English professor named director of African American Studies
Alan Flurry
Producer and Editor
Recent and archived articles by Alan Flurry
Old College
215 Herty Drive
Athens, GA
Email: aflurry@uga.edu
Valerie Babb has been appointed director of the Institute for African American Studies in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. A professor of English and African American Studies, Babb was previously a professor at Georgetown University. She continues as a faculty member of the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College.
“The IAAS is one of UGA’s premier units for engaging in the contemporary exchange of ideas across disciplines,” said Hugh Ruppersburg, interim dean of the Franklin College. “Dr. Babb’s scholarship in American literature and culture will be a vital contribution to the intellectual history that serves as the basis for the institute.”
Originally founded as Afro-American Studies in 1969, the Institute for African American Studies was formally established in 1992. The institute’s focus on research, students and community involves offering new courses and developing new programs of study with efforts to establish and reinvigorate community collaborations across UGA and beyond.
Babb received her bachelor’s degree at Queens College, the City University of New York; and her M.A. and Ph.D. at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York. Among her publications are Whiteness Visible: The Meaning of Whiteness in American Literature and Culture, Black Georgetown Remembered and Ernest Gaines.
“To continue the institute’s traditions, I look forward to growing the major and making more students aware of the diversity of career opportunities available in the academy, public and private cultural institutions, governmental agencies and non-profits,” Babb said. “As evidenced in the series of lectures it coordinates with East Athens Community Center, in the Writers in the Schools initiative, the Apero lecture series, its sponsorship of the multicultural student journal Mandala and the annual African Diaspora Film Festival, the institute takes seriously its responsibility to contribute to the intellectual life of the university and Athens community.”
More from this issue
-
January 17, 2012
UGA, University of Puerto Rico create algae biofuels center
Taking advantage of a marine location and tropical climate that are ideal for growing algae, researchers from UGA and the University of Puerto Rico are creating a renewable energy center to grow algae-based biofuels. Continue
-
January 17, 2012
Study: African-American men don’t reap same career benefits from mentoring as Caucasians
Networking within an organization and having a mentor are widely thought to promote career success, but a new UGA study finds that African-American men don’t receive the same measurable benefits from these professional connections that Caucasians do. Continue
-
January 17, 2012
Handle with care: Coordinator trains others in humane treatment of animals
Getting a blood sample from a gerbil isn’t always easy. “If the handler is not well trained and experienced, there is a higher-than-average probability of animal injury,” said Lisa Kelly, training coordinator at the Office of Animal Care and Use. Continue
-
January 17, 2012
Split decision
In principle, stem cells offer scientists the opportunity to create specific cell types—such as nerve or heart cells—to replace tissues damaged by age or disease. Continue
-
January 17, 2012
Sky-high selection
Marshall Shepherd, professor of geography in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, has been voted president-elect of the American Meteorological Society. Continue
-
January 17, 2012
Community ties
Most graduate assistantships involve research projects or teaching classes. At the Fanning Institute, a public service and outreach unit, graduate students help find solutions to community problems in a multidisciplinary environment as part of the Fanning Fellows program. Continue
-
January 17, 2012
Nine graduate students named UGA ARCS Scholars
The Atlanta chapter of the ARCS Foundation Inc. recently awarded $70,000 to nine UGA doctoral students in biomedical and health sciences, one of whom received a special $10,000 grant for global health research abroad. Continue
-
January 17, 2012
The show must go on: Flutist turns love for music into career in the arts
Even before she could walk, Erin Tatum, the facilities and house manager for the Performing Arts Center, loved music. Continue
-
January 17, 2012
Franklin College professor of genetics named AAAS Fellow
UGA geneticist Jonathan Arnold has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an honor bestowed on him by his peers for "scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications." Continue
-
January 17, 2012
New vaccine attacks breast cancer in Mayo mouse model
Researchers from UGA and the Mayo Clinic in Arizona have developed a vaccine that dramatically reduces tumors in a mouse model that mimics 90 percent of human breast and pancreatic cancer cases—including those resistant to common treatments. Continue
-
January 17, 2012
A great value
Top value and low debt at graduation earned UGA sixth-place status on Kiplinger’s Personal Finance list of 100 best values among public colleges and universities. Continue
FOR MORE ONLINE
