From left, front row, Sarah Brown, Sara Robertson, Karen Chambless, Hannah Cole, Anna Kholod and Hannah Mae Atherton. Back row, from left, Dr. Kevin Brown, Emma Liem, Eric Sheranko, Evan Pell, Amanda Seale, Abbey Mitchell and Kristen Ton.
Lee University’s Dr. Kevin Brown traveled with 12 students to Minneapolis, Mn. for the 92nd Sigma Tau Delta International Convention, where the students presented their original creative and critical work.
“I’m always so proud of our students at the convention, as their work stands alongside that of other colleges and universities,” said Dr. Brown. “Not only do they get to see the quality of work they are doing at Lee, they get to enter into the wider conversation of the discipline through presenting their papers, hearing and interacting with their peers from other institutions, and listen to well-known authors talk about the importance of English.”
The student presenters included Hannah Mae Atherton, Sarah Brown, Karen Chambless, Hannah Cole, Anna Kholod, Emma Liem, Abigail Mitchell, Evan Pell, Sara Robertson, Amanda Seale, Eric Sheranko and Kristen Ton.
“Convention was a great opportunity to present my work in a city with a thriving literary culture,” said Ms. Seale. “Presenting my paper gave it a life beyond its in-class due date. It also gave me a chance to engage fellow academics in discussions about my work.”
The approximately 900 students who attended the Sigma Tau Delta International Convention were accepted by a panel of judges to present their critical or creative work, and the students traveled from throughout the United States and the world to attend.
Works presented at the convention were eligible for awards to be presented on the last night of the event at the convention gala. Chambless received the first place award for Critical Essays on American Literature for her paper on “A Streetcar Named Desire.” This category had over 200 submissions.
While in Minneapolis, the group presented work, attended workshops, chaired presentation panels, and heard nationally and regionally-known authors speak. Dr. Brown, who serves as the southern regent for the honor society, also attended board meetings, led regional meetings, and moderated several presentation panels.
Lee’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta is one of the most active chapters in the Southern Region. They host an annual symposium, organize monthly events, induct new members every semester, and have attended 11 of the past 12 conventions. Last year they were named one of three Outstanding Chapters in the organization. As a highly active chapter, Lee’s group was asked to bring a chapter display this year to showcase the past year’s events.
Sigma Tau Delta is an international collegiate English honor society and one of the largest members of the Association of College Honor Societies. The organization was established in 1924 to recognize achievement in English language, literature, and writing. The society, exclusive to four-year colleges and universities, inducts approximately 9,000 members annually into over 875 active chapters in the United States and abroad.
For more information about Sigma Tau Delta or the 2016 international convention, visit www.english.org.
First place winner for “Streetcar” paper Karen Chambless, right, with sponsor Dr. Kevin Brown.