Blackburn has a new visiting professor, Dr. David Andrews, to fill in a vacant spot that was left after a previous professor, Dr. Jan Zimmerman, retired. Andrews is here on a one year visiting contract to teach freshman writing classes and a potential literature class in the spring. According to Chair of English & Communications Dr. Naomi Crummey, “As a teacher, his interest in teaching writing has grown over the last few years. He is very committed to teaching writing.” He is an accomplished scholar whose experiences include, but are not limited to, teaching at Loyola University, University of Illinois Chicago and State University of New York Stony Brook. He graduated from Cornell University for his undergrad in History and English and from the University of New York Stony Brook for his Ph.D. in American Literature.
Dr. Andrews teaches a class full of freshmen.
Andrews gave a demonstration lesson on revision to the freshmen in a WR 112 with Crummey supervising during the 2017 spring semester. Crummey said, “We were—Karen and I—particularly impressed by his ability to engage students. A lot of people play it safe when they do a teaching demonstration and get up and involve the students just a little bit.” Crummey went on to say Andrews seems “determined to work with students.” However, there is a possibility that he will not be able to return for the 2018 fall semester. Because Andrews is only a visiting professor, he is on a short-term contract to teach here for only a year. Next year, a new professor position will open and the different departments will contest for the opening. Crummey said that he will be able to put his application in, but there is no guarantee that the English & Communications departments will get it.
Dr. Andrews teaches a class full of freshmen.
Lindsey Malott, one of Andrews’s new students, said, “He has a type of motivation when he is teaching.” He continued to say that “I am excited to be in class. I think he’ll make me a better writer.”
Andrews said that he “really likes everybody here” and is excited to work here for this upcoming school year. He has never taught at a school this small and never had a writing assistant at any of his other former places of work. He is worried that he will be unable to return in the 2018 fall semester, but he hopes he will be able to keep his employment here.
Correction: In Vol. 17, No. 1, “A New Face in the English and Communications Department,” Lindsey Malott was incorrectly identified as a she rather than he. The ‘Burnian regrets this error and the online article has been updated.