July 12, 2024
Dear Colleagues,
When job candidates or community individuals ask me what I like most about working at Centenary, I always respond that it is the people at Centenary that make it a great place to work and learn. Over the twenty years that I have been privileged to work at Centenary, I have consistently found our faculty and staff to be smart, dedicated, and caring, among many other positive adjectives…I could go on and on.
An exemplar of this is Dr. Dana Kress, Professor Emeritus of French. Recently, Dana was honored by the Académie française with the 2024 Prize for the Outreach of French Language and Literature medal vermeil. To provide some context for this award, the Académie française was founded nearly 400 years ago and its members have included Voltaire, Montesquieu, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, fils, and Louis Pasteur. To this day, the Académie française remains responsible for the regulations of French grammar, spelling, and, most importantly, literature. It is exceeding rare for an American to receive such an award. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Kress, a most deserving scholar, creative, and, as many of us are fortunate to know, caring colleague.
From our senior colleagues to our junior colleagues, we have outstanding faculty! Please join me in also congratulating…
Dr. Matthew Blasi, Assistant Professor of English, who was elected to the Executive Council for the Society for the Study of Southern Literature and also gave two presentations at the organization's 2024 conference held in Gulfport, Mississippi. Dr. Blasi’s short story, "Call Steckerson, Miff, and Slough, Attorneys at Law So We Can Dropkick a Horseshoe Crab or Old Lady” was recently published in Robot Butt, July, 2024.
Dr. Chrissy Martin, Assistant Professor of English, whose poem “Laying Hands” was published in the minnesota review, vol. 102, 2024, pp. 6-7. Duke University Press.
July is a delightful mix of warm summer walks and productive project tackling for me. I hope your July is everything that brings you joy.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Karen "Ellie" Soul, Ph.D.
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Centenary College of Louisiana
Upcoming DATES to note:
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SOAR IV: Friday, July 19
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Preview Day: Saturday, July 20
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First Year Student Move-In: Friday, August 2
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The 2024-2025 Academic Calendar is posted here.
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The Campus Wide Meeting is Thursday, August 22.
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The Faculty Institute is Friday, August 23.