Dr. Kim McCollum-Clark (she/her) is an Associate Professor of ENWL and has taken on a new role as the Faculty Coordinator for Gen Ed and FYEX (First Year Experience). She specializes in English Education (teacher preparation in grades 7-12) with a rich background in many areas of the ENWL discipline. She received her BA in English and French from Guilford College in Greensboro NC and her MA in English (specialty in Rhet/Comp) as well as her PhD. in Language and Literacy Ed from Penn State.

Though it’s always hard to pick a favorite book, Dr. Kim’s favorite author is Ursula K. Le Guin. Le Guin is best known for her works of sci-fi and fantasy though she has developed a great body of works spanning both creative and scholarly exploration.

If you visit the McNairy Library (online or in-person), you can check out Le Guin’s collection of poems So Far So Good (2018), or her Hugo and Nebula Award winning novel The Left Hand of Darkness (first published 1969), and much, much more.

Dr. Kim’s favorite courses to teach at Millersville include ENGL 486: Teaching Reading & Literature to Young Adults, ENGL 110: English Composition, and now FYEX! She is bringing the enthusiasm and passion students have come to expect from her in the classroom to her new endeavor. We asked her about the changes to FYEX and the impacts for undergrad ENWL students:

I started in this role in January and we are in the midst of actualizing a major general education revision that will go into effect for students who come to MU in Fall 2025, so current students are NOT affected by the changes! That’s important! If you are already a student, the “Legacy” gen ed reflected in your MarAUDIT is the older curriculum. I think the most important word in my new title is FACULTY. I am trying to a) strengthen the faculty and student POV in the discussions about how to put the new plan, called GATEWAY, into action; b) help faculty to wrap their minds around the changes and to see them as OPPORTUNITIES to make a new argument for the power and usefulness of the General Education curriculum. For students who come in under GATEWAY, they will have some new and different choices. By the way, if current students LIKE what they see when GATEWAY rolls out, they can “adopt” the new general ed requirements if they want to.

Congratulations on your new role Dr. Kim! We are looking forward to the exciting changes you are initiating to make Millersville even better for our future students.

Dr. Nicole Pfannenstiel (she/her/hers) is an Associate Professor of English and the Graduate Coordinator. Dr. Pfannenstiel received her MA in English and PhD in Rhetoric, Composition, and Linguistics both from Arizona State. Her research revolves around “Sense of belonging and Graduate Pedagogy” and she has been working in graduate education for over 20 years. As the Graduate Coordinator, she states that “I want to work with student-centered pedagogical theories from undergraduate education to improve the graduate student learning experience. I work to bring high structure to graduate education, to draw attention to the hidden curricular pieces. My aim is to break down silos and barriers so our program supports all students, including marginalized students even more underrepresented in graduate school, attending, completing and succeeding in our graduate program.”

Earlier this year Dr. Pfannenstiel was recognized for her outstanding commitment to students on this campus with the 2023 Sarah Lindsley Person of the Year Award, presented by Millersville’s Student Government Association. She remarked about this honor that “there is no greater honor at a teaching focused institution than to be honored by the students.” She was also recently nominated for the EVA awards for her EPPIIC Professionalism for her continued commitment to helping students understand and take-on professional roles.

She carries the remarkable ethos that brought her these awards and recognition into her scholarship. Dr. Pfannenstiel’s new book Web Writing, which is published as a peer-reviewed Open Educational Resource (OER) on paadopt.org, is part of an ongoing grant to remove financial barriers to studies by creating OER textbooks to alleviate one of the hidden costs of education. Web Writing itself explores a rhetorical approach to web writing, content management, and meaning making in contemporary social media. This book works alongside her WRIT 318 curriculum focused on building an understanding of the rhetoric and content strategy of writing online. You can access the entire book for free here: (https://paadopt.org/bookshelf/web-writing/ ).

Here are some of Dr. P’s favorite Media!

Favorite book: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and so much P&P fanfiction.

Favorite movie: Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Favorite TV show: Bones (2005)

Favorite videogame: AFK Arena – I am obsessed with casual games – this is my favorite mobile casual game with RPG elements.

What does it mean to Dr. Pfannenstiel to be an English and World Languages Scholar?

“When I stepped in as Graduate Coordinator there were several external pressures on graduate programs and graduate education. In the last five years those external pressures remain, but have shifted. In collaborative work with Dr. Kaitlin Mondello, we’ve found a focused attention on PhD programs and preparing PhDs for the reality of the professorate profession AND alt-ac positions. However, there is very little attention on regional, public, master’s granting institutions. We know our graduate programs are an important public good, we also know that students need different supports to support their work through the skill development required at the graduate level. When I began graduate school, the mentality was sink or swim. This doesn’t have to be the pedagogical approach. I was required to complete assignments, that I now see align with skills I’m using on a daily basis as a professor – bringing transparency to these assignments and overall curricular design is one of the most important decisions I’ve made as an educator. My goal is to work with all faculty, especially graduate faculty in the English & World Languages department, to bring transparency into our curricular design in ways that support graduate-specific skill development and professional development. Then, to continue collaborating with Dr. Mondello on publications and presentations so we raise scholarly awareness about the need to rethink approaches to graduate pedagogy. Essentially, I identified a need in a student population. I’ve devoted countless hours to research, presentations, grant funded projects, and hopefully in the near future publications to research and enact new pedagogical approaches to benefit learners. I think this is a really important way English and World Languages scholars carry our focus on the human experience into the real world. All areas of the English & World Languages department center the human experience in their research – I am extending those in specific ways. I see my research questions centered in the human experience. I see my research, presentations and grants as reflecting the scholarship valued by peers in the professorate. I see being a scholar as connecting my research to benefitting a community – specifically graduate students!”

Thank you Dr. Pfannenstiel for sharing your knowledge and commitment to your students!

The department of English and World Languages is happy to welcome the new Assistant Professor of Writing Studies, Dr. Josh Rea. Dr. Rea, who uses he/him/his pronouns, received his PhD in Rhetoric and Composition from the University of South Florida. Before this, he obtained his Master’s in English from the University of Louisville and his Bachelor’s in English with a concentration in Writing from the University of Mount Union. His field of study is the Rhetoric of space and place, with a focus on urban planning documentation and civic engagement. This semester, Dr. Rea is teaching Technical Writing, Business Writing, and Composition. Along with his teachings in writing, Dr. Rea enjoys reading in his free time. His favorite series, like many of our English majors, is the classic Lord of the Rings series.

When asked what it means to be an English and World Languages Scholar, Dr. Rea provided the insightful response that is highlighted below. He said:

“I see my job as a scholar of language as interrogating the ways that language is used to construct our lived world and to perpetuate inequities, as well as the ways that language can be used to work against those inequalities and better the world.”

We are so excited to see all the wonderful things Dr. Rea will accomplish in his new position, and the department is happy to have him as a new addition to English and World Languages.

Dr. Emily Baldys (she/her/hers) is an Associate Professor of English and our new Assistant Chair of the Department of English & World Languages.  She received promotion and tenure this summer and we offer our sincere congratulations! Her areas of interest and expertise include Victorian British literature, Critical Disability Studies, and popular romance. You can read her most recent publication “Imagining the ‘Survival of the Unfit’ in the Novels of Olive Schreiner and Mona Caird,” published this past spring in Nineteenth-Century Gender Studies here: http://ncgsjournal.com/issue191/baldys.html . She received her BA in English from Bryn Mawr College and her MA and PhD in English from Penn State.

Dr. Baldys is a fantastic professor both inside and outside the classroom, receiving MU EPPIIC Values Award nominations for her inclusive practices two years in a row. This semester she is teaching Early British Literature, Shakespeare, and ENGL 110 courses as well as leading independent studies for others. She is also continuing her role as the faculty advisor for MU’s ADAPT chapter. We are so proud and privileged to have Dr. Baldys teaching and working with us!

Dr. Baldys’s Favorites

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is Dr. Baldys’s favorite book – you can read it for free online through the McNairy Library by clicking the link below.

Read Jane Eyre

Normal People is Dr. Baldy’s current favorite TV show – it is currently streaming on hulu.

And although it was difficult for her to choose, Ghostbusters came out on top for her favorite movie. She said: “I will never not watch Ghostbusters if it’s on.”

Ghostbusters is currently available for free on DVD from the McNairy Library. Click the link below to reserve it.

Get Ghostbusters!

What does it mean to Dr. B to be an English and World Languages Scholar?

“Practically speaking, it means I am lucky enough to talk about the books, shows, and films that I love with brilliant people every day! I think and hope it also means that my students and I are especially well equipped to critique the many texts that we encounter in our daily lives: that we might watch Barbie or stream Bridgerton or devour the latest BookTok must-read, and while we’re doing that we can not only hear the echoes of earlier texts but also think like a literary critic about the underlying messages and values that shape our world.”

This fall semester, the department of English and World Languages welcomed a new department chair. Dr. Justin Mando (he/him), who has been a professor for the department since 2016, has already made many positive improvements and ideas within his first month as chair. This week, the department would like to highlight Dr. Mando and provide an opportunity to get to know him beyond the classroom.

Dr. Mando received his B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Vermont. He then received both his M.A. and Ph.D. in Rhetoric from Carnegie Mellon University. There are many different fields of study that he specializes in, including environmental rhetoric, rhetoric of place, discourse analysis, and composition studies. This semester, Dr. Mando is teaching a special version of the science writing course that is paired with Meteorology students taking climate dynamics. In connection with his interest in environmental rhetoric and science writing, his favorite book is Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, a text that details the author’s exploration of life and nature.

Connecting with the theme of exploration, I asked Dr. Mando what it means to be an English and World Languages scholar. His response below highlights the importance of this field and why students need to have humanities courses. He states:

“I find this field meaningful for so many reasons, but what stands out to me the most right now is how we study and teach effective citizenship. For a democracy to thrive, we need citizens who are socially conscious, who can read and think critically, respectfully engage and challenge people’s ideas, and who are able to argue persuasively for the common good of all. We develop these skills by studying language, literature, and rhetoric.”

The department of English and World Languages is so excited to have Dr. Mando as our new chair, and cannot wait to see all the wonderful things he accomplishes within this new position!