeth Dodd, 2017-2019; Michele Janette, 2018-2020; Phillip Marzluf, 2019-2021; Anne Phillips, 2020-2022; Anne Longmuir, 2021-2023; and Lisa Tatonetti, 2022-2024.
In her letter of application for the award, Brimhall highlights how her teaching, her research and creative activity, and her service "further the artistic and humanistic department mission." Brimhall explains how she provides students with "assignments that ask for intellectual rigor in their creativity," how she publishes award-winning poetry and, as poet laureate, how she brings "poetry programs to universities, community arts programs, churches, and have turned some of my events into canned food drives so poetry can nourish both the body and the spirit."
The 2023-2025 Donnelly Award follows on earlier recognitions for Brimhall, including the department's Student Association of Graduates of English, or SAGE, Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2022, the department's award for Excellence in Teaching in 2016, and the College of Arts and Sciences Ron Gaches Teaching Award in 2017, among other honors, fellowships, and awards.
In addition to her excellence in teaching and in her service for the university and the community, Brimhall has published four books of poetry, and she is at work on a fifth about "the cultural history of the Phoenix and the immense emotional costs of self-resurrection that life requires." In addition, Brimhall has published 100 individual poems and more than 30 essays, several of which earned national or international awards. Brimhall's individual poems appear across a range of venues, from highly selective peer-reviewed journals to highly selective public venues like The New Yorker and the New York Times Magazine.
For more information about the Department of English in the College of Arts and Sciences, visit the department's website, social media feeds on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the department's blog.