OU English Alumni Index

English Department
College of Arts & Sciences
University of Oklahoma

Meet Our Alumni

	Dr. Mary Adams Assistant Professor of English University of Lousiana at Monroe "OU's Composition/Rhetoric/Literacy Program offered me the chance to teach various writing courses while studying with some of the discipline's foremost scholars. Although CRL was my secondary area, those courses were perhaps most important to my career as they provided me with a clear teaching philosophy. Early on, I hoped to work in a student-centered environment. Today, I teach at a university where professors work closely with students. OU's faculty shaped my commitment to teaching; at the same time, they gave me the skills and determination to make my ultimate goal a reality.
	Dr. Christyne Berzsenyi Assistant Professor of Composition Rhetoric and Literacy Pennsylvania State University at Wilkes-Barre "My course work and professors in the Rhetoric/Composition/Literacy concentration provided a combination of independent work and mentoring, which had a positive impact on my research, teaching, and professional development. As a result, I feel that the Ph.D. program has adequately prepared me for the various aspects of my job as Assistant Professor: publish essays in valued academic forums, write faculty and research development grants, teach a variety of writing and literature courses in a computer classroom, participate on university committees, and advise students in academic matters. Moreover, a doctorate from OU's English program is a degree that is valued for its academic integrity and innovation by external institutions such as the one that hired me."
	Dr. Joey Brown Assistant Professor of English Missouri Southern State College "I enjoyed a variety of experiences while a graduate student in the English Department at OU. I was able to work very closely with faculty members who mentored my studies and helped prepare me for life as a new professor. In fact, I know now from talking with others in the field that faculty are more accessible at OU than at many research institutions. At the same time, I was challenged to work independently and to seek publishing and conferencing opportunities on my own. I was also prepared for professional service through the opportunities offered by SAGES, the graduate committee, and the chair's advisory committee. But what I most appreciate about my time at OU is my teaching experience. The teaching assistants get the chance to teach laptop and computer-aided courses, and we received solid training in the teaching of composition. I also had the chance to train and teach in the technical writing program, which made me more marketable than anything else I did as a graduate student."
	Dr. Danny Campbell Assistant Professor of English Chowan College "The English department at OU has a great deal to offer graduate students, but in my mind does a truly exceptional job in three basic areas: teaching experience, dissertation work, and the job search. All are often stumbling blocks for graduate students and it seems to me that OU's English department has taken this seriously, offering real help and solutions to its students. At OU I found the support of teaching assistants to be outstanding; instead of simply thrusting the GTA into a classroom, the composition department teaches you how to teach, offering substantive evaluations almost every semester coupled with a genuine interest in backing your progress as an instructor. My committee guided me in my dissertation work, helping me imagine, develop and focus my work. Finally, because of an excellent job search program with meetings, preparation materials and mock interviews, I really knew what I was doing when I received an invitation for a campus interview. Consequently I have a well-paying tenure-track position at exactly the type of school at which I wished to teach."
	Dr. Amie Doughty Associate Professor of English SUNY College at Oneonta "OU offered me a chance to study languages and literatures that I might not have had the opportunity to learn about elsewhere. The English department encouraged my eclectic interests in linguistics, literature and computer-aided instruction..." Dr. Doughty joined the faculty at SUNY in Fall 2006 after spending several years teaching at Lake Superior State University in Michigan. A generalist, she has taught classes in linguistics, composition, and literature, with a particular focus on children's literature.
	Dr. Jose R. Gonzalez, PhD Retired Beach Bum, Ormond Beach, FL. "After college I decided to retire early and move to the beach line. During my years at OU I spent many nights studying for exams and writing papers for the wonderful professors of the English Dept. My favorite professor was James Yoch, who put meaning into every book he assigned to our class. I continue to reach out and get new reading lists from the department. I am proud to have attended OU."
	Dr. Leslie Hannah University of Nevada at Reno "I have enjoyed my educational experience at OU; the classes have been stimulating and challenging, but just as educational have been the Freshmen I have taught as a GTA. I've learned something new each day."
	Dr. June Hobbs Associate Professor of American Studies Gardner-Webb College "In the OU English Department's graduate program, I was a developing professional, not just a graduate student. I was encouraged to write a truly interdisciplinary dissertation, which I subsequently published; given funds to attend professional conferences; trained as a composition teacher; allowed to observe and participate in department business; and groomed for the job market. Today I am a tenured Associate Professor of English at Garner-Web University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina."
	Dr. Phillip P. Marzluf Assistant Professor of English Kansas State University "The Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy program at the University of Oklahoma enabled me to engage with the many strands and conversations of the field, everything from (re)historicizing the origins of classical rhetoric to analyzing the consistency of digital interface metaphor. Additionally, as both a teacher in the department and an administrator in the First-Year Composition Office, I gained valuable experience in designing courses and effectively troubleshooting teacher-student problems."
	Dr. Fred Reynolds Professor of English and Speech The City College of New York (CUNY) "My doctoral program in Composition Studies at O.U. was sound, thorough, and flexible, and has served me well. As the years pass, I find myself more and more grateful for all that I learned at O.U. about teaching, research, administration, the politics of the profession, and the importance of service to our profession and to the larger community it inevitably serves."
	Dr. Bridget Roussell Assistant Professor of Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy Florida Atlantic University "OU's Composition/Rhetoric/Literacy program not only brought me thoroughly up to speed on the current issues in the discipline, but also helped me to develop and articulate my own rigorously theorized answers to them."
	Dr. David Russell Professor Iowa State University "I look back with great fondness on my years at OU. Though I wound up mostly teaching and researching writing (rhetoric, professional communication, and applied linguistics) rather than reading, I got a great foundation by studying Renaissance literature. I am proud to be a Sooner "retread." And I'm happy that OU has developed a great tradition of writing research over the 30+ years since I left."
	Dr. Steven Salaita University of Wisconsin at Whitewater "I chose to study at OU because of the strength and reputation of its Native American program."
	Dr. Mark Thompson Professor and Director of Composition California State University, Stanislaus "Beyond expert instruction in classical and contemporary theory, the program allowed me to teach seven different writing courses and to play varied roles in major research projects--all of this prepared me well to direct a composition program."

These pages are maintained by Jack Day, English Computer Lab Manager.