Comparative Humanities & English

A&S Distinguished Faculty Award for a Career of Service

Nominated by Ann C. Hall
Chair of Comparative Humanities

Prof. Elaine Wise’s service during her time at the University of Louisville is legendary and spans a period of over 50 years. Her devotion to the University's mission has manifested itself time and again through her contributions to her department (formerly Division of Humanities), the College, the University, the profession and the larger community. Below is a list of some, but by no means all, of her notable contributions:

Service to the Department/Division. Prof. Wise served as Chair of the Division of Humanities from 1997-2016. During this 20-year period, she played a major role in increasing the number of faculty in the Division and implementing the Ph.D. program, all while strengthening offerings in Religious Studies, Linguistics, and Cultural Studies. While chair, Prof. Wise served on a large number of committees, including selection committees for the Bingham Professor and Justis Bier Professor. She worked with the development office to secure funds for the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence endowed chair in Judaic Studies. Most recently, she was a catalyst for the conversion of the Division of Humanities to the Department of Comparative Humanities. Letters of support also note the important role that Prof. Wise played in mentoring both faculty and students, an activity that takes a great deal of commitment and is often overlooked.

Service to the College. Prof. Wise's service to the College demonstrates her passion for arts and humanities. She was a member of the Arts and Culture Partnership Coordinating Committee and the Medieval-Renaissance Faculty Consortium and has helped coordinate activities for the Frederick Hart and Will in the Ville First Folio exhibits. Elaine has served on two A&S Dean search committees, the A&S Curriculum Committee, and the Decanal Review Committee, among others.

Service to the University. Prof. Wise represented A&S on the Faculty Senate for over 20 years (1993-2015). She served on the Executive Committee and the Library Committee and was instrumental in the University's increase in support for part-time faculty. Additionally, she has served as Faculty Athletic Representative since

1998, during which time the University has been a member of several different athletic conferences. She chairs the Committee on Academic Performance, which addresses academic issues for athletes. She has promoted mentorship activities by pairing athletes with faculty and initiated the Red and Black Scholar-Athlete Mentor

Banquet for recognition of these faculty-athlete mentorship activities.

Service to the Profession and Community. Prof. Wise's service to her profession includes many scholarly presentations on women's roles and activities and Medieval and Renaissance studies. She has received a large number of honors and awards, including the Trustees Award in 2005-06, the Tower Award for Women Leaders in 2009, and the National Women in Sport Award in 2015. Community awards include the Junior League of Louisville's Community Service Award.

Prof. Wise works very long hours at the University carry out her teaching, administrative, and service responsibilities. Yet she always managed to do all that while keeping her door open to students and her peers. Hers truly has been a “Career of Service.”