Thanks to the efforts of Maj. Gen. John S. Grinalds, former Citadel President, and Al Gurganus, Modern Languages Head, the American Society of the French Legion of Honor has granted the Modern Languages Department $15,000 to fund ten scholarships of $1,500 for qualified French majors and minors participating in The Citadel's Summer Study in France in 2007.
For the 14th consecutive year, The Citadel’s chapter of the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society has been named an "Honor Chapter" for its activities during the 2005-2006 academic year.
Each May, all 539 chapters of Sigma Delta Pi are asked to submit an annual report detailing their numerous activities and projects from the academic year. Based on these reports, the national executive committee chooses approximately 15 "Honor Chapters" annually. This recognition is based upon the caliber of chapter projects that reflect the Sigma Delta Pi mission of honoring excellence in the study of the Spanish language, contributing to cultural understanding and upholding the goals of the society.
Projects for which The Citadel's Tau Iota Chapter was recognized include the Lowcountry and South Carolina Spanish Teacher of the Year awards, the publication of El Cid, a refereed national journal in Spanish for undergraduate and graduate students; interpreting for local Hispanic immigrants, a website translation project for a local law firm, and the “Certificate of Merit" program to recognize outstanding high school students of Spanish in the tri-county area.
Of the 16 chapters recognized this year with "Honor Chapter" status, The Citadel ranked in the top five among Brigham Young University, Truman State University, Virginia Tech and Texas Tech. No chapter in the history of Sigma Delta Pi has earned this distinction in so many consecutive years.
On April 21, 2006, Charles S. Knisley (B.A., Spanish, '06), Chapter Secretary of Sigma Delta Pi at The Citadel, was a panelist in the Sigma Delta Pi Informative Session at the Kentucky Foreign Language Conference where he presented on the activities of his award-winning chapter. Also, Knisley was accepted into Spanish graduate programs at Syracuse University and Ohio University respectively for the 2006-07 academic year; he also received a grant to attend Middlebury College's prestigious summer immersion program in Spanish in July 2006.
In February 2006, Dr. Juan W. Bahk's essay "La evolucion poetica de Pablo Neruday el surrealismo" was published in RevistaIberoamericana, an international, refereed journal of the Institute of “Revista Iberoamericana” at Seoul National University, South Korea.
Andrew Brooks, (B.A., German, '06), received a 2006-2007 Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship for $5,000.00. He is one of 60 students nationwide to receive this prestigious award. Also, Brooks presented his study "Deconstructing the Romantic in Theodor Storm's Draussen im Heidedorf" at Winthrop University for the 30th annual meeting of the Philological Association of the Carolinas (PAC). His essay "The Tyrant Motif and Nosferatu: 1922, 1977, 2000" was published in Postscript, the refereed journal of PAC. His paper "Borders, Borderlands, & Border Cultures" was accepted for presentation at the 2006 "Empire" conference at California State University;
Cadets Sean Callahan (Spanish major) and Michael Pilotte (Spanish minor) were accepted into the University of Virginia's prestigious study abroad program in Valencia, Spain, for the fall 2006 semester.
Anderson Stewart (B.A., Spanish, '03) was accepted into the Spanish Ph.D. program at the University of Kentucky with a teaching assistantship to begin in August 2006.
The Citadel's Tau Iota Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi inducted 10 new student members and one honorary member on March 7, 2006 at 7:00pm during its traditional ceremony in the Greater Issues Room of Mark Clark Hall. Conducted by Juan Canino (Chapter President), Javier Yudice (Vice-President), Charles Knisley (Secretary-Treasurer) and Dr. Del Mastro (Chapter Adviser), the ceremony initiated the following active members: Sean Callahan, Brian Corbett, Andrew Green, Kevin Johnson, Creighton Nash, Jared Newman, James Russell, William Thompson, John Wagner and Joe Zoretic . Dr. Zane U. Segle was inducted as an honorary member.
Cadet Anthony Luis Rodriguez (Spanish minor) participated in Wake Forest University's renowned study abroad program in Salamanca, Spain, during the spring 2006 semester. Rodriguez is the 3rd Citadel cadet admitted into this program in the past three years.
Dr. Mark P. Del Mastro was one of two U.S. scholars invited to contribute to a special edition of the literary journal Caleta (Cádiz, Spain) that will honor the late Spanish novelist Carmen Laforet. This issue will be available in the fall of 2006.
At the 59th Annual Kentucky Foreign Language Conference (20-22 April 2006), Dr. Zane U. Segle presented his study "Lifting the Veil of Hyperbole: The Avisos Históricos of José Pellicer within Baroque Festival Discourse." At the same conference, Professor Del Mastro presented his paper "Self-Discovery through Mirrors in Carmen Laforet" and organized and chaired three sessions: 1) The Sigma Delta Pi Informative Session; 2) "In Honor of Donald L. Shaw: Literatura española 'fin de siglo'"; 3) "Contemporary Spanish Women Writers."
Dr. Del Mastro directed and edited both the online and hard copy editions of the spring 2006 issue (No. 48) of Entre Nosotros, the national journal of Sigma Delta Pi.
On February 24-26, 2006, Professor Mark P. Del Mastro participated in the annual meeting of the Association of College Honor Societies in Portland, OR, where he was elected member of the Board of Directors for a 3-year term (2006-09).
Professors Al Gurganus and Elba Andrade will each enjoy a one-year research sabbatical in 2006-07.
On January 20, 2006, Dr. Al Gurganus was confirmed President-Elect of The Citadel Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi. He will begin his two-year term as President beginning in the fall of 2007.
In January 2006, the 3rd issue of Decimonónica was published. Professor Del Mastro is founding Co-Director of this refereed, online journal of nineteenth century Hispanic cultural production.
The Modern Languages Department welcomes the following six new faculty members in August 2006: Dr. Eloy Urroz, Assistant Professor of Spanish; Dr. Cathy Jellenik, Assistant Professor of French; Dr. Susanne Wagner, Visiting Assistant Professor of German; Dr. Alan Cambeira, Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish; Mr. Juan Barreto, Adjunct Professor of Spanish; Mrs. Mary Cabezas, Adjunct Professor of Spanish. More information on these outstanding new professors is located at our faculty & staff webpage.
Professor Cathy Jellenik will present her paper entitled "Hypermodernity in Annie Ernaux's Vie" at the December 2006 convention of the Modern Languages Association. She is also rewriting her doctoral thesis, tentatively entitled "A Tripartite Approach to Rewriting in Marguerite Duras, Annie Ernaux, and Marie Redonnet" for publication by Peter Lang.
