Prof. Elizabeth McHenry of the English Department has been honored with a Golden Dozen Teaching Award by the College of Arts and Science. She will be one of 12 full-time faculty members recognized by CAS for teaching excellence at the Baccalaureate Ceremonies on May 18. Prof. McHenry, who specializes in African American and U.S. literature, has taught at NYU for 19 years. In 2016-17, she launched the department’s new Plenary Lecture Series for undergraduate majors enrolled in our redesigned gateway course, “Introduction to the Study of Literature” or ENGL 101 (you can read more about that new lecture series here). In addition, Prof. McHenry chairs the department’s Diversity Committee and has played a key role in the department’s recent efforts to incorporate issues of race and ethnicity into course offerings and also equip English majors with tools to address issues of identity and culture in their own lives.

Prof. Christopher Cannon, chair of the department, praised Prof. McHenry for “focusing tirelessly and generously on individual students’ progress and intellectual growth both inside and outside the classroom,” adding that her pedagogy is “widely praised by students and colleagues alike.”