English Professor Invested
with Endowed Chair
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
Michael J. Carson, professor of English at the University
of Evansville, was invested today as the first holder
of the
Melvin M. Peterson Endowed
Chair in English Literature at UE.
This endowed chair is provided to the University by funding
from Melvin Peterson, an honorary trustee and friend of
the University. He said he gave the gifts to UE to enable
the University to select an individual to hold the chair
who is not only widely recognized in the field of literature
– but also an individual who is an outstanding mentor
to students. "The recipient should be an acknowledged
inspiring and resourceful teacher, a friend of students,
and a model for his or her fellows. The recipient’s
character should reflect the gentility, humanity, and
wisdom of the liberal arts tradition," Peterson said
last year at the time of the award. Peterson is a native
of Omaha, Nebraska, and is retired from the Chevron Oil
Corporation.Carson, who was honored last month with the
annual
Berger Award for Service,
has been with UE since 1969. He has taught courses ranging
from freshman writing and literature to graduate courses
in humanities, world cultures and advanced poetry writing
to Renaissance literature and Shakespeare. He has twice
served as chair of the Department of English, once as
chair of the Department of Foreign Languages, and has
chaired or served on numerous committees and task forces,
especially those concerned with faculty development and
curriculum.
He has presented papers at the International Congress
on Medieval Studies and the Conference on Christianity
and Literature, as well as locally in the University's
Andiron Lecture Series and at
off-campus venues. His poems have been published in a
variety of journals and magazines such as
Commonweal,
The Formalist,
Gulf
Stream,
New Virginia Review,
Southern
Review, and
Spoon River Quarterly. His honors
and awards, besides the recent Berger Award, include Outstanding
Teacher of the Year, the Dean's Teaching Award, and an
Exemplary Teacher Award from
the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of
the United Methodist Church. He was twice the recipient
of a Time Inc., Scholarship at Bennington Writers' Workshop
and has twice been granted a place in National Endowment
for the Humanities' Summer Seminars in medieval and Renaissance
studies. His academic interests have focused on the value
of great literature, the importance of clear writing,
and the worth of a liberal arts education.
Carson earned his B.A. degree in English at UE (magna
cum laude); an M.A. degree at Miami University of Ohio;
and a Ph.D. degree from the Ohio State University.
