A Proclamation Rendered by Kathy Pfeiffer & Niels Herold for Brian Connery
HUZZAH !
A Proclamation Rendered by Kathy Pfeiffer & Niels Herold for Brian Connery
A proclamation rendered to the Department of English at Oakland University on this seventh day of April , 2017 .
We submit that
WHEREAS Professor Brian Connery has served his colleagues well and diligently , first as Assistant Professor beginning in 1989 , then as Associate Professor beginning in 1994 , then as Full Professor , beginning in 2002 , and
WHEREAS he further served two terms as Department Chair extraordinaire , setting a standard for efficacy , leadership , grace under pressure , personal generosity , and deep wells of authentic kindness that gave us a lasting sense of moral purpose , and
WHEREAS his commitment to teaching earned him the Oakland University Teaching Excellence Award while he was still a junior professor , and has been repeatedly recognized in the years since , with numerous service and faculty recognition awards , and
WHEREAS his commitment to scholarly productivity has led to numerous , distinguished publications about Jonathan Swift , satire , pedagogy – including a solicited manuscript in progress slated for publication in 2018 , and
WHEREAS his commitment to students has resulted in numerous opportunities for study abroad , the life-changing impact of which is beyond measure for these students , and
WHEREAS he has been the only English Department faculty member to be serenaded in class on his birthday by a singing chicken bearing balloons , and
WHEREAS every aspect of our Departmental culture will be utterly depleted without his presence , notwithstanding the lasting impact of his deeply influential contributions to our shared work and shared vision ,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we declare our deep gratitude and even deeper affection on the occasion of Brian ’ s final Department meeting with a cheery and heartfelt
HUZZAH !
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