Purdue News
Purdue News
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April 30, 1992 School of Liberal Arts appoints two new department headsWEST LAFAYETTE, IND. – Two new department heads in Purdue University's School of Liberal Arts have been appointed. Purdue's Board of Trustees Thursday (4/30) ratified the appointments of Professor Rod Bertolet (pronounced ber-TOE-let) as head of the Department of Philosophy and Professor Christiane E. Keck as head of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. Both appointments are effective July 1. Bertolet succeeds Professor William Rowe, who returned to full time teaching and research in 1991. Keck succeeds Professor Howard Mancing, who will return to teaching and research. David A. Caputo, dean of the School of Liberal Arts, said, "Dr. Bertolet will provide excellent leadership for the department. He combines excellent academic credentials with outstanding teaching skills." Caputo said Keck's experience in the Graduate School and her departmental contributions have been good preparation for her new duties. "Dr. Keck has worked in a variety of programs and committees throughout the university," Caputo said. "She has extensive leadership experience and a well-valued reputation as a teacher and a scholar." Bertolet, originally from Allentown Pa., has been a faculty member of Purdue's philosophy department since 1977, after he earned his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was named a professor in 1991. Bertolet earned a bachelor's degree in 1971 from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. He was a member of the Curriculum 2000 committee in the School of Liberal Arts and was a fellow of the Center for Humanistic Studies at Purdue in 1987 and 1991. He is a member of the American Philosophical Association and was president of the Indiana Philosophical Association during 1983-84. He is author of a book and numerous articles about the philosophy of language, which examines how language facilitates communication. Keck was born in Jena, Germany, and grew up in Little Silver, N.J. She has been a member of the Purdue faculty since 1964, when she was an instructor of German. She became an assistant professor in 1966, associate professor in 1975 and professor in 1990. She has held several positions in the School of Liberal Arts' predecessor, the School of Humanities, Social Science, and Education, including assistant dean (1976-79) and director of honors (1979-85). She also was chair of Germanic and classical languages and literatures (1973-79) and assistant dean of Purdue's Graduate School (1980-84). Last year she served as interim director of the program in comparative literature and in 1990 was a visiting professor at the University of Bonn, Germany. The author of numerous books, articles and monographs in her fields of business German and l9th-century German literature, Keck belongs to the Modern Language Association, American Association of Teachers of German, American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages and American Comparative Literature Association, among other professional organizations. She has received numerous awards, including the Federal Cross of Merit First Class, West Germany's highest medal for civilians; the MCL Award for outstanding Teaching in the School of Humanities, Social Science, and Education; and the Amoco award for outstanding undergraduate teaching at Purdue. For six years she was a special consultant for instructing teachers for the American Association of Teachers of German. She received her bachelor's degree from the College of New Rochelle in 1961, master's degree from Columbia University in 1962 and doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin in 1966. Contact Purdue News Service (765) 494-2096 or purduenews@purdue.edu
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