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Professor Alyson Kiesel Alyson Kiesel, professor and chair of the English Department, has been granted the Ruth Maxwell Distinguished Professorship in English for her work in supporting faculty exploration of new curriculum and promoting literary activities that bring together students, faculty, and staff.

The Ruth Maxwell Distinguished Professorship was established to honor Ruth Maxwell, Carthage English professor who passed away in 1997. Her contribution to the College was “with the intention of increasing the offering to students of the best of literature that had stood the test of time.” Prof. Kiesel receives the professorship title after Professor Emerita of English Pamela Smiley.

“Prof. Kiesel is a truly gifted teacher who inspires students to generate their best work, thought, and expression,” says Provost David Timmerman. “She is devoted to the Carthage curriculum and to her colleagues, and demonstrates this through her leadership, committee contributions, and through our strong English Department.”

Prof. Kiesel specializes in nineteenth-century British literature, and her research and teaching focus on the Victorian novel and the entwined histories of science and literary realism.

At Carthage, Prof. Kiesel mentors students in the SURE program and helps develop the curriculum as a member of the Curriculum Committee Oversight and Planning Group. She is a recipient of a national award for “Teachers Who Inspire,” the 2016 Carthage Distinguished Teaching Award, and a Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Grant.

This year, she was appointed director of the Abraham Lincoln Forum, a position in which she is able to plan events that engage students and outside scholars.

“I am deeply grateful for this honor and will do my best to live up to it,” says Prof. Kiesel. “My work would not be possible without the collaborative, supportive environment of the English Department, so I am particularly grateful to my colleagues and students.”

Congratulations Prof. Kiesel on receiving this distinction!