This Week in English | Dec 11 – 17, 2017
End of Semester Celebration on Thursday
Please plan on joining us for an end-of-semester party this Thursday, December 14, starting at 1pm in the Wicks Room. As in the past, the celebration will be a pot luck affair, so consider bringing something sweet, savory, seasonable, surprising. Everyone is welcome, including friends, family, and well-behaved pets.
CLAS Student Emergency Fund
A generous alumna of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences recently established a Student Emergency Fund. The goal of the fund is
to provide limited emergency financial assistance to currently enrolled University of Maine students within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Assistance is intended for students who are unable to meet immediate, essential expenses because of temporary hardship. The purpose is to help students stay in school and make progress towards a degree during a time of unexpected need. Funds are awarded as a grant and, unlike a loan, do not need to be repaid.
The Fund is currently in the midst of a one month Fill the Steins crowdfunding campaign and has already earned more than half of its target of $2000. Dean Emily Haddad says that “Because this initiative is close to my heart, I am personally committing up to $1000 to match the first $2000 in additional donations given between now and December 31, 2017.”
McGillicuddy Humanities Center Faculty Grants
The deadline for MHC faculty grants, originally announced as December 6, has been extended until the end of today, December 11. The Faculty Grant Program offers awards ranging from $500 to $5000. The MHC aims to support many kinds of research and/or collaborations and to encourage applications that propose innovative and aspirational humanities projects.
Alumna Hannah (Lauterback) Cheney Promoted at US News & World Report
In response to some news that Hannah Cheney (who attended UMaine as Hannah Lauterback) posted to Facebook recently, I requested permission to share an update here in the bulletin. The former English major graciously supplied the following:
As requested, here’s a little update about my new job. It all started when I first dipped my madeleine into my tea…
But seriously, I’ve been the Assistant Travel Editor at U.S. News & World Report for the past two years, and was recently promoted to Travel Editor for the same company. I manage our Best Hotels franchise, which I’ve grown from 5,000 properties throughout four countries to nearly 25,000 across more than 45 countries in the past year. I also frequently write and edit articles and travel guides for the site. It’s a fantastic gig with excellent people (plus we hire interns!), so feel free to share my contact information, as I’m always happy to chat with current students.
I keep meaning to make the trek back to Orono to visit professors and show my husband Kyle where I spent four fantastic years, so I’ll definitely let you know when we make the trip.
If you’re interested in taking Hannah up on her invitation, be in touch via reply to this message and we’ll get you connected.
Academy of American Poets Features Jennifer Moxley
The Academy of American Poets featured Jennifer Moxley’s poem “The Imprint” in the December 5th installment of its popular “poem-a-day” project, which shares texts and soundfiles of poems via email, web, and social media to more than 350,000 each workday. The Academy was founded in 1934 to support American poets at all stages of their careers and to foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry. It launched Poem-a-Day in 2006.
Rezendes Ethics Student Essay Competition
All current undergraduate students at the University of Maine are invited to submit brief essay that focuses on ethics, broadly construed. Papers on any topic of ethical concern are welcome, but see the Honors College website for suggested focus. First prize carries a $2800 purse. Second and third prize winners receive $300 each.
Have a great finals week, everyone!
Steve Evans
English Department Chair
This Week in English 14 circulated to faculty and friends of the department on Monday, December 11, 2017. If you would rather not receive these weekly bulletins, please reply with <unsubscribe> in your subject line.
