With her exemplary scholarship, superb teaching at all levels, major commitment to curricular reform, and great energy and enthusiasm, June Howard has done much to improve the intellectual environment at Michigan. As associate chair of English and Director of the Program in American Culture, her efforts have been a model of service to the University.
As associate chair of English, June Howard helped design and institute a thoroughly revised set of concentration requirements, including a “New Traditions” requirement that continues to be both popular and effective. As Director of the Program in American Culture, she led an intelligent set of discussions about the future agenda of American studies that has energized our faculty and has set the pace for the rest of the country. Without sacrificing the unity of the Program in American Culture, Professor Howard engineered a decisive shift from a traditionally English and history-based program into one constituted by a wider array of disciplines, approaches, and ethnic backgrounds. In fact, she has created a virtual family of scholars, an extraordinary feat requiring intellectual breadth, integrity, and personal diplomacy.
Her innovative use of team teaching and interdisciplinary teaching have led to a revitalization of this approach at Michigan. She has also played an important role in the Women’s Studies Program, and has been a passionate and articulate champion for women’s issues on campus, working on behalf of faculty, students, and staff alike.
June Howard is a scholar of distinction and continued promise. Her first book, Form and History in American Literary Naturalism, established her as a leader in this field. Her current work in progress, on gender and the family in early 20th-century American literature, will make an important contribution to cultural studies as well as to literary history.
June Howard leads and inspires by example, and her selfless dedication to the wider academic community brings out the best in those around her. For her contributions to the Department of English Language and Literature, the Women’s Studies Program, and the Program in American Culture, as well as her inspired teaching and personal concern for all members of the University community, we are pleased to honor June Howard with the Faculty Recognition Award.
