Two alumni speakers spoke of their love of teaching for Virginia Military Institute’s Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies (ERHS) Alumni Forum, “Finding a Calling” held Feb. 20 in Scott Shipp Hall.

Kaylee Brennan ’23, an English major at Virginia Military Institute, did independent field work to create a guide for cadets who plan on attending law school after they graduate. It's to be used as a resource for cadets on how to prepare and apply to law school.

Lt. Col. Mary “Polly” Stewart Atwell, associate professor in the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies, received a highly competitive residency fellowship at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts where she devoted time working on her second and third novels.

For the first time ever, the VMI Ethics and Debate Team finished in the top four at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Competition. By winning 4th place, the team qualified for the 27th Annual Association for Practical and Professional Ethics Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl.

VMI faculty members continue to be recognized and win awards for their excellence in teaching, research, and public service.

Lt. Col. Catharine Ingersoll, associate professor of art history, was recently instrumental in solving a similar mystery when she was called upon to confirm the identity of two 16th century stained-glass panels discovered in storage at the Reading Public Museum (RPM) in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Through ongoing interviews and discussions, cadets in ERH 314 learned about and translated mechanical designs developed by the mechanical engineering cadets for open-source reports accessible to engineering departments at other colleges and universities.

Dr. Duncan Richter, Professor of Philosophy in the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies and Charles S. Luck III ’55 Institute Professor, recently finished essays about Elizabeth Anscombe which will be published in two books.

Lt. Col. Steven E. Knepper, associate professor in the department of English, rhetoric, and humanistic studies at Virginia Military Institute has recently published his first book titled, “Wonder Strikes: Approaching Aesthetics and Literature with William Desmond.”

Cadets delve into the wealth of VMI archives held at Preston Library to share Cadet Life Over Time fieldwork project online.