Indiana University Northwest recently appointed Alan Barr, Ph.D. as Chancellor’s Professor, a special academic title conferred on senior faculty members who demonstrate “highly meritorious performance in all areas of faculty work: teaching, research or creative activity, and service.”
Barr, Professor of English, began his appointment on January 1. The honor of Chancellor’s Professor is a title that remains with recipients throughout their careers at IU Northwest.
Barr is a scholar of Victorian literature, yet his research interests extend beyond that era. Over the course of his career he has published five books and 27 peer-reviewed journal articles. He has taught a wide variety of courses, including prose, poetry, drama, and film from a variety of historical periods ranging from the Victorian to the modern eras.
Chancellor William J. Lowe said Barr brings the expertise of his research career to his classes, and his students consistently remark on his pedagogical expertise, his knowledge, and his unwavering commitment to their success.
“Dr. Barr’s integration of research into the classroom to infuse learning exemplifies his status as a teacher scholar,” Lowe said. “He brings the same level of commitment to serving the IU Northwest campus community.”
Lowe added that Barr is well known on campus for his service.
“Dr. Barr has been involved with virtually every important service activity for decades,” Lowe said. “Many of these activities have directly and indirectly supported and shaped the careers of his colleagues.”
Barr served as the Chair of the English Department for over a decade, and chair of the Campus Promotion and Tenure Committee for a similar amount of time. He has served on, or chaired, the College of Arts and Sciences Promotion and Tenure Committee for more than five years, and helped to create the current Promotion and Tenure Guidelines when he served as chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my decades-long professional career at IU Northwest,” Barr said. “The teaching and the scholarship remain vital and engaging to me. I have also felt very gratified by whatever contribution I have been able to make through committees to the promotion and tenure and grants and hiring processes. The University has, for me, been a rewarding place to work, and I am delighted to be the recipient of this honor—joining a distinguished group of colleagues.”
The Chancellor’s Professor Program began in January 2013, with the first appointments of George Bodmer, Ph.D., Chancellor’s Professor of English, and David Klamen, Chancellor’s Professor of Fine Arts. The program continued in 2014 with the appointment of Charles Gallmeier, Chancellor’s Professor of Sociology, and continued last year with the appointment of Margaret Skurka, MS, RHIA, CCS, Professor of Health Information Management and Chair of the Department of Health Information Management (HIM) within the College of Health and Human Services.
About Indiana University Northwest
As one of seven Indiana University campuses, IU Northwest leads the region as the premier, urban campus dedicated to serving the needs of nearly 6,000 students from the state’s most diverse and industrialized region. Committed to helping its local Northwest Indiana communities thrive, IU Northwest is best-known for providing a personal, quality and affordable education close to home. IU Northwest positions its students to be leaders with more than 70 undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional degree options available from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Health and Human Services, the School of Business and Economics, and the School of Education. The campus is also host to IU School of Medicine-Northwest, which actively involves students in research and local healthcare needs through its four-year MD program. For more information, please visit www.iun.edu.