Goggin to lead English department

<p>Maureen Daly Goggin, a professor of rhetoric with a reputation as a meticulous researcher and gifted teacher, has been named chair of the ASU Department of English. She served as interim chair for the 2009-2010 academic year and has been associate chair since 2004.&nbsp;</p><separator></separator><p>“English departments have become increasingly important as we have moved into a post-industrial age,” said Goggin. “In the knowledge-based information age, what economist Diane Coyle terms a ‘weightless world,’ the economy and society are increasingly focused on and find high value in knowledge-intensive goals and services rather than manufactured goods.&nbsp;</p><separator></separator><p>“English studies, which focuses on the study of and teaching in oral, print and digital discourses of all sorts, from imaginative to public to private, has an important role to play in today’s world,” Goggin said. “Businessman David Kearns observes ‘that the real challenge of today’s economy is not in making things but in producing creative ideas. Today, the race goes not just to the swift, but to the inventive, the resources, the curious.’ These are the very practices that those trained in English studies command. Our innovative English faculty are confident that we are preparing our students for these new challenges.”&nbsp;</p><separator></separator><p>Goggin assumes the leadership role of the English department from Neal Lester, who was recently named dean of humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, a position held by Deborah Losse, who will be retiring from ASU.&nbsp;</p><separator></separator><p>“Dr. Goggin will bring to this new administrative role integrity and a steadfast commitment to excellence in scholarship, teaching, and service — at all levels,” Lester said. “She has both the stamina and the patience to lead this very large and diverse academic unit. I look forward to watching the department's continued evolution under her management.”&nbsp;</p><separator></separator><p>Goggin, who has been an ASU faculty member since 1994, has a doctorate in rhetoric from Carnegie Mellon, a master’s degree in English and a bachelor’s degree in education from Northeastern University in Boston.&nbsp;</p><separator></separator><p>At ASU, she has contributed to the scholarship in the history of rhetoric and composition, the teaching of writing, and visual and material culture. She was named a University Faculty Exemplar in 2007 and received the Alumni Association Faculty Teaching Award in 2006.&nbsp;</p><separator></separator><p>Goggin has published seven books, four edited volumes and more than 35 chapters and articles. In 2008, she received the Writing Program Administration Journal Best Article Award.&nbsp;</p><separator></separator><p>“Dr. Goggin is an internationally known scholar in the area of rhetoric and composition,” said Losse, in announcing Goggin’s appointment. “Her work, bringing together the disciplines of rhetoric and composition, material culture and visual culture through her interest in needlework, exemplifies the cross-cutting scholarship that is exemplified at a New American University.”</p>