Forty faculty authors were recognized Tuesday night in the first-ever UCF Faculty Authors Celebration held at the Live Oak Ballroom on campus.
The event, co-hosted by the Office of Research, Faculty Excellence and the John C. Hitt library, recognized faculty who have published books in the past five years.
Provost A. Dale Whittaker congratulated the authors and said that as a university, it is imperative to recognize and celebrate ideas and scholarship.
“There are lots of ways to measure what matters,” Whittaker said. “This is a measure that really matters to us.”
Tison Pugh, a professor in the College of Arts and Humanities who holds the distinction of publishing seven books in a seven-year period in addition to serving as editor on several others, entertained guests with his candid assessment of the joy of writing and the challenges of publishing.
“I couldn’t stop writing even if I wanted to,” he said. “I‘ve tried other hobbies, like making stained glass, but it was just weird for me.”
Pugh, who has written about Medieval English Literature, Queer and Gender Studies, Pedagogy, Film, Children’s Literature and Southern Literature, said he found that the more he learned about writers like one of his favorites, Geoffrey Chaucer, the more he found to write about.
Currently teaching courses on Chaucer and an Honors course about Harry Potter, Pugh said no matter how busy he is he always finds at least an hour a day to write.
Cheryl Cabrera Briggs, an associate professor in the School of Visual Arts and Design, has written two books, Reel Success: Creating Demo Reels and Animation Portfolios and An Essential introduction to Maya Character Rigging.
She said she was inspired to write by her students who had many questions about how to break into the animation industry. Writing a book helped her to pass her experience on to classrooms beyond UCF, she said.
The event is the second of three “re-energized recognitions of scholarship,” said Elizabeth Klonoff, vice president for research and dean of the College of Graduate Studies.
The Office hosted the first Luminary Award event in October to recognize academic leaders whose contributions to research and scholarship are making a significant impact in the world. Following the Faculty Authors recognition the annual UCF Research Week recognition will evolve to include even more opportunities to recognize student scholarship across disciplines.
To view photos from the event click here.
John Venecek, a UCF librarian, said the library is working to include copies of all works by UCF authors however they are not always made aware of publications. He encouraged UCF authors to let him know about their published works by contacting him at John.Venecek@ucf.edu.
The faculty authors recognized: