Denison University president Dale Knobel announced on Thursday, Oct. 11, that Professor Gary Baker of the Department of Modern Languages has been appointed to a five-year term as the college's inaugural William G. Bowen Distinguished Professor. The announcement, along with Baker's formal installation, was made during Knobel's opening remarks for "The Bowen Symposium: Equity and Excellence in Liberal Arts Education" held in Herrick Hall on the Denison campus.

Professor Gary Baker

A professor of German, Baker joined Denison's faculty in 1989. He is the author of a published study of Uwe Johnson, a 20th-century German author, translator and editor. Baker also has placed more than 20 articles and essays in books and scholarly journals. He is a regular presenter at scholarly conferences and lately has begun delivering papers on the fiction of Günter Grass. He has worked tirelessly to secure external grants for the development of language pedagogy, and in just the last 15 years has helped to secure Fulbright awards to study or teach in Germany, Austria or Switzerland for 21 Denison graduates.

Describing Baker as an "exceptional campus citizen," Knobel went on to say that the professor is "a humble man who does not seek out public recognition for his contributions ... He seems to revel in the work he does at Denison."

Baker holds a bachelor's degree in modern languages from Juniata College (1979), a master's in German from Pennsylvania State University (1983) and a doctorate in German from the University of Minnesota (1989).

The Bowen Professorship was made possible by an extraordinary gift from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to honor Bill and Mary Ellen Bowen, both members of the Denison Class of 1955. Bill, often acclaimed as a visionary in the realm of higher education, served as president of The Mellon Foundation from 1988 until 2006, following a long and inspired presidency at Princeton University between 1972 and 1988. In addition to his bachelor of arts degree in economics from Denison, Bowen also holds a doctorate from Princeton (1958). The Oct. 11 symposium was held at Denison in honor of the Bowens and in gratitude to The Mellon Foundation.

With his appointment to the Bowen Professorship, Baker joins 14 other faculty members who hold named chairs or professorships at Denison University.

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About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

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