Dr. Sarah Kelen’s teaching and research on medieval and early modern English literature and culture have earned her one of the highest academic honors at Nebraska Wesleyan University.
Kelen has been chosen as the inaugural holder of the Dr. Roger A. Cognard Professorship in the Liberal Arts.
“It is an honor to be selected for this professorship,” Kelen, professor of English, says. “Dr. Cognard and I were colleagues in the English Department for my first several years at NWU. He set high standards for his students, sharing with them his enthusiasm for Shakespeare and demonstrating how those plays resonate with us today. I hope I can bring those same characteristics to my teaching.”
Named professorships lend prestige to the university and recipient. They help recruit and retain top talent and inspire faculty colleagues in their work.
The professorship was made possible by Dr. Rodney ('77) and Betsy Markin, who have now established two professorships in honor of their longstanding friendship with and gratitude for the mentorship of Dr. Roger and Anne Cognard. Just last month, Dr. Jonathan Redding was named the recipient of the Dr. Anne MacLeod Cognard Professorship in the Humanities.
“Dr. Roger Cognard was one of my favorite professors. He opened my eyes to the importance of literature and its interpretation,” Markin says. “He is one of several NWU professors who had a long-lasting impact on my career in academic medicine. The gratitude I feel for Roger’s teaching is immeasurable.”
Cognard, a 1967 Nebraska Wesleyan graduate and 1971 Ph.D. recipient from Texas Christian University, spent 37 years teaching English at NWU. Renowned for his courses in composition, world literature, modern drama, and Shakespeare, he received numerous honors, including the Creative Young Professor Award and the Prouty Distinguished Teaching Award.
He led 11 study abroad tours to England, engaging over 200 students in British literature and Shakespeare. Dr. Cognard also served as chair of the English Department, faculty president, and dramaturg for NWU’s annual Shakespeare productions for 21 years.
“Providing professorships at NWU in our names is a stunning act of generosity from the Markins,” Cognard says. “These gifts will enrich the work of faculty members and the lives of their students. A liberal arts education provides students with a broad foundation of knowledge and skills and encourages intellectual curiosity. These professorships help ensure that this tradition continues.”
The professorship includes funding that will directly benefit students. “It’s important to me that these opportunities be available to all students," Kelen says.
This summer, the grants will support students participating in the London Theatre Immersion study abroad trip led by Professor Ryan Kathman. “I can’t think of a better tribute to Dr. Cognard, who regularly took NWU students to England to study Shakespeare in summer study abroad courses,” Kelen says.
The professorship will also support Kelen’s research on medieval and early modern English literature and culture. “I am working on a book on sixteenth and seventeenth century responses to earlier English literature, in particular, how those later readers and editors described the changes in language. This was the period when works reprinted from the Middle Ages started including notes or glossaries to help later readers understand the earlier texts.”
For 25 years, Dr. Sarah Kelen has taught English to majors and non-majors at all levels from first-year writing through senior thesis. She has been recognized with the Nebraska Wesleyan University Scholar Award and the Ameritas Research Grant; she has served on numerous University committees and has published several chapters and articles as well as two books with another in progress. She has also served in administrative roles, including English Department Chair, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dean of the Colleges, and Vice President for Student Life.