College Honors Faculty and Staff Scholarship, Creativity
MIDDLEBURY, VT. — The intellectual pursuits of Middlebury College faculty and staff were on display in Tormondsen Great Hall on March 15 for the annual articles and creative works reception, a decades-old tradition celebrating scholarly work at Middlebury. Nearly 90 faculty and staff members were recognized for more than 180 publications and creative works completed in 2015.
“It’s really a special occasion, one of these rare moments when we have faculty from across the disciplines gathered in one spot, celebrating the work that you do as teachers and scholars,” said Tim Spears, vice president of academic development in his welcoming remarks. Spears also noted that in the past few years the event, which previously recognized just faculty, has expanded to recognize the work of staff members as well.
Spears read a message from President Laurie Patton, who was meeting with alumni in California at the time of the reception and unable to attend. “This gathering, to me, exemplifies what is one of the very best and most essential elements of Middlebury’s identity,” wrote Patton, “creative, thoughtful, and passionate pursuit of knowledge that benefits students, colleagues, the college, and the world around us.”
Scholarly journal articles from a wide array of disciplines accounted for the majority of works being honored, but the exhibition also featured 17 creative works that included dance, theatre, and musical performances; theatre lighting and set design; choreography, musical composition, and studio art.
“This is kind of an ephemeral moment, but when you imagine all the work, the many hours of effort and thinking and creativity–the work that’s taking place in the laboratory, in the library, in front of a computer, on a stage–it’s really kind of mind boggling the amount of human endeavor that we see represented here,” said Spears. “I certainly want to thank all of you for the work that you do day-in and day-out at the institution in the production of knowledge and teaching of students. It’s really quite impressive.”
See the full listing of articles and creative works from the 2016 reception.
With reporting by Stephen Diehl; Photography by Robert Keren