English Department Congratulates Dr. Maura Grady for Earning Tenure

On March 15, members of the English Department and other AU faculty and community members gathered to celebrate Dr. Maura Grady's achievement of earning tenure. Dr. Grady was hired at Ashland in 2011 and in addition to her contributions to film studies, cultural studies, and composition studies, she has served as Director of the Writing Center and Director of the department's Composition Program. She has also supervised numerous student research projects and co-authored work with AU students. Her book, co-authored with Tony Magistrale and published by Palgrave in 2016, is titled The Shawshank Experience: Tracking the History of the World's Favorite Movie. 

Dr. Grady is a wonderful teacher, scholar, mentor, and colleague and the department is delighted by her achievement.

The Black Fork Review Solicits Publications

The Black Fork Review, the student-run literary magazine at Ashland University, is accepting poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art from all within the Ashland community: students and faculty (both undergraduate and graduate), as well as alumni. Submissions are due April 1.

Ashland University Hosts Party at Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) Conference

The Ashland University MFA program is hosting a party at the AWP Conference in Portland from 6:30-8:00 PM on Saturday, March 30 in the Weidler Room of the Portland Doubletree, Level 1.

English Department Undergraduate Job Placement Information

The English Department has compiled job placement information for our graduates. Between spring 2014 and 2018, fifty-one students graduated with majors in English, Creative Writing, and Integrated Language Arts. The Chair of English has been able to track all but two of these majors. Below is a list of jobs and graduate degrees in progress for our forty-nine known graduates.

Current Jobs Held by English Department Graduates, Spring 2014-18, Along with Degrees in Progress

Academic Advising

Academic Advisor at UCLA

Professional Advisor, Graduate Online and Adult Studies, Ashland University

Professional Advisor, Center for Academic Support, Ashland University

Administrative and Administrative Support

Corporate Connections Specialist at Ashland University

Receptionist, Chiropractor's office, Columbus, OH

Administrative Office Assistant at Ohio House of Representatives, Columbus, OH

Business

Baker, Cashier, and Decorator at 8 Sisters Bakery, Mount Vernon, OH

Driver Recruiter at Panther Premium Logistics, Medina, OH

Loan Processor at Better Mortgage, NYC

Legal Administrative Assistant at Bose McKinney & Evans LLP; adjunct instructor of English at University of Indianapolis

Online Store Coordinator, Consumer Direct The J.M. Smucker Company

Owner and Operator of a Baking Business (The Cookie Snob, Wooster, OH)

Caregiving and Health Services

Adult Assistant- Choicemakers at Angeline Industries, Upper Sandusky, OH

Caregiver for Asperger's patients at Daystar Volunteers, NJ

Community Outreach and Education Coordinator at OneEighty in Wooster, OH

Diversion Mentor, Ashland Parenting Plus; Worship Pastor, Five Stones Community Church

Church

Young Life Leader, Wooster, OH

Youth Director and Outreach Director at Grace United Methodist Church, Warren, OH

Editing, Writing, Publishing, and Media

Communications Intern and Social Media Manager for M4ID; freelancer

Content Editor, Vivial, Dayton, OH

Editorial Assistant at Solution Tree Press in Bloomington, IN

Freelance writer (2)

Producer and reporter at WOHF and WFRO in Fremont, Ohio

Teaching

English Teacher, Medina, OH City Schools

English Teacher, Madison High School, Mansfield, OH

English Teacher, Triway High School, Wooster, OH

Middle School Teacher, Lima, OH City Schools

English Teacher, Edgewood Middle School, Wooster, OH

English Teacher, Crestview High School, Greenwich, OH

Adjunct Instructor of English at BGSU-Firelands

Library

Children’s Associate, Wayne Co. Public Library, Wooster, OH

Page, Cuyahoga Public Library, Cleveland, OH

Public Services Associate, Ashland Public Library

Degrees in Progress

MA, Kent State, Higher Education Administration

MA in Rhetoric and Composition, Ball State

MA in Creative Writing, Ball State

MA in English, Tiffin University

MA in Professional Communication, Clemson U

JD, Ohio State University

ILA licensure at AU in Bachelor’s Plus program

International TEFL Academic Program in Madrid, Spain

Paid Internship in Progress

Intern with Walt Disney World

In this list, most positions are full-time, and although some of our graduates are working in part-time positions, they are in the minority. Our graduates in Integrated Language Arts education find jobs in the Ohio region or in other parts of the country soon after graduation, but some decide to branch out into other careers, using their broad preparation in critical thinking and writing to succeed in a variety of employment settings. In general, although we are happy to see students landing jobs in fields that one might associate with writing and publishing, we are even happier to observe that our students can thrive in many different kinds of environments, thus proving our claims about the flexibility of our majors.