Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Association of Language Departments and Association of Departments of English service awards, Amy S. Thompson and Douglas Hesse.
Amy S. Thompson, recipient of the ALD Award for Distinguished Service to the Profession, is an experienced language educator, accomplished researcher, and inspiring humanities leader. Thompson came into the national spotlight following West Virginia University’s 2023 decision to eliminate all language programs. In her role as Woodburn Professor of Applied Linguistics and chair of the Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Thompson offered invaluable advocacy and amplified the critical role of land-grant universities in providing access to world language education, creating a model that resonated well beyond the Mountain State. During this challenging period, she remained a steadfast, highly visible advocate-activist for language learning and teaching. Thompson has also made significant contributions to teacher education through her influential research on individual differences in second language acquisition, and her role as a trusted adviser, mentor, and program leader. Thompson serves on several editorial boards, including The Modern Language Journal; has been an executive committee board member for the West Virginia Foreign Language Teachers’ Association, and is president-elect of the International Association for the Psychology of Language Learning. In addition to her role as department chair at West Virginia University, she was the director of International Relations and Strategic Planning for the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and previously served as associate chair in the Department of World Languages at the University of South Florida. Thompson now serves as the Mack and Effie Campbell Distinguished Professor and director of the School of Teacher Education in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at Florida State University.
Douglas Hesse, recipient of the ADE Francis Andrew March Award, has over a forty-year career redefined the field of writing and composition studies. At pivotal moments his vision and advocacy have opened doors to new scholarly research in composition studies, to outreach that shaped educational policy and public engagement, and to rich collaborations with the MLA and the ADE. His five books and ninety-three articles and chapters have documented and shaped the emergence and professionalization of writing studies. His leadership of four different national associations—CCCC, NCTE, CWPA, and AWAC—attests to a generous stewardship of the profession. Throughout his career he has made time to write the op-ed piece, to speak with the journalist, or to engage critically with high-stakes policy debates such as the adoption of Common Core standards for K–12 writing. Titles like “Who Owns Writing?” and “Breech Disciplinary Levees: Help Fix Democracy” get at the fundamental questions his work raises about higher education’s role in public and civic life. As Hesse notes in his 2017 essay “The Futures of College Writing,” in a post-truth, discursively toxic age, college writing classes can “serve as an important counterweight.”
Please join us for the MLA Awards Ceremony at the annual convention in New Orleans on Friday, 10 January, to honor these accomplished award winners.