Dr. Rachel Roberts, a North Greenville University (NGU) English professor, has been selected as a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Scholar from a national applicant pool to attend one of 21 seminars and institutes supported by the NEH. The Endowment is a federal agency that, each summer, supports these enrichment opportunities at colleges, universities, and cultural institutions so that faculty can work in collaboration and study with experts in humanities disciplines.
According to the NEH news release, Roberts will participate in a seminar entitled “Printing and the Book During the Reformation.” The four-week program will be held at The Ohio State University Rare Books and Manuscripts Library and directed by Dr. Mark Rankin (James Madison University). Visiting scholars include Guido Latré (Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium), Martha Driver (Pace University), Giles Mandelbrote (Lambeth Palace Library), and Alexandra Walsham (University of Cambridge).
“I am honored to be a part of this seminar,” said Roberts. “I am looking forward to learning more about early printed books and learning from Mark Rankin, the seminar leader and an expert in the field.”
The 16 teachers selected to participate in the program receive a stipend of $3,450 to cover their travel, study, and living expenses.
Some of the topics for the 21 seminars and institutes offered for college and university teachers this summer include Civil War Archives: A New Social and Cultural History of the Civil War; David Hume in the 21st Century: Perpetuating the Enlightenment; Emmanuel Levinas: Ethics of Democracy; Engaging Geography in the Humanities; Engaging Latinx Art: Methodological And Pedagogical Approaches; Identity and Connections among African, Afro-Caribbean, and African American Communities in the United States.
Roberts, who came to NGU in 2016, will be chair of NGU’s English department beginning in August. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Dordt University, a master’s in English from Creighton University and her doctorate in English from Baylor University.
“Dr. Roberts is well respected by her colleagues, and applying for and being accepted to such a prestigious national faculty development program demonstrates the high-quality faculty leader Dr. Roberts is,” said Dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences Dr. H. Paul Thompson, Jr. “I am proud of her and believe this program will even further distinguish Dr. Roberts’ instructional excellence.”
The hundreds of NEH Summer Scholars who participate in these programs of study will teach tens of thousands of American undergraduate students the following year.