continued . . .

Jane Olmsted, cont.
I earned the Ph.D. in English, with a minor in feminist studies, at the University of Minnesota, in 1996. My scholarly work has focused on American, African American, and Native American literature, with an emphasis on race and gender, and I have articles in Contemporary Literature and African American Review, and another about Langston Hughes’ fiction that originally appeared in Black Orpheus and was reprinted in Short Story Criticism. I also write poetry and fiction and have a collection of stories situated in Kentucky. Although I haven’t gotten it published yet, about half the stories appear in various journals. My colleague Elizabeth Oakes and I founded and edited the Kentucky Feminist Writers Series, which led to three volumes, of poetry, fiction, and life writing. Telling Stories and I to I are still available. This series has been a tremendous experience and opportunity to meet some of the wonderful women writers who live in all parts of the Commonwealth.

I love my profession and believe strongly that social change is best served by people with a sound education, with a keen understanding of how gender, race, class, and other elements of difference shape us as individuals and the worlds in which we live. I love reading and watching movies. I like to unwind at the end of a long day by watching television—CSI, Without a Trace, Gray’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty, ER, even Prison Break, though I haven’t reflected long and hard why I’m drawn to hospital drama and crime shows! I despise reality television—at least the ones that “capture real live criminals!”—though I admit that my bias prevents me from sampling anything that reeks of “real!” My zen activity is knitting, something I’ve been doing (knitting not zen) since I was about eight. I’m married to a philosopher and professor of philosophy and religion at a community college about an hour from Bowling Green. We have three sons, the youngest of whom is a student there. Our oldest is finishing his BFA in Art here at WKU, and our middle son is enjoying his work in sales in Louisville.

Jeanne Fiene, cont.
I grew up in a suburb of Chicago, Downers Grove. I am the youngest of four daughters and my sisters are 12, 13 and 17 years older than I. My heritage is German and all of my family still lives in the same town. I was involved in athletics (basketball, softball, swim team, and volleyball), music as a trumpet and French horn player, drum and bugle corps, student government, and National Honor Society. My competitive athleticism was curbed by a complete reconstruction of my knee, post injury, at the end of high school. I remain interested in my fitness and hope to improve my golf game. I love to be active and enjoy travel. My hobbies revolve around the waterfront; I enjoy snorkeling, sailing, and swimming. I also read approximately one book a week. Finally, I must warn you that I have a very dry and sometimes sarcastic sense of humor.

My parents were both great advocates for education, even though my mother was removed from educational settings after eighth grade and my father after high school. My parents believed that education was the great equalizer of opportunity and as such it should be available to the masses. Both of them worked very hard and saved everything they could so my sisters and I could have better lives and more choices than they did. As such, one thing I have done is to establish the Esther Fund in Women’s Studies in honor of my mother and to support graduate women studies students. Teaching WOMN 625 has afforded me the opportunity to fund this scholarship.

Interest in curricular change has been a large part of my professional life for a long time, chiefly dealing with questions of how algebra and calculus can be taught more effectively. More recently, I have developed an interest in online teaching. The Spring 2008 offering of Women & Science (WOMN 421) will be my first experience.

Molly Kerby, cont.
I have been teaching for almost 12 years at the university level. In the fall of 1999, I taught my first women’s studies courses at Western Kentucky University and found a passion for the field of gender studies, the Women’s Studies Program, and, above all, serving students as well as the community. In the last few years, my educational and research interests have focused primarily on issues pertaining to women’s health and health risks among special student populations in higher education. My most recent publications appeared in AIDS Education and Prevention,2003,15(5), and the Journal of Lesbian Studies, 2005, 9(3). The latter was also published as a chapter in a book entitled Making Lesbians Visible in the Substance Use Field, edited by Elizabeth Ettorre (Plymouth University). My long-term goal is to write a women’s health book focusing on global health disparities.

In addition to my interests in traditional classroom teaching, I taught a course entitled, “Feminist Theory, Practice, and Irish Popular Culture” with the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad in the summer of 2006 in Ireland. I will take another group to Ireland in the summer of  2008.  I have a sincere interest in educating students outside the classroom as well as within. One of my goals is to work with a women-centered program that will coordinate efforts to allow students to travel to other communities and countries in a service-learning capacity. Gender-related issues that affect our global neighbors have a direct effect on our nation, and it is imperative that our students learn how and why these relationships exist. There is a growing need and demand in every field for students to have an understanding of the concept of stewardship and sustainability.

Outside the classroom I frequently work with diverse campus and community groups to bridge departments and programs with the larger community. Two of my most rewarding roles at WKU are as a faculty advisor to student groups and as a faculty sponsor of campus events. In my role as a faculty sponsor, I coordinate two major campus events every year: Earth Day Festival (formerly Diversity Rocks) and Rock the Vote. Both events have a wide civic impact on students, faculty, and staff across campus. I am also the faculty advisor for the campus gay & lesbian organization (the Outlet Alliance) and the Women’s Rugby Team. I believe that students who participate in extra-curricular activities learn a great deal more about leadership skills, conflict resolution, cooperation, and team-building than those who do not get involved. Keeping with my belief that faculty should interact with and act as role models for students, I co-founded the Faculty Staff Outlet Association (FSOA) in the spring of 2005. The FSOA is an ally group created to support The Outlet Alliance as well as ensure that gay and lesbian faculty and staff are provided a safe and nondiscriminatory work environment, afforded partner benefits, and recognized as vital part of the campus community.

Aside from scholarly interests and activities, I enjoy music, gardening, cooking, activism, sports (especially women's basketball), and my newfound love KAYAKING! I love the outdoors, nature, the beach, biking, boating, long walks, and I am addicted to yoga and swimming. I am the proud parent of 5 dogs (Chloe, Buster, Buddy, Josey, and Tess) and 5 cats (Cody, Leela, Gert, Velvet, and foster cat, Ghandi)—my dogs and cats are my life! 

Visit my sites:

http://www.wku.edu/~molly.kerby

http://www.myspace.com/mollykerby

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