ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA - Winthrop University has appointed three esteemed faculty members to endowed professorships.
They are: English Professor Josephine Koster was selected as the recipient of the Margaret M. Bryant Professorship in English; History Professor Gregory Crider as the recipient of the Ellison Capers Palmer, Jr., Professorship; and Assistant Professor of Education Lindsay Yearta as the Singleton Endowed Professorship in Teacher Education.
President Dan Mahony emphasized that the university is grateful to the donors who established the professorships that allow administrators to recognize significant work by talented faculty. “These generous donors recognized the vital role that faculty members play in students’ success and made their contributions to acknowledge that role,” Mahony said.
Provost Debra Boyd noted that these professors have clearly established themselves as leaders in their disciplines and continue to provide important discoveries in their fields of expertise.
Professor of English Josephine Koster
Endowed by Margaret M. Bryant, the Bryant Professorship honors the legacy of a Winthrop
alumna and nationally recognized scholar in language and linguistics while rewarding
outstanding teaching, scholarship and service. Members of the Bryant selection committee
were charged to select a tenured associate or full professor in English who exemplifies
conspicuous distinction as a teacher and scholar.
As a Bryant Professor, Koster will pursue research involving women’s literacy in the late Middle Ages. The endowment will enable Koster to engage more fully in professional development activities that will enhance her courses and share her research at professional conferences. The first trip of this professorship included a visit to the landmark “Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms” exhibit at the British Library in London and travel to elucidate the identity of an unknown woman writer who authored a collection of Middle English prayers.
Koster was named Winthrop Distinguished Professor in 2015; she was awarded a Winthrop University Woman of Distinction Award in 2012 and 2013, and the Jane LaRoche Graduate Faculty Award in 2012. Koster previously served as both the coordinator of English Graduate Studies and as the coordinator of the Medieval Studies Program. The Southeastern Medieval Association presented her with its Award for Outstanding Teaching in 2014 and its Award for Outstanding Scholarly Achievement in 2009. The Josephine Koster Fund for Medieval Studies, Winthrop Foundation, was established in March 2016 in her honor by the Winthrop Medieval Studies Program.
Koster holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania, and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Professor of History Gregory Crider
The Ellison Capers Palmer, Jr., Professorship was established by an estate gift from
Ellison Capers Palmer, Jr., in memory of his mother, Keith Wells '20, and her sisters,
Dovie '16, Lucile and Virginia Wells. The Palmer Professorship honors a tenured associate
or full professor of history for his or her superior skill in teaching, scholarship,
high standing among professional colleagues and general service to the university
community. This award recognizes excellence both on campus and within the academic
community, and provides support for the faculty member’s teaching and research.
Crider’s selection for the Palmer Professorship will further facilitate his research and teaching in the history of Latin American social class and gender. He is an active teacher-scholar whose research not only informs his teaching but also explores the Cold War in the Americas and the intricate relationship between the United States and its southern neighbors.
One of Crider’s popular courses, the Mexican Revolution, draws directly from and is the subject of his current book project—a book that, when finished, will join an impressive body of publications in Latin American history. In addition to his research in various archives in a number of countries and languages and his work in the classroom, Crider has directed and expanded undergraduate and graduate programs in history, mentored countless students, and served as president of the Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies (SECOLAS) where he continues in an active leadership role and as co-editor of the organization’s journal, The Latin Americanist.
Crider joined Winthrop’s Department of History in 2009 and has taught at the university level for 26 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and economics from Duke University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Assistant Professor of Education Lindsay Yearta
The Singleton Professorship honors the memory of Winthrop alumna and former member
of the Board of Trustees, Elizabeth Singleton. Since it was established in 1994, the
Singleton Professorship has recognized excellence in discovery, integration of different
disciplines in research, and application of knowledge and teaching.
Yearta will use her time as the Singleton Professor to provide professional learning opportunities and research on the effects of technology integration in the public-school setting. Over the next three years, her goals include investigating: (1) the use of digital tools and how they can better help students to advocate for themselves and causes that are important to them; (2) technology integration in the early childhood classroom to augment creative, communicative and collaborative skills; and (3) critical thinking skills to evaluate digitally-based information.
Yearta was recruited to Winthrop in 2015 as an assistant professor in the Richard W. Riley College of Education. As a scholar, she has disseminated her work using various platforms. Notably, she co-authored a book, entitled “Pencils to Podcasts: Digital Tools for Transforming K-6 Literacy Practices,” that is now used as a reference and class text to support the responsible use of technology to meet the needs of today’s elementary students. In addition to her own research, Yearta has served as the co-editor of the Southeastern Regional Association of Teacher Educators journal and serves as a member of the Professional Review Committee for the South Carolina State Department of Education.
Yearta holds a B.S. and M.Ed. from Winthrop and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services coordinator, at 803/323-2404 or e-mail her at longshawj@winthrop.edu.
