WKU News

Dr. Laura McGee has recently been awarded The Lifetime Achievement Award by the Kentucky World Language Association. During her 11 years as department head, she ushered in unprecedent growth: Arabic and Chinese programs were created, courses in Japanese and Russian were added, and large numbers of Fulbright Language Teaching Assistants, ALLEX TAs, and Taiwan interns became the norm. Dr. McGee has directed more than half a dozen study abroad programs and was instrumental in establishing a student teaching program in Germany for WKU students. Her career has also encompassed leadership roles in the Kentucky Fulbright Association and the Kentucky Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German. Dr. McGee is committed to data-driven program assessment and innovative pedagogy. Her research interests are diverse and include departmental leadership and film. During the 2002-2003 academic year, she was a Fulbright scholar in Germany. Her publications have appeared in Film History: An International Journal, German Studies Review, Colloquia Germanica, and Foreign Language Annals, among other journals. Dr. McGee is the co-principal investigator of the Chinese Flagship at WKU.