CURRENT BIO

I am currently an Associate Professor and Foreign Language Coordinator in the Department of English and Foreign Languages at Fayetteville State University. I hold a PhD degree in Linguistics and a Graduate Certificate in TESL (Florida); M. Phil. and MA degrees in Applied Linguistics (Sorbonne Nouvelle) and a BA (Honors) degree in French (Ifè). I have taught courses including ESL, English, Effective Communication, Writing and Research, French, Literature, Yoruba and many African language and culture related courses at High School, Community College and University levels in Africa, France and the US. Currently I teach French and Yoruba languages at FSU and am billed to teach a couple of ESL courses in the near future. I have published several academic papers and made many scholarly presentations at local and national professional gatherings and am currently working on two book projects. I serve on several Department, College, University, and UNC-wide committees and Task Forces and chair a few of them. I have served on the FSU Faculty Senate and on the Senate, College and Department Academic Affairs committees, as well as International Studies and International Education committees. I have written several course curriculum proposals and have served as a Consultant, Facilitator and Reviewer/Panelist on many professional panels, including the US Department of Education Office of Post-Secondary Education’s Title VI International Research and Studies Program as well as the Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad and Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad programs. I also serve as a Reviewer on a number of Journals (including the Modern Language Journal Reviews, the International Journal of Multilingualism, Scientific Journals International and the 2008 and 2009 Selected Proceedings of the Annual Conference on African Linguistics). I hold membership in the Modern Language Association (MLA), American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), Foreign Language Association of North Carolina (FLANC), International Association for World Englishes (IAWE), African Language Teachers’ Association (ALTA) and the Linguistic Society of America (LSA). I am fluent in five languages and have a diverse and multi-cultural background and experience. Some of the recent honors and awards I have received include the following: FSU College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) 2008 Community Service Award for the Department of English & Foreign Languages; 2005 Teacher of the Year Award for the College of Humanities & Social Sciences (CHSS) and the Department of English & Foreign Languages (ENFL) Teacher of the Year for 2005; the CHSS Research and Publication Award for 2006 and the Conference Presentation Award for 2003. I am a full member of the FSU Graduate Faculty and a member of the FSU Speakers Bureau. As a member of the Graduate Faculty, I serve on graduate theses committees and teach both graduate and undergraduate level courses.