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.
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 the Department Chair, Dr. Martha Kruse. Those regarding the graduate program should be directed to the Director of English Graduate Studies, Dr. Robert Luscher.
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Dr. Marguerite Tassi, Professor of English, was awarded the 2009 Pratt-Heins Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Tassi, who joined the faculty in 1997, is a member of the Honors Faculty, the Graduate Faculty, and the Women's Studies Faculty, and she has served as Director of Graduate Studies for the English Department. "She has played a significant role in directing, co-directing, or serving on nine master's theses committees, and several of her students have received national recognition for their scholarly works," stated Tom Tye III in presenting the award.
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Dr. Robert Ficociello, Contemporary American Literature
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Dr. Michelle Beissel-Heath, Children's Literature |
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