2013 Department Awards Announced

The department is proud to announce the winners of the outstanding graduate awards:

Louise Lacey Outstanding BA, English Graduate: Staci Hersh

Mary Lee Doherty Outstanding BSE, English Graduate: Sarah McClure

Outstanding Graduate in French: Donnie Hughes

Outstanding Graduate in Spanish: Eric McCrerey

Outstanding Graduate in Convergent Media: Dave Hon

Sandra Jacobs Award in Literary Studies: Matt Ausberger

Congratulations to these and all of our graduating students!

MAA student Sarah Puett off to Minnesota

Sarah Puett, a student in the MAA, Written Communication program, has accepted a graduate assistantship in the Rhetoric and Scientific/Technical Communication PhD program at the University of Minnesota.

Sarah will be teaching first-year composition and taking three graduate classes this fall. With five-years of funding as a Golden Gopher, she should be set in the Twin Cities until she becomes Dr. Puett!

Congratulations, Sarah!

First Thursday Reading

On Thursday, April 4, people gathered at Foster's Martini Bar to hear poetry, prose, and even some music performed by alumni, faculty, and current students.

Although the event competed with "St. Joe's Got Talent" in the Missouri Theater that evening, a good crowd was on hand at the reading to hear the real talent in town.



Plan to come by Foster's on the First Thursday in May to read or just listen.

Mary Dockery to Publish Second Book

Mary Stone Dockery, EFLJ alumna and current instructor of English, will see published her second collection of original writing. 

One Last Cigarette, scheduled to appear in October, incorporates both verse and prose poetry, and is organized in four sections, each one focusing on a part of grief (denial, depression, anger, and finally, acceptance) - what they say you experience when you quit smoking.

Honest Publishing claims that "We’re committed to publishing prose and poetry that is challenging, original, bold, and unafraid to be different. We are an outlet for writers neglected by the mainstream, for work that isn’t easily pigeonholed or written to a formula." The book will be available in England as well as in the U.S., and will also be available in E-book form.

Congratulations, Mary!

Stancliff Defends Thesis

Left to right: Dr. Cynthia Jenéy, Dr. Michael Charlton, Ms. Rachel Stancliff, Dr. Trish Donaher

Ms. Rachel Stancliff successfully defended her thesis for the MAA in Written Communication – Technical Communication. Rachel's thesis is entitled “The Problem of Location: Website Navigation Conventions and User Expectations of Menu Placement on e-Commerce Websites" and investigates where users expect to find certain navigational features (such as search functions or shopping cart links) on retailers’ websites.  

Rachel's thesis committee, which included Dr. Michael Charlton (chair), Dr. Trish Donaher, and Dr. Cynthia Jenéy , all highly praised Rachel’s work. We would like to extend our gratitude to the many students and faculty members who assisted with this research.

Felice Defends Portfolio

Left to right: Dr. Kaye Adkins, Dr. Kay Siebler, Ms. Amanda Felice, and Ms. Dawn Terrick

Congratulations to Amanda Felice for successfully defending her Capstone Portfolio. Amanda is earning her Master of Applied Arts in Written Communication, in the Writing Studies option. Amanda's portfolio included teaching materials and her research paper, "The Influence of Positive Feedback on Developing Writers." Amanda's committee included Kay Siebler (chair), Kaye Adkins, and Dawn Terrick.

Ford Defends Thesis

Left to right: Dr. Bob Bergland, Dr. Kaye Adkins (committee chair), Ms. Anita Ford, Dr. Michael Charlton

On April 1, Ms. Anita Ford successfully defended her thesis, "Does current Technical communication Curriculum Prepare Graduates for the Real Needs of the Job Market?" Anita used surveys of recent graduates, professional publications, and professional discussion list postings to explore what recent graduates need to learn about technical communication software tools. Anita's committee included Dr. Kaye Adkins (commitee chair), Dr. Bob Bergland, and Dr. Michael Charlton. 

 

Anita will receive her Master of Arts in Written Communication, Technical Communication option.