Faculty Author Reception at UT Dallas

From left: Kristen Palmiere, head of access and delivery services with Eugene McDermott Library, librarian Alex Rodriguez and Dr. Shelley Lane, associate dean of undergraduate studies in the School of Arts and Humanities, viewed commemorative posters featuring those who were honored at the annual Faculty Author Reception.

The Eugene McDermott Library and the Office of the Provost recently hosted the annual Faculty Author Reception honoring the creative works of students, faculty and staff published during the last academic year. The event, created in 2006 and held inside the library’s McDermott Suite, celebrated published contributions as well as newly tenured faculty members at UT Dallas.

This year, 27 faculty members and two PhD students were honored. All honorees were presented with a commemorative poster showcasing their book or creative work.

The School of Arts and Humanities had 20 authors, more than any other school. The Naveen Jindal School of Management had five faculty authors.

Dr. Shelley Lane, associate dean of undergraduate studies in the School of Arts and Humanities, co-authored the book Communication in a Civil Society with Dr. John Gooch, director of rhetoric and writing at UT Dallas, and Dr. Ruth Anna Abigail, professor emerita at Azusa Pacific University.

Faculty Author Reception at UT Dallas

Dr. Mark Thouin (left), clinical associate professor in the Naveen Jindal School of Management, and Chris Ryan, senior lecturer in the School of Arts and Humanities, chat during the reception. Thouin published MIS Case Book and Ryan was a co-author of the second edition of Business and Technical Communication: A Guide to Writing Professionally.

“What’s interesting is that 69 percent of authors represented at the reception are based in the School of Arts and Humanities. These authors wrote scholarly works in addition to novels and plays, and they translated poetry and composed music,” Lane said. “This means that faculty in the arts and humanities, as well as in the social sciences and in STEM fields, are enriching students’ lives and contributing to the vitality of the University.”

The Achieving Tenure: Celebrating Books program is part of the reception and recognizes those who have been reassigned from assistant professor to associate professor with tenure.  This year, 13 faculty members were honored for achieving tenure.

Three arts and humanities faculty members who wrote books also achieved tenure in 2014 — Gooch, Dr. Charissa Terranova, associate professor of aesthetic studies, and Dr. Cihan Muslu, associate professor of historical studies.

Muslu said she was humbled by the honor.

“Although my name appears on the cover of the book, I am grateful for countless acts of kindness from numerous people and institutions. I am particularly thankful to the staff of McDermott Library Interlibrary Loan staff,” Muslu said. “They were able to find everything I asked for.”

A slideshow of the posters and the complete list of honorees and newly tenured faculty can be found on the library’s website.