Above: Carolyn Nadeau, associate professor of Spanish, presents the Honors Day Convocation address. Below: James Plath, professor of English, is congratulated by Provost Janet McNew upon being named the 2004 winner of The Pantagraph Award for Teaching Excellence.

English Professor Plath Receives The Pantagraph Award at Illinois Wesleyan

April 16, 2003

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — James Plath, professor of English at Illinois Wesleyan University, has been named the 2004 recipient of The Pantagraph Award for Teaching Excellence.

The $1,000 teacher-scholar award is the University’s top teaching honor. As customary, the award-winner was announced at the annual Honors Day Convocation Wednesday (April 16) in Westbrook Auditorium of Presser Hall.

The Pantagraph Award is sponsored by the daily newspaper headquartered in Bloomington that services eight counties and more than 60 communities in Central Illinois.

The honoree is selected by Illinois Wesleyan’s Promotion and Tenure Committee based on nominations received from members of the faculty.

Plath will formally receive the 2004 award next April. During Wednesday’s convocation, the 2003 winner, Carolyn Nadeau, associate professor of Spanish, was presented with her award by The Pantagraph Publisher Henry Bird, and she delivered the Convocation address, "The Paths That Lead."

• Listen to the Honors Day Convocation

Nadeau, who previously directed Illinois Wesleyan’s study abroad program and also led the first Illinois Wesleyan in London program, emphasized the value of study abroad experiences for all students.

"Study abroad," said Nadeau, "is a character builder. You learn to trust in the goodness of others, respect differences, and care for people, histories, and languages that are not your own."

Added Nadeau: "As we struggle for peace in a world that desperately needs it, may you all choose paths that lead to greater tolerance and respect, to responsible citizenship, and for heightened appreciation for the global village in which we live."

Plath has been a member of the Illinois Wesleyan faculty since 1988. He teaches the University’s journalism courses and has served as adviser to the student newspaper, The Argus. In addition, he teaches creative writing and literature courses.

A graduate of California State at Chico, he received his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. He has published fiction and poetry in numerous publications. His scholarship on the writing of both Ernest Hemingway and John Updike has resulted in several essays in critical anthologies as well as numerous presentations. He is the co-author of Remembering Ernest Hemingway (1999) and editor of Conversations with John Updike (1994).

As part of the Honors Day Convocation, members of IWU’s Class of 2003 were recognized for their scholastic and activity honors.