Jennifer Camden receives Honors College distinguished professorship

Professor of English Jennifer Camden has been named the next Beverley J. Pitts Distinguished Professor of the Ron & Laura Strain Honors College. She will hold this role for three years, beginning in Fall 2019.

“I feel incredibly honored to have this opportunity,” said Camden, who recently served as the Associate Director of the Honors College before taking a sabbatical. “I’m eager to continue my commitment to the Honors College and become even more involved with the students in the program.”

This professorship is a relatively new role at the University. Camden is the second person to hold the title, following Professor of Philosophy & Religion Peter Murphy. A faculty member since 2005, she has more than 10 years of experience on the Honors College committee.

In the fall, she’ll join Assistant Professor of Theatre James Leagre in co-teaching the first-year Honors College seminar, which focuses on the topic of poverty and wealth. Together, they will explore these important topics with students through the lens of literature and adaptation.

As part of the course, Leagre’s students will create brief adaptations of Dickens’s Great Expectations, and Camden’s students will subsequently analyze the intended and unintended consequences, exploring how literature influences the ways society perceive poverty and wealth.

“I already enjoy thinking of creative ways to engage with students and this position gives me additional resources to bolster their educational experience,” Camden said, adding “it brings new ways for me to be involved in collaboration across campus.”