Dr. Mimi Fenton, (center) professor of English, is the recipient of the Hunter Scholar award for the 2016-17 year. Fenton’s winning proposal outlines a digital resource that she will develop for the teaching of humanities education globally.
Fenton’s award was announced during the annual Faculty Scholarship Celebration held at WCU on Tuesday, Feb. 16. With Fenton for the award presentation was Dr. Farzaneh Razzaghi (left), dean of library services; and Dr. Yanjun Yan, assistant professor of engineering and technology, the 2015-16 Hunter Scholar.
The resource, called “Global Public Humanities,” will focus on the themes of cultural matters; communicating in a global era; civic, political and economic issues; humanities education and the future of humanities. It will offer research models and projects, pedagogical strategies for public humanities, benchmarking and assessment tools and international information networks.
As the Hunter Scholar, Fenton will receive the assistance of a graduate student and additional support from Hunter Library for the duration of the project. She will work most closely with Heidi Buchanan, research and instruction librarian.
A faculty member at WCU for 24 years, Fenton served as dean of Graduate School and Research for three years. She also has served as associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and director of graduate studies in English. She has received numerous awards, including the UNC Board of Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the WCU Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award.
The Hunter Scholar award was established in 1987 to support promising research by WCU faculty members.