Professor of Foreign Languages Kathleen E. McNerney has been named the first Singer Professor in the Humanities, M. Duane Nellis, dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences announced.

“Dr. McNerney has an outstanding reputation on campus and internationally in her discipline as a dedicated faculty member and scholar,”Nellis said.”Her strong publication record and interpretive skills have set a high standard of professional accomplishment for this new professorship.”

McNerney joined the foreign languages faculty in 1980 as an assistant professor. She was promoted to associate professor and full professor in 1984 and 1988 respectively. She teaches courses and conducts research in Catalan language and literature, Spanish civilization and culture and women in Hispanic literature.

She has authored or edited 10 books, published more than 40 referred journal articles and translated works by Catalan poet Maria-Merc Maral, crime fiction writer Maria-Antnia Oliver and others.

She earned her doctorate in romance languages from the University of New Mexico, and also completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Spanish there.

The new professorship is named for Armand E. Singer, WVU professor emeritus of romance languages, and Mary Singer, a former instructor of Latin, French and English.

The Singers and their daughter, Fredericka Ann Hill, established the professorship last year. In their wills, the Singers have established a bequest to the WVU Foundation Inc. to endow the professorship; Hill has committed to making annual contributions toward the endowment so that the professorship would be realized during her parents’lifetimes.

The professorship has been designated primarily for faculty members in the Department of Foreign Languages. The initial appointment may be for up to a three-year period and is renewable. Excellence in teaching or research may be used as criteria. The purpose of the award is to encourage and reward outstanding interdisciplinary work in the humanities within the Eberly College.

Armand Singer joined the WVU faculty as a teaching fellow in 1940; although affiliated with the Department of Foreign Languages since that time, he also taught in the departments of English and mathematics during the World War II era, directed the Program in the Humanities from 1963 to 1972, and was acting chair of the Department of Religion in 1973.

Even in retirement, Singer remains active in the department and recently coordinated the annual literature and film colloquium. Mary Singer was a lecturer at WVU from 1945 to 1972.

Dr. McNerney is one of 20 faculty members in the Eberly College who currently serves in an appointment as a named, distinguished or chaired professor.

The Eberly College has 300 faculty members, 125 staff and more than 6,000 students seeking majors or minors in one of 50 degree programs.