Two new endowments, established through gifts from generous alumni, will strengthen creative writing and political science programs at Linfield College while cultivating the intellectual vitality of the faculty.
• Dawn Nowacki, professor of political science, has been appointed the Elizabeth and Morris Glicksman Chair in Political Science, effective July 2013. The late Elizabeth Glicksman ’32 was a longtime generous supporter of the college. This endowment will allow the Political Science Department to add another faculty position.
Nowacki, who currently chairs the department, teaches courses on women in politics, especially in the Middle East, and war and gender. Nowacki’s scholarship, which includes research in Russia, Turkey, Jordan and China, has been supported by a Fulbright Scholar Award and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
• This fall, Anna Keesey, associate professor of English, was named the first Renshaw Distinguished Professorship in Literature and Writing. The Renshaw Distinguished Professorship in Literature and Writing was established through lifetime gifts and a bequest from Philip Renshaw ’31, who served on the Linfield Board of Trustees from 1957 to 2005. The appointment allows Keesey to continue to teach while embarking on future writing projects. The English Department will add another creative writing faculty member.
Keesey’s debut novel, Little Century, landed on Oprah’s top reading list and was praised by numerous national newspapers, including The New York Times. The Christian Science Monitor called Keesey’s book one of four “truly American novels.” Keesey is a former recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship and her work has appeared in the Best American Short Stories anthology.
