Author: Susan Killenberg McGinn

During the installation ceremony of Vincent Sherry, PhD, as the first Howard Nemerov Professor in the Humanities in Arts & Sciences, Sherry delivered an address titled “‘By Degrees’: Howard Nemerov, Poetry, and the English Department.” During his talk, Sherry, chair and professor of English in Arts & Sciences, acknowledged the literary great for whom the professorship is named. To read Sherry’s Jan. 24 talk, visit here. 

Vincent Sherry, PhD, chair and professor of English in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, was installed as the first Howard Nemerov Professor in the Humanities in Arts & Sciences during a Jan. 24 ceremony in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall. Sherry delivered a talk in which he recognized the literary great for whom the professorship is named.

Brittni D. Jones, a PhD student in the Department of Education in Arts & Sciences, explains her research on geographic disparities in science achievement, to Ganesh M. Babulal, a PhD student in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences’ RAPS program, during the 18th Annual Graduate Student Research Symposium, held Feb. 16. The symposium offers an opportunity for graduate and professional students to present their research to an audience of non-specialists and allows them to hone communication skills necessary for grant and proposal writing as well as job interviews.

While it is not unprecedented for a pope to resign from his position, it is unprecedented for a pope to resign for health reasons — as Pope Benedict XVI plans to do at the end of the month — says a leading historian of religion at Washington University in St. Louis. Daniel M. Bornstein, PhD, the Stella Koetter Darrow Professor in Catholic Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, says that Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation stands out as different from previous ones, but not simply because of his medical reasons. “Previous resignations either resulted from or led to grave crises in leadership. I do not see either of those as a concern in this case,” Bornstein says.

Cindy Brantmeier, PhD, associate professor of Spanish and applied linguistics in Arts & Sciences, was recently honored as Washington University’s recipient of the 2012 Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award. The annual award from Emerson recognizes top educators from the St. Louis region for their passion for teaching, their impact on student learning and their knowledge and creativity.

Islamic art specialist Melanie Michailidis, PhD, the Korff Postdoctoral Fellow in Islamic Art at Washington University in St. Louis, was killed Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, in an automobile accident in Ladue, Mo. She was 46. Michailidis was in the second year of a three-year joint fellowship she held in the university’s Department of Art History and Archaeology and at the Saint Louis Art Museum. ​

Tolerance and civic discourse will be the focus of the Master of Liberal Arts Saturday Lecture Series that runs throughout February. Sponsored by University College, this free lecture series begins at 11 a.m. Feb. 2 in McDonnell Hall. George Pepe, PhD, professor of classics in Arts & Sciences, delivers the first talk.

Todd H. Wasserman, MD, professor emeritus of radiation oncology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, died Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, after a prolonged illness. He was 66. An obituary will appear in an upcoming issue of the Record.

Barbara A. Schaal, PhD, became dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis on Jan. 1. Schaal, left, chats with Rafia Zafar, PhD, professor of English, of African and African-American studies, and of American culture studies and associate dean for diversity and inclusiveness, and Kimberly Curtis, PhD, assistant dean for graduate student affairs in Arts & Sciences, during a Jan. 16 welcome reception in Schaal’s honor.

The following Frequently Asked Questions about tuition and the financial resources of Washington University in St. Louis was enclosed in a letter Provost Edward S. Macias, PhD, sent Jan. 17, 2013, to parents and students announcing the 2013-14 tuition, room, board and fees.