President's Excellence in Teaching Award

Linda Karell

Linda Karell, an associate professor in the Department of English, is the recipient of the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award, which recognizes a faculty member who has made exemplary contributions to instruction and student learning. The award carries a $2,500 honorarium and is sponsored by the President’s Office. 

Karell, who has been a faculty member for 27 years, has been described by various students as a mentor, guide, role model and voice in the darkness when they need help, according to her colleague, Ben Leubner, in a letter of nomination. In Karell, he wrote, students find someone who is always willing to listen to them, meet them where they are and instill in them a love of literature along with wisdom, courage and compassion. 

Leubner wrote that Karell teaches her students to think critically and confront complex issues with curiosity and a desire to find workable solutions. She recently developed two courses, a senior seminar on LGBTQ literature and a graduate seminar on the relationship between literature and activism. The courses are designed to promote understanding and conversation surrounding gender while fostering diversity, equity and inclusion.