Dear Alumni and Friends,
When I first became chair, I set up my browser to alert me with news and changes in higher education policy around the country. I didn’t want to miss anything that was important. Suffice it to say that such notifications aren’t really necessary anymore as educators around the country are on high alert. But at Ohio State and in the Department of English our fundamental responsibility remains the same: to provide students with an education that cultivates intellectual inquiry and knowledge, self-expression and interpersonal communication, and appreciation for diverse forms of literary expression and cultural production. This edition of the newsletter celebrates some examples of our amazing students achieving precisely these goals. I am incredibly proud of our students, faculty, and staff, and I’m thrilled to be able to share their achievements with you.
In this newsletter, whose articles were all written by our talented undergraduate communications team, you will read about a PhD student whose research involves working alongside the community of East Palestine, Ohio, to improve public health communication in the aftermath of the devastating train derailment. You will learn about several of our undergraduate students who are engaging with diverse communities across Ohio, including veterans, incarcerated people, and students in writing centers. And you will also get a chance to read about the innovative work being done by one faculty member to unite digital media, prototyping, and literary studies. It all testifies to the breadth of our department’s work and to the myriad ways our studies of imaginative literature, writing, media, and rhetoric are not elitist or superfluous, but fundamental to our daily lives. By learning about the past, our students prepare to create better futures.
In April, as we do every year, we announced and celebrated the recipients of our many undergraduate, graduate, faculty, and staff awards at a banquet held at the Blackwell Inn. I am incredibly grateful for all the contributions that allow the department to give these awards, scholarships, and support. They help us fund the experiences you are reading about here, as well as the other internship, study abroad, and research projects our students undertake. The Awards Celebration also gives a chance to celebrate our graduating seniors, MFAs, and PhD students. Like you, these newly-minted alumni are now bringing the knowledge, skills, and passions they developed here at Ohio State to communities across the world. No wonder I’m proud: you are all the keys to a better future.
With deep appreciation,
Beth
Elizabeth Hewitt
Professor and Chair
PS: If you’d like to take a more active role in preparing future alumni, you may be interested in Arts and Sciences’ Match Mentor Program. This initiative, a collaboration of ASC Career and Professional Success, ASC’s Office of Advancement, and the Arts and Science Alumni Society Board, matches current students with alumni in semester- or year-long mentoring pairs so that students can see concrete examples of the possibilities of the English major and get practical career advice from alumni in their field. We would love to increase our participation, so I hope you’ll consider registering as a mentor!
