Palmer fills in at Hilliard Hall

Dr. James Palmer, associate professor of English, became the interim head of the Department of Languages and Communications effective Jan. 1, taking over from Dr. Dejun Liu who has held the position since 2001.

Palmer's leadership skills stem from his previous experiences as director of the Writing Center, coordinator of English, faculty senator, SACS core team member, and chair of the Core Curriculum Council, among other positions. His tenure ends Aug. 31 and during that time, the university is anticipating a national search for a new head. He may also apply for the position.

Palmer said, "As interim head, I'm not in a position to make major changes this semester. I'll help prepare the department for our on-site SACS reaffirmation of accreditation visit on March 22 by ensuring that our majors understand their student learning outcomes and that we have strong assessment in place to strengthen learning."

Palmer holds a doctorate in English and degrees in Spanish, Latin American Studies, and Comparative Literature, and even has graduate course work in communications. These qualifications combined with his eight years in the department, he believes, help him understand needs of faculty and students alike.

Palmer said, "Dr. Sarah Wakefield and I have worked hard this year on several proposals to strengthen our department. We hope to offer new degree plans in the fall that would assist students seeking teacher certification in Speech 8-12, Spanish EC-12, and English Language Arts and Reading 8-12, to reach their goal in a timely manner."