To the Williams Community,
I am delighted to announce that Kathryn R. Kent, professor of English, has accepted the invitation to direct the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford University for two years beginning July 1, 2012.
Katie has been a member of the English Department since 1997 and has served to great effect as chair of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program. Her areas of expertise include U.S. women’s literature, queer theory, and cultural studies. She’s a natural fit for this position as she already has scholarly connections at Oxford. As a member of the Class of 1988, she was actually one of the programme’s pioneers. She knows firsthand how our students will experience the cultural transitions from the U.S. to the U.K., from the Berkshires to Oxford city, and from small college to big university.
As director, she’ll be the primary academic and personal advisor for the 26 juniors admitted to the program each year. She’ll hold the title of tutor for visiting students at Exeter College and will work with Exeter fellows and other Oxford instructors to arrange our students’ tutorials. Together with her family, Katie will live in the director’s residence, which is immediately adjacent to Ephraim Williams House, where the students live.
She will succeed Nancy Roseman, professor of biology, who has served in this role since July 2010. Thanks from all of us go to Katie and Nancy for their willingness to serve the college in this capacity.
Regards,
Adam Falk
President