I have always felt most at home in a small liberal arts college setting, where undergraduate education is the top priority and faculty have an ongoing commitment to honing their craft as teachers and mentors. Even though I serve as Associate Provost, I feel lucky to be able to continue teaching courses in English and American literature and culture. My background is in the Enlightenment and Romantic periods, but I’ve also enjoyed teaching courses in Classical and Modern Theatre, as well as a first-year seminar called “Gardens and the Literary Imagination.” I am an unabashed Jane Austen geek who wrote the introduction and notes to the Barnes and Noble Classics edition of Pride and Prejudice, and for several years I’ve been writing a featured column, “The Literary Gardener,” in The Laurel, a monthly regional arts and culture magazine. As an administrator, I have a strong track record in faculty and curriculum development, student success and retention, and institutional effectiveness and assessment.