History professor Richard Weikart is one of Stanislaus State’s most prolific authors, and his discussions on the impact of evolution as well as his work researching the history of modern Germany have given him a high profile.
But during a recent reception honoring many of the published authors in the Stan State community, it was Weikart who came away impressed with what he saw.
The first Stanislaus State Biennial Author Recognition Event filled tables that circled the perimeter of the room at the Faculty Development Center, with 38 authors displaying 94 published titles.
“I’m very pleased just walking around here and seeing everybody else’s work,” said Weikart, who has written six books, including two that were published last year. “This is very impressive. I’m excited to see what’s going on here and I’m expecting this to continue. It good for our students to see that many faculty members here at Stan State are known nationally and respected for the work they do.”
The reception was an idea conceived by Stan State president Ellen Junn and executed by Ron Rodriguez, dean of library services; Laura French, special collections and digital archives librarian; and History Professor Phil Garone.
“President Junn shared her idea to honor the authors on our faculty as well as emeriti, staff and administrators,” Rodriguez said. “We went back and asked for work published in the last five years for this inaugural event and from now on we’ll do this every two years.”
The goal of the event, French said, is to let the University community as well as the community at large know about some of the great work being done at the University — work that often can be overlooked.
“This is a way to show how the University is contributing to our community and to the academic discourse across all disciplines, and to reinforce that all instruction here is based on practical research,” French said. “We want to celebrate how this University is exceptional.”
On display at the event was a dizzying array of books, peer-reviewed articles and special interest articles, with topics ranging from examinations of dog breeds to very specific scientific journal entries. There even was a script for a play.
“It’s really nice that the administration and others are acknowledging this work,” said Theater Department Chair John Mayer, whose 2016 book on the history of Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater Company received national attention. “Most people don’t know about the research being done or the work being turned-out at Stanislaus State. One look around the room would suggest there’s a reasonable amount of work being done, especially considering the size of the faculty.”