YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – Young Harris College is pleased to announce the faculty recipients of the 2023-2024 fellowship and sabbaticals.
Professor of Art Mr. Ted Whisenhunt has been awarded a sabbatical for the fall 2023 semester, Professor of History Dr. Thomas Stearns has been awarded a sabbatical for the spring 2024 semester, and Assistant Professor of History Dr. Larissa Stiglich has been awarded a faculty research fellowship for the spring 2023 semester. Whisenhunt and Stearns will be the first sabbatical recipients at YHC in 17 years, and Stiglich will be the first ever recipient of a YHC-funded research fellowship.
“I am immensely proud of the work that representatives of the Faculty Senate and the members of the Deans Council have done to reestablish sabbaticals and to create the research fellowship program,” said YHC Provost Dr. Jason A. Pierce. “Our campus community is justly proud of the committed teacher-scholars on our faculty, and I am pleased that we can continue to invest in their professional development so that they, in turn, can continue to invest in our students.”
Whisenhunt, who already holds an M.F.A. in Studio Art, will use his sabbatical to complete a second M.F.A. in Graphic Design in support of one of the College’s fastest-growing baccalaureate degree programs. Stearns will use his sabbatical to complete work on a book on Aldous Huxley, Christopher Isherwood, and the mid-twentieth-century American film industry. Dr. Stiglich will use her research fellowship to carry out work on a proposed monograph, based on her dissertation and tentatively titled After Socialism: Navigating German Unification in a Former Socialist Model City, 1971 to Present.
The College last awarded a sabbatical in 2006, when it was still a two-year institution. Under the leadership of YHC President Dr. Drew L. Van Horn, the College has committed to supporting at least two faculty sabbaticals every year moving forward, thanks in part to the financial support of the Appalachian College Association (ACA), a consortium of independent colleges and universities in the region, which YHC joined in July of this year.
The Faculty Senate and the Deans Council look forward to seeing these professors take full advantage of these great research opportunities.
About Young Harris College
Young Harris College is a private baccalaureate and master’s degree-granting institution located in the beautiful mountains of North Georgia. Founded in 1886 and historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, Young Harris College educates, inspires, and empowers students through an education that purposefully integrates the liberal arts and professional studies. The College has four academic divisions: Fine Arts; Humanities; Mathematics, Science, and Technology; and Professional Studies. Approximately 1,400 students are enrolled in its undergraduate, Early College, and MAT programs. The College is an active member of the NCAA Division II and remains a fierce competitor in the prestigious Peach Belt Conference. For more information, visit yhc.edu.
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