Stillman welcomes the addition of a new English department Chair, Dr. Norman Golar. Dr. Ruby Perkins, the previous Chair, retired from Stillman this year at the end of May.

 Dr. Golar earned his B.A. in creative writing at Knox College, a small liberal arts institution located in western Illinois.  He earned both his Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in creative writing and Ph.D. in composition and rhetoric at The University of Alabama (UA). He has taught both traditional composition and introductory creative writing courses for eight years, and his work with UA’s various scholar programs, living-learning communities, and new graduate teaching assistants has allowed him to collaborate with individuals who come from varying communities, follow similar and contrasting ideologies, and maintain different cultural values.

 Golar was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He attended and graduated from Martin Luther King High School (renamed King College Prep High School) located on the Southside of Chicago. He has been in higher education for twelve years.

 When asked what aspects of the new leadership role he is excited about, Golar said, “ The opportunity—alone—to work at a small, private, and historically black college is remarkable.”  Much of his intellectual and social growth developed when he attended Knox College, which at the time maintained a student population of 1,100.  Knox College is not a historically black institution of higher education; however, the college is small, private, and prestigious.  Golar remembers the benefits of learning in a community where the student-to-faculty ratio averaged 12:1.  Golar said, “I recall so vividly the close connection we students developed with faculty and other students during our matriculation at the institution and after we graduated from the institution.  I anticipate that my role within Stillman’s community will help to create similar and stronger impressions students have about the College. “

 When asked what factors made him want to be a part of Stillman, Golar said, “ Respective faculty and persons of the community influenced my seeing Stillman as an institution devoted to molding successful African Americans—I wanted in on the opportunity.”  Golar attributes God for having directed his path so that he would meet various individuals of Stillman’s community.  Golar said, ”I think about Emeritus Chair of the English department, Dr. Willa Lowe—she wanted to work at Stillman; such a desire proved to be evident every moment she mentored students from their entering the College to their graduating from it.”   Golar continued, “Current Chair of religious studies, Dr. Mark McCormick, also comes to mind—students value his attentiveness because he values their need to belong in higher education.  Many others play significant roles in the appreciation I have toward the College (i.e., Drs. Kathryn Brewer-Strayer, Ruby Perkins, Rosianna Gray and Ms. Jacqueline Curry).  Ultimately, I wanted to return to an environment quite similar to that of Knox College.  I simply wanted to share my graduate and professional experiences with an HBCU, such as Stillman—my (soon to be) home away from home.”