Friday, December 19, 2014

Dr. Harald Menz Receives ACA Faculty Fellowship

I am delighted to announce that Dr. Harald J.A. Menz, Professor of World Languages and Cultures, has been awarded a $30,000 Post-Doctoral Faculty Fellowship from the Appalachian College Association. The funding will support his 2015-16 sabbatical.

According to the grant, Dr. Menz plans “to explore an interdisciplinary subject on the international stage in a part of Italy where German is the dominant language.” His fellowship is titled “Experiential Pedagogy: The Alps Meet The Appalachians.”

This is the second significant honor in a week for Dr. Menz. Last week he was named as one of five finalists for The Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia 2014 Professor of the Year.

Dr. Menz has served on the Bethany faculty since 1994. He has taught German and German literature and civilization, elementary Spanish, and first-year seminar courses throughout his time at Bethany.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Padagogische Hochschule, Heidelberg, West Germany, and the M.A. and Ph.D. from West Virginia University.

Dr. Menz has received a number of Bethany College recognitions for outstanding teaching. Within the past two years he has been recognized with The President’s Award for Excellence in Performance, the International Association of University Presidents’ 2013 International Education Faculty Achievement Award, and the John R. Taylor Memorial Award in the Liberal Arts.

The Appalachian College Association is a non-profit consortium of 35 private four-year liberal arts institutions spread across the central Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Collectively these higher education institutions serve over 54,000 students. Bethany College has been a member of the ACA since 1984.

Congratulations to Dr. Menz on another remarkable accomplishment.