F&M Stories
Socrates Citation In Honor of Daniel Frick
Professor Daniel Frick鈥檚 scholarly and pedagogical contributions to the College are considerable.
As a scholar, his heralded work on the enduring significance of Richard Nixon has made an imprint on the disciplines of History and American Studies. Professor Frick鈥檚 book, 鈥淩einventing Richard Nixon鈥 (University Press of Kansas in 2008), now in its second printing, has garnered considerable attention, including an appearance on C-SPAN鈥檚 鈥淏ook Notes鈥 show. He recently received a NEH Public Scholar full-year fellowship to support his promising new book project, tentatively titled 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Contrarian Sage: Richard Nixon and the Invention of the Modern Post-Presidency,鈥 under contract with Johns Hopkins University Press.
Professor Frick鈥檚 sure-footed scholarship has informed his many F&M courses on political and cultural history. His classroom is one framed by a mixture of clarity in learning objectives, varied modes of instruction, and methods for students to grow intellectually. Graduating seniors credit their college success to the skills and 鈥渉abits of thinking鈥 that he instilled in both his Connections course and upper-level electives. Professor Frick鈥檚 understated midwestern humor has been a key to effectiveness in the classroom.
He has earned the same measure of respect from his colleagues and students for the integrity he brings to his directorship of the Writing Center, where legions of student tutors attest to his stellar mentorship. Professor Frick鈥檚 many accomplishments as director of the Writing Center include the expansion of the staff size; significant growth in Center traffic; broadening the reach of the Center; the creation of the Whitesell Prize in First-Year Writing and the in-class writing workshop program, which won the 2017 SLAC-WPA Martinson Award for Excellence in Writing Program Administration; and the hosting of the SLAC-WPA conference in 2019. Since Professor Frick began leading the Writing Center, 10 Williamson Medalists have been tutors.
The Writing Center鈥檚 fine record of serving both faculty and students is testimony to Professor Frick鈥檚 commitment to creating a vital place for honing the writing craft in a supportive environment.
We applaud Professor Daniel Frick鈥檚 invaluable work for the College for over three decades and wish him well in retirement.
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