Welcome to the English department at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Here you will find information about undergraduate and graduate programs and courses, departmental faculty and staff, publications, and information about our students and activities.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Our Mission
The English department at the University of Nebraska Kearney embraces a two-fold mission: a disciplinary mission and a liberal arts mission. First, it prepares English majors and minors to pursue careers in occupations related to English, to pursue advanced degrees in English through graduate study, and to pursue the teaching of English and Language arts at the middle, secondary, and college level. The department also seeks to provide a broad cultural background for the understanding and appreciation of literature, composition, and the English language; to improve communication skills; and to develop critical thinking.
Our Faculty
At UNK, students enjoy small classes where the professors know them by name. Our award-winning faculty are committed to excellence in teaching and publish actively in their specializations. Our lecturers all hold the MA or MFA as do most of our adjuncts. Our faculty are active in professional organizations regionally and nationally and are in demand as performers and speakers for community, state, regional, national, and international organizations who recognize their expertise. In 2006, our department received the Nebraska Center for the Book’s Jane Pope Geske Award for exceptional literary contributions.
Our Activities
An active department, we sponsor three publications: the Platte Valley Review , the Reynolds Review , and the Carillon . In addition, the department offers the Exploration Lecture Series , and through the Reynolds Chair , hosts the Reynolds Writers Series and the Sandhills Crane Writers Retreat. Every spring, we sponsor our annual Student Conference on Language and Literature. Textshop workshops and speakers provide opportunities for students, members of the university community, and area teachers to reflect on pedagogical practices.
Contact Us
The English Department at the University of Nebraska at Kearney is located in Thomas Hall (near the southeast corner of campus). You can reach us by phone at (308) 865-8299 or by fax at (308) 865-8411.
Inquiries regarding undergraduate programs should be directed to Department Chair, Dr. Sam Umland (308) 865-8293. Those regarding the graduate program should be directed to the Director of English Graduate Studies, Dr. Robert Luscher.
*********
Congratulations to Eric Reed for Teaching Award
Eric Reed (English BA & MA from UNK) has just been awarded the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture Award for Excellence in Teaching. Principal criteria include innovative or unique approaches that result in learning, ability to clearly communicate ideas, motivation of the intended audience, and recognition of accomplishments by peers and students. He will also be award the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Teaching Award of Merit. Eric is currently an Assistant Professor of English and Chair of the Division of General Education at Curtis.
*********
Outstanding Work in Graduate Studies
Celeste Lempke
Outstanding Undergraduate Essays in Literary Criticism
Amy Hadley
Eliot WondercheckOutstanding Applied Research
Lacey McPhillips
Outstanding Essay in Expository Writing
Danielle Cook
Outstanding Work in Creative Writing
Lacey McPhillips
Click on the image below to watch the slideshow for the 2012 Student Conference in Language and Literature.
**********
CONGRATULATIONS TO UNK's XI BETA CHAPTER OF THE SIGMA TAU DELTA INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH HONORARY SOCIETY FOR BEING SELECTED AS ONE OF ONLY TWO NATIONAL AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING CHAPTER!
Special thanks go to chapter president Celeste Lempke and faculty co-sponsors Susan Honeyman, Michelle Beissel Heath, and Jan Thompson. The chapter was praised for its "exciting projects, special events, and fundraising opportunities that would be helpful as models for other chapters."
CONGRATULATIONS, TOO, TO CELESTE LEMPKE FOR BEING AWARDED THE 2012 RECIPIENT FOR THE SIGMA TAU DELTA LEADERSHIP AWARD.
Celeste was recognized for her responsibility and energy in promoting the study of literature and writing and in her "work with your chapter’s literary journal, in developing and promoting literary events, and in re-energizing [the] chapter." She was commended for her "embodiment of the ideals that characterized Sigma Tau Delta."
***************
Rex's List
The Writer's Almanac
Nebraska Center for Writers