Professor Elizabeth Weiser, professor of English on the Newark campus since 2004, has been named an Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor by The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences, the first regional faculty member on any campus to receive this honor.
The College of Arts and Sciences bestows this title to full professors “whose work has demonstrated significant impact on their fields, students, college and university, and/or the public.” Only 10% of the nearly 500 ASC professors may hold this title at any one time, making the selection process exclusive. Eligible professors “must be active and respected scholars in their field of specialization, with records of sustained and significant productivity throughout their careers….They also must have a record of excellence in teaching and outstanding service.”
Weiser teaches rhetoric and writing to students at Ohio State Newark. As Maria Janke, a 2019 graduate, wrote recently, “Dr. Weiser is dedicated to student success and has an immense passion for teaching, [and] I am blessed to have the opportunity to continue to learn from her.”
In her research, Weiser studies the dynamic between identification and division in civic life as a rhetorical theorist and museologist. In addition to writing or editing five books, she has published numerous articles and chapters in journals and monographs in the fields of rhetoric, museum studies, linguistics and education. Her current book project, Just Restoration: Rhetoric and Reconciliation in American Museums, examines a dozen new museums run by diverse marginalized communities in the American heartland. She is the only American on the Executive Board of the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM), the world’s largest network of museum studies scholars, and she serves as the editor-in-chief of ICOFOM publications, including its biannual journal. She has also won the Ohio State Newark award for faculty service three times.
Weiser notes that she was very moved by her nomination by the English Department for this honor, as there is an astounding degree of talent within the department. But she also notes that as a regional faculty member, “I see ‘distinguished’ people all around me, on all our campuses. I hope my department may have broken a barrier for others to also be recognized for their exemplary role at this university.”