RMMLA Executive Board Elections -
Slate of Candidates

Candidate Professional Biographies and Statements
(avl. in November 2009)

ONLINE BALLOT BOX - Will be open here to current members in November 2009 and will stay open until December 31, 2009.

Candidates are listed by position and in alphabetical order. Each candidate has submitted a short professional biography and a short statement as to why s/he wishes to serve on the board.

Vice President

Delegate-at-Large (2 candidates)

Professional Biography

Ruth B. Antosh is Professor of French at the State University of New York at Fredonia. Her areas of specialization are nineteenth-century French literature and modern Quebec theater. She has published a book and articles on J.-K. Huysmans, and articles on contemporary Quebec theater. She has been involved in designing an International Studies program at her institution, and is a long-standing member of the RMMLA. She teaches a wide variety of courses, including French phonetics, Quebec literature and culture, French literature, and Canadian studies. She is currently working on a book on Michel Tremblay.

Personal Statement

"I am a committed advocate for the importance of foreign languages and the humanities at American colleges and universities. RMMLA has an important role to play as foreign languages continue to struggle to be recognized as central to a solid college education. Particularly in this period of economic difficulty, this organization must continue to support and publicize the value of foreign languages and literatures in our country. RMMLA’s annual conference and its journal play an important role in making foreign languages visible. We should continue to stress that a variety of foreign languages must be offered to students, so that they have the opportunity to study more than one language in some depth. RMMLA has already attracted a number of international scholars to its annual conferences, and I would like to assist in expanding the number of international participants. I would consider it a privilege to serve as a delegate to this important organization."

Victor Castellani (University of Denver, Classics) Professional Biography

Victor Castellani has attended 27 RMMLA conventions. He has chaired an undergraduate department of languages (currently ten of them, taught by 31 full-time faculty and 25 adjuncts) and literatures for over fifteen non-consecutive years. He has taught and team-taught classical languages and literatures, comparative literature civilizations and revolutions, ancient modern and contemporary drama, political and social history of France and Germany. He has published on diverse Greek and Roman literary topics (esp. Homeric epic and Attic tragedy) and ancient art/iconography, as well as on Dante and Ibsen. He is also a current member of American Classical League, American Philological Association, Archaeological Institute of America, Ibsen Society of America, International Society for the Study of European Ideas, MLA, Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association—and ProRiesling Verein (German is his working modern language).

Personal Statement

"I can represent 'minor languages,' undergraduate-only departments, and private institutions. I hope to reverse the decline in membership at DU and at other private colleges and universities of our region, and to arrange for a future convention in Denver co-hosted by DU. I hope also to facilitate membership/participation by adjunct and other non-tenure-track faculty, as well as by undergrad students. I am ready, through further service to RMMLA at the highest level, to express both my gratitude for the honor of Sterling Membership and my appreciation for the long-term and recent evolution of the Association. I’ve let others do its most important work for nearly a quarter of a century now, so I hereby offer to take another shift myself!"

Graduate Student Delegate (1 candidate)

Professional Biography

Glen Southergill completed his B.S. in Psychology at the University of Arizona. His first graduate degree, an MBA, was completed in 2004. He is currently finishing his second Masters (in Professional Communication) at Clemson University. His interests include pedagogy, serious games and usability. He hopes to remain in Clemson for his Ph.D. When not studying or teaching accelerated English composition, he and his wife enjoy film and travel.

Personal Statement

"I am genuinely impressed with the organization's ability to facilitate scholarly discussion among its members. This trend became apparent from the moment I got off the plane in Snowbird. About seven RMMLA members shared a van to the Cliff Lodge. It took no time for the group, which consisted of representatives from five different institutions, to begin a dialog. We were all so hungry for knowledge...to share idea...to learn from each other, that the trip really "flew" by. Having attended many large, national conferences, I have some comparisons and I can say that I was very impressed both with the composition of the sessions and the congenial atmosphere at RMMLA. On a personal note, I left the conference very intellectually refreshed and invigorated.

The organization is clearly well managed. I see clear dedication to developing a congenial atmosphere and attracting an impressive breadth of scholarship from many fields. My main goal would be to continue this trend. In particular, I see the student perspective as very important to attracting and retaining active new members of multiple fields. Beyond excellent organization and communication skills, I believe I can assist in student outreach programs. In particular, I would begin by focusing on relationship-building to student honorary organizations. Also, within my field, I would reach out to other organizations that share borders with technical and professional communications. By applying my core skills in communication, organization, and strategy, I believe I can continue to support RMMLA's efforts to include a wide breadth of trans-disciplinary scholarship in a congenial atmosphere."

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