Faculty Members Promoted to Rank of Senior Lecturer

Benjamin Baker, Paul Cotes, Rachel Waugh, and Josh Weiss have been promoted to the rank of Senior Lecturer. Rebecca Holden has been promoted to the rank of Principal Lecturer.

Benjamin Baker, Paul Cotes, Rachel Waugh, and Josh Weiss have been promoted to the rank of Senior Lecturer.  Rebecca Holden has been promoted to the rank of Principal Lecturer.  

According to University of Maryland promotion criteria, candidates for appointment to the rank of Senior Lecturer must demonstrate a sustained record of exemplary teaching and exhibit promise in the areas of research, service, mentoring, and/or program development. In addition to the accomplishments of Senior Lecturer, candidates for appointment to the rank of Principal Lecturer must demonstrate excellence in the areas of mentoring, program development, scholarly research and/or creative work. Principal lecturers are also expected to have a record of service of distinction to the department, the college, the campus, and/or the profession.  

Dr. Rebecca Holden received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a specialization in Women's Writing and Feminist Theory. She holds an MA in English Literature from University of Wisconsin and a BS, with distinction, in Communication Studies from Northwestern University. She pioneered and designed the "Writing for Non­ profit Organizations" course, which she has taught for the past nine years. Students in her course have won awards in the university's annual Do Good competition and many have gone to start nonprofits of their own. She also teaches ARHU's "Exploration in the Arts and Humanities: Using Science Fiction to Interrogate Diversity, Identity, and Power."  In addition to being an exemplary instructor and dedicated administrator, Dr. Holden pursues an active research agenda as a scholar of science fiction. She is the editor and co-editor of two volumes, one of which, Strange Matings: Science Fiction, Feminism, African American Voices and Octavia Butler, explores the production of masculinity and feminist appropriations of science fiction in the work of African American science fiction writer Octavia Butler. Dr. Holden has published several book chapters and a refereed journal  article on  topics  ranging from  Young Adult Afro-Futurism to Cyborgs  to Octavia  Butler. She presents regularly at national conferences  such as  MLA,  Popular  Culture Association, and Society for Literature and Science.  In addition to serving as a Faculty Fellow within the Professional Writing Program, Dr. Holden has created outreach opportunities between the English department and several university initiatives, including the Partnership for Action in Learning and Sustainability (PALS). The PALS outreach project, a first for students in the Professional Writing Program, gave her students a chance to participate in an important collaboration with a county agency.

Benjamin Baker received his PhD in History, with distinction, from Howard University in 2011. He has taught writing and literature at numerous colleges over the past two decades, and recently served as Managing Editor of the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. Dr. Baker has published widely in the field of the Adventist tradition, having authored two monographs, Crucial Moments: Twelve Defining Events in Black Adventist History (2005) and C.D.: The Man Behind the Message (2013), and edited four collections. His articles have appeared in diverse publications such as American Jewish History, Journal of Black Studies, Oxford Handbook of Seventh-day Adventism, PTinMOTION, Encyclopedia of Alabama, and Wyoming Wildlife, and he has been cited in the New York Times and Washington Post.

Dr. Paul Cote received his PhD and MA in English from the University of Maryland and a BA, with distinction, from University of Colorado Boulder. An extraordinary instructor, Dr. Cote's dossier boasts an impressive breadth and depth of expertise, ranging from Fundamental Studies, Literary and Cultural Studies, Languagee, Writing, and Rhetoric to Media Studies, Creative Writing, and Film Studies, as well as a variety of teaching modalities that include in-person, online, and blended learning. In addition to his excellent and diverse teaching, Dr. Cote maintains an active research agenda through peer-reviewed publications in his research area and regular participation in annual academic conferences, where he often presents on topics related to his scholarship and teaching.  

Rachel Waugh earned her BA and MA in English Literature from University of Glasgow in Scotland, a Master of Science (in Education) from The New School, and an MFA from the University of Maryland. Here at Maryland, she teaches courses in Academic Writing and Creative  Writing; she has served  as a lecturer since 2013. In 2017, Ms. Waugh became involved with the department's online and blended teaching program and began mentoring and training undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs).  In addition to Ms. Waugh's contributions to the department's Academic Writing and Online and Blended Programs, she is a highly valued creative writing instructor. She is currently completing a novel and continues to contribute regularly to various high-profile journals and magazines as a freelance writer.  

Dr. Josh Weiss received his BA in English literature, with distinction, from the University of Iowa, MA in English literature from Pennsylvania State University, and PhD in English Literature from the University of Chicago. He joined the department as a lecturer 2015 and has taught in both the Academic and Professional Writing Programs. In his teaching of Academic Writing, he has spearheaded sections designed for specific audiences, including sections devoted to students participating in Freshman Connection, CIVICUS, College Park Scholars, as well as sections for honors students. Working alongside department administrators in developing policies and procedures for ensuring inclusion and diversity in the Writing Programs, he also led a break out session at Professional Development Day and serves as a member of the editorial board of the Academic Writing program's undergraduate student journal Interpolations,

Zita Nunes served as chair for the Professional Track Faculty Appointment, Evaluation, and Promotion (AEP) Committee. Committee members included Marybeth Shea, Pam Orel, Danuta Hinc, Jessica Enoch, and Scott Wible.